Google’s Local Services Ads (LSAs) allow your business to connect with potential customers who search on Google in your area for the kind of services you provide, which translates to most people in your area. When we’re on the hunt for services, we turn to Google, which makes Google’s LSAs an important advertising platform. These ads are sponsored, powerful tools that can strengthen your ability to reach your target audience. At The Web Guys, we are focused on helping valued clients like you get the most bang for their buck with quality services like LSA guidance, and we welcome the chance to help you explore your best options.

Local Services Ads: What They’re All About

Google’s LSAs are lead generators that are designed to help you connect with local customers, and local customers are what make your small business tick. Yes, these ads are poised to show up in service-oriented search queries in your locale, but they go well beyond this definition. Consider the following additional functions:

Your LSAs will show up directly in your potential customers’ related searches, but you will only be charged when one of them contacts you directly through the LSA.
Unlike regular search campaigns and text ads, LSAs generate impressions that are based on the category of service you opt into, and they are only displayed in your specific geographic market. In other words, keywords are replaced by service categories in your area.
You will set a weekly ad budget that represents an average amount you are comfortable working with, and you’ll be charged a flat fee – that is based on your service category and geographic market – for every phone call your LSAs generate.
If a call generated by your LSAs is not relevant to your business, the caller hangs up immediately, or if the call is otherwise faulty, you have the right to challenge the charge – so you won’t be responsible for covering it.

Better understanding what LSAs can do for your service-related business can help you take fuller advantage of what they have to offer.

Local Services Ads: The Many Benefits

LSAs have much to recommend them, including:

They can help you get the attention you deserve by landing you at the top of the Google heap.
They can help connect you with potential customers who are on the hunt for the kind of services you provide, which makes them valuable potential customers.
They ensure that you pay only for those leads that directly relate to your business and the unique services you offer.
They allow you to bolster your trustworthiness with potential customers by awarding Google Guaranteed badges that put the Google stamp of approval on things.
They allow customers to choose you, which means that you’ll only be hearing from those customers who specifically chose your business – by selecting your profile out of all the others.

How LSAs Work

The best way to understand how LSAs work is with an example. If – for example – you are in the business of helping individuals and families move, and your company specializes in local moves in the greater Chicago metropolitan area, you have options when it comes to your Local Services Ads account. You’ll likely choose the Moving & Relocation category, and from here, you will select the service type of local moves. In order to hone things further, you’ll identify the zip codes within the Greater Chicago market that you choose for ad eligibility. From here on out, Google will share your ads only with those users in your selected zip codes who search for local moving companies. Finally, when your ad generates a user phone call that fits Google’s lead criteria, they’ll charge you a flat fee that’s based on your category of services – Moving & Relocation – in your target area – Greater Chicago.

The Onboarding Process

Many business owners are intimidated by Google’s onboarding process for LSAs, but with our skilled guidance, you won’t have any trouble getting set up. Getting the ball rolling includes all the following:

License verification
Insurance verification
A background check for each employee, which – in some instances – you can perform yourself in accordance with Google’s standards

The process for securing a Google Guaranteed badge is more involved, but doing so can reap significant rewards.

Account Reporting

Once your LSA account is set up, you’ll gain access to the LSA dashboard that provides you with an overall view of how your LSAs are performing, including information like the following:

The number of leads you’ve been charged for
The LSA budget spent
The appointments booked from leads
A 30-day graph of lead charge-dates

Embracing LSAs

If you run a service-based business, Local Services Ads can make all the difference. When people in your area need the kind of services that you offer, the vast majority turn to Google, and the lead rates for their LSAs reflect this fact. The clients we work with find that the return on LSAs exceeds other venues, such as standard paid search campaigns as well as other digital channels. While the upfront cost can be higher than other campaign approaches, the improved call quality and lower cost-per-sale over time helps balance the expense and can pay off big time in the end.

Turn to a Digital Marketing Pro to Embrace Everything LSAs Have to Offer

If you run a local service-oriented business, ignoring the unique opportunities afforded by search marketing is shortsighted, but taking the plunge may leave you feeling overwhelmed. The digital marketing professionals at The Web Guys appreciate your concerns and have the LSA expertise to help. LSAs are powerful tools that allow you to reach those customers who’re looking for exactly what you have to offer in your exact location, and this distilled focus can prove invaluable. Our services include helping you master LSAs, and we encourage you to get in touch by contacting or calling us at (317) 805-4933 for more information today.