What are the benefits of Google Local Service Ads?
Locals are searching for what you offer on Google. Make sure your business shows up. Make it easy for people to call or message you, straight from your ads on Google.
Google Local Service Ads are an ideal digital advertising solution for service-based businesses looking to connect and engage their local audience. Get more leads and grow your business.
Local Services ads started as a beta in 2015 and were initially available for limited service-based companies in San Francisco. They were initially called “Home Service Ads.” To qualify, your company went through an extensive screening process to ensure it’s “legit.” People interested in finding a service would either call directly from the ads or select up to three businesses from the list of companies to request individual quotes for comparison.
Google expanded outside of California in 2017 while also rebranding to “Local Services Ads.” Now, consumers can no longer select a business for a quote comparison. But they can still call or message the company from the ad directly. One aspect of Local Services ads that’s still the same is the screening process or the “Google Guaranteed” approval.
There are many benefits to using Google Local Service Ads. Here are some of the ways Google Local Service Ads can help grow your business:
At Search Engine Pros, we make sure that you’re informed about the status of your campaigns and individual ads on a regular basis, sending you full reports of all relevant data and KPIs. Additionally, we provide performance analysis from our paid social media advertising experts. Using the results from these reports, we optimize your campaign strategy to ensure that we’re hitting every opportunity available.
Google Local Service Ads FAQ
The Local Services unit is shown at the top of Google Search results when people search for the services you offer in areas you’ve chosen. Potential customers can click or tap on your ad to either call you or send you a message request (US only). They can also schedule a booking with you directly through your ad. Learn more about booking leads (US only).
When a customer reaches out, you’ll get an email and notification from the Local Services Ads app. From this point on, the lead is yours to turn into a customer. To ensure you continue to receive messages, respond to as many of them as you can (even if you decline to provide the requested service). If you regularly fail to answer calls or respond to messages, your ad ranking may be affected.
At the moment, Local Services Ads doesn’t support all services. Google continuously expands the number of services allowed to run these ads as popularity and usage increase. Below is a list of the current services supported by Google Local Services Ads in the U.S.
- Acupuncturist
- Animal rescue
- Appliance repair services
- Bankruptcy lawyer services
- Business lawyer services
- Carpet cleaning services
- Carpenters
- Child care
- House cleaning services
- Contract lawyer services
- Criminal lawyer services
- Dance instructor
- Countertop services
- Disability lawyer services
- DUI lawyer services
- Electricians
- Estate lawyer services
- Family lawyer services
- Fencing services
- Financial planning services
- First aid training
- Flooring services
- Foundations services
- Garage door services
- General contractor
- Handyman
- Home inspector
- Home security
- Home theater
- HVAC (heating or air conditioning)
- Immigration lawyer services
- I.P. lawyer services
- Junk removal services
- Labor lawyer services
- Landscaping services
- Language instructor
- Lawn care services
- Lawyers
- Litigation lawyer services
- Locksmiths
- Malpractice lawyer services
- Moving services
- Personal injury lawyer services
- Personal trainer
- Pest control services
- Pet adoption
- Pet boarding
- Pet grooming
- Pet training
- Plumbers
- Pool cleaner
- Pool contractor
- Preschool
- Real estate lawyer
- Real estate services
- Roofers
- Sewage system
- Siding services
- Snow removal
- Tax services
- Traffic lawyer services
- Tree services
- Water damage services
- Weight loss service
- Window cleaning services
- Window repair services
- Yoga studio
Consumers want to know the businesses they find on Google are legitimate. So to boost consumer confidence in service providers shown in Local Services Ads, Google introduced two programs: Google Guaranteed and Google Screened.
There are also Pre-Badge Ads businesses can use to boost their credibility.
Google Screened is a badge given to qualified small businesses running Local Services Ads. It’s mainly used for professionals offering home services, such as plumbing, HVAC, landscaping, and roofing. This badge shows the business passed all Google qualifications.
Now, what happens when a customer finds a service using LSAs but isn’t happy with the service provided? If the business has a Google Guarantee badge, they’re backed by up to $2,000 in reimbursement. Of course, Google investigates the matter before awarding a refund. The $2,000 is a lifetime limit, and it varies based on country. For example, in the U.K., the lifetime limit is £1,500.
Google won’t reimburse customers for:
- Dissatisfaction with price
- Damage to property
- Add-on or future projects
- Cancelations
- Poor provider responsiveness
- Customers have 30 days to submit a claim before they lose their refund.
Note that “Google Guaranteed” badges can’t appear on any website, landing pages, or any marketing context outside of Google’s Local Services Ads.
Also, if you use all your budget, the badge won’t appear in the ad (so spread budgets equally to prevent running out of money too fast).
What are Pre-Badge Ads?
Once a business passes preliminary checks, it can receive a pre-badge to generate new leads right away. However, you must complete the remaining required onboarding checks to receive the Google Screened and Guarantee badges.
The requirements to receive a pre-badge for your ads include:
- License or business registration (and acceptance of those documents)
- At least one review
- Completing billing and setting a budget
- When you receive your pre-badge, it’ll appear on your ads right away. This way, you can begin gaining consumers’ trust and earning their business.
Google requires a background check for the business owner and all of their field workers. It uses Evident to perform a thorough check of your business. Then Google receives either a yay or nay to give their final verdict.
Google doesn’t receive any of the information found in the background check.
To get started, click on the “Go to Evident” button. This will take you to Evident’s website where you’re prompted to log in using your Google account. Once inside, you’ll provide business details and contact information. All of your field workers will receive an email asking for an upload of their driver’s licenses or I.D.s.
It takes about a week for Google to get the background check results. The sooner your employees submit their information, the quicker it’ll process.
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