Being a small business owner can be both rewarding and challenging. Some of the challenges you face will be around managing your finances, protecting your interests, and giving your customers, no matter who they are, the best services possible. But one challenge that most small businesses face at some point or another is getting new business through the door.
Marketing is an essential part of any business, but small business owners in particular need to rely on marketing as a way to get the word out about services, solutions, and even the brand name. Different digital marketing techniques can help support your business and get you the customers you need to grow and succeed.
One of the most reliable and important avenues for success comes from digital advertising. With digital advertising, you can showcase your brand, offer new deals, and get your business in front of potential customers who may not have otherwise seen your company.
Google is a common platform for digital advertising, and offers a few different ways to market your business. Google Local Services Ads in particular can help small businesses find new customers directly in their local market. In this article, we’ll explain what Google Local Services Ads are, why they can help small business owners, and give you some quick tips on how to improve your Google Local Services Ads today.
What Are Google Local Services Ads?
Google Local Services Ads are an easy way to help consumers find companies within their local area with ease and confidence. They also help businesses get in front of customers in their local area who are looking for their specific services. A Google Local Services Ad will appear for relevant local business searches and will display at the top of the search results page. Within the ad, details like the business name, phone number, ratings, reviews, hours, and more will populate, so the customer can easily view them.
The way Google Local Services Ads work is quite simple. A potential customer will input a search that contains keywords. If the keyword is a match for the business creating the ad, then the ad will trigger and display for the searcher. The ads only show based on the location of the searcher, not the business. So a customer who is visiting an area will get ads in that local area, not their home address.
From the ad, the customer can choose to call the business directly with the linked phone number, or send a message through the ad to the business asking a question or requesting more information about the business and services provided. The lead can also browse your profile, book an appointment, or read the reviews that other customers have left on your Google Business Profile.
How Do Google Local Services Ads Differ From Google Ads?
Google Local Services Ads are different from traditional Google Ads. While both of them utilize the same platform and have the same engine powering them, there are some key differences that you should consider as you look into boosting your ad strategy.
Google Guaranteed Badge
Using Google Local Services Ads gives you an application and verification process to get a Google Guaranteed badge added to your profile. The badge is an additional verification that helps customers and potential leads see that your profile and more importantly your business is viewed as trustworthy by Google. This backing can help you get more clicks than in traditional Google Ads.
Priority Placement in Search
Another great benefit of Google Local Services Ads is that you get priority placement on the search results page, even above other traditional ads. The Local Search ads will appear at the very top of the Google search results page. The details box also makes your ad look more interesting and gives you a better chance of getting clicked. It also helps you stand out from the crowd and the other ads take up space on the search results page.
Book Local Jobs
Local Services Ads help you find new leads and connect with new customers with a direct button. You can get people who are looking for what services you provide in the ideal moment when they are searching for it. And with the Book a Service button, that person can directly get scheduled with you, rather than tracking down a link on your website or waiting for a call back.
Only Pay for Results
Another difference between Google Local Services Ads and traditional Google Ads is how they are paid for. With Google Local Services Ads, you pay only for the leads you get, not the clicks. That helps you choose what types of services or deals you want to promote in order to get the best possible results.
Quick Tips for Success
Now that you know more about what Google Local Services Ads are and why they are beneficial to small business owners, let’s get into some specific tips that can help you get set up for success for the future.
Get More 4 and 5-Star Reviews
The first tip is to get more high-rated reviews to your Google Business Profile. Reviews are one of the first things that people look at when they are choosing between different small businesses. The more four and five-star reviews you have, the more likely a potential lead is to think your business is trustworthy and delivers great results. After all, we tend to trust the options of others, and the more reviews you have, the more likely you are to get new leads.
Set Your Open Hours
When someone is searching for a business with specific services, oftentimes they are looking for an immediate solution. If your open hours aren’t correctly listed on your Google Business Profile, then you risk losing potential business. Even worse, you might upset a potential lead who thought you were open only to find out too late your business was closed. Having accurate hours and holidays on your profile will help you get more qualified leads at the right time.
Strategically Manage Your Bid Strategy
Every Google Ad, whether it’s for local searches or not, depends on a bidding strategy. While you may not have to pay for clicks with Google Local Services Ads, you still want to outbid and outperform your competitors. Carefully manage your bid amount and make sure that you outbid your competitors for your most requested keywords and phrases. By doing keyword research and finding the best targets, you can convert more potential leads into customers.
Respond Immediately to Leads
When someone uses the Google Local Services Ad box to book an appointment or send a message request, it’s important to answer it immediately. Not only is this helpful to your searchers and potential leads, but it plays a part in your ranking. The Google algorithm will show preference to businesses that have better response times to inquiries. Responding to inquiries is a great way to show your readiness and your accountability as a business.
Set Up Your Locations
All Google Local Services Ads are based on the physical location of the business as identified in the Google Business Profile. If you have multiple locations or serve multiple areas, you need to have those set up in order to accurately capture the leads you want in your service areas. This maximizes your chances of showing up for searchers within your ideal location. It also makes sure that you are covered for searchers who have traveled from one area to another.
Attend a Surefire Local Marketing Platform Demo
At Surefire Local, we understand that small business owners and operators have a difficult road ahead of them. Trying to manage ad strategies, respond to messages, and monitor your reviews is hard, especially when you have a myriad of other digital marketing tasks on your plate at the same time. That’s why the Surefire Local Marketing Platform was designed to make managing the marking of your small business easy and efficient.
The Surefire Local platform is a business intelligence and marketing platform that helps business owners manage their marketing tasks all from one platform. You can respond to new reviews, answer your inquiries from Google Local Services Ads, and track your performance metrics all from one location. Surefire Local can also help you improve your strategy with advanced analytics and insights, all while providing a simple dashboard layout to manage your marketing activities.
To learn more about Surefire Local and to see exactly how the platform can support your Google Local Services Ads, then book a demo of the platform. There you’ll learn about all the features and tools that make Surefire Local stand out from other, more expensive platforms and agencies. Click on the link above to schedule your demo today!