Yet another feature Google has implemented into the wide world of internet marketing – Google Local Ads. Also known as Google Local Service Ads and Google Guaranteed Ads, these local ads for businesses offering services to their local communities show up at the top of the Google Search page – above everything else – and it can definitely be tricky getting them to show up how you want them to. Luckily, Get Found First is a Google Premier Partner and we have the information that you need to get the most out of your Google Local Service Ads.

Unlike Pay-Per-Click – Google Local Ads do not have a quality score to use to help your ads show up more often. Google Local Ads don’t have Click-Through-Rates, they aren’t looking at the relevance of your ads and they don’t worry about landing page experience because the ads don’t click through to your website. Those ranking factors are not included in Google Local Ads. Instead, Google determines your rank by other factors:

• Proximity to the searcher’s location – Like Google My Business, your Local Ads are going to provide the USER the best experience by giving them listings that are close to their location.
• Review Score & Number Of Reviews – Reviews can give you a leg up against your competition. Getting more reviews and good reviews can make a difference in how often you are showing. (Side note: you can also request reviews from customers who have called you from a Google Local Ad – definitely take advantage of this feature!)
• Responding to your customers – The Google Local Ad dashboard allows you to listen to your calls. Obviously, Google will be able to tell if you picked up your phone (or at least if the call connected). But, Google also wants to know how each job turned out. The dashboard offers many options for you to respond about how each call went so that Google can determine responsiveness.
• Your business hours – Your ads aren’t going to show up outside of your business hours.
• Whether or not Google has received serious or repeated complaints about your business.

Optimize Your Google Local Ad Listing

Google Local Ads has different features that you can access from the main dashboard. The profile tab inside the dashboard allows you to add or set up different features. These are great additions to your local ads and can provide more opportunities for you.

1. Business Bio – The business bio provides a selection of information for you to display on your dashboard and for users to see. These might include how long you have been in business, any certifications that you hold, if your company is owned by a woman or veteran, and much more.
2. Bid Adjustments – Take control of your bidding more with different bidding options. You can choose a more automated bidding style while still setting a limit, or you can use a more customized strategy that allows you to set a cap on how much you are willing to bid. (*Keep in mind that your Local Service Ads budget is separate from your AdWords budget, so if you’re running both, you’ll want to ensure you’re prepared for the combined costs of your campaigns.)
3. Photos – Include photos of your business, your employees, work you have done, before & after images and anything else that shows off your business, who you are, and shows what your brand is all about.
4. Messages – You can set up messaging so that users can contact you via another way than calling. Be sure to pay close attention to these so they don’t get overlooked.
5. Locations – Set your location targeting to include any areas that you are willing to provide services in.

If you want to learn more about Google Local Ads and how Get Found First can provide assistance with your Online marketing, call us today!