Google Local Services Ads (GLSAs) are freakin’ incredible. If you’re not running them, here’s why you should:
Ad-Placement: GLSAs are positioned at the tippy-top of the Google’s search results page!—primo placement for prospective customers to discover you. Plus, there’s no keyword-planning involved. You simply declare your industry (e.g. real estate agent) and Google handles all the targeting.
Service-Types: You control the types of leads you do/don’t want to receive. For instance, if you don’t want First-Time-Home-Buyers or Renters, it’s easy to say so.
Cost-Per-Lead: You only pay for legitimate leads. Lots of services will spend your budget and, at the end of the billing cycle, whatever you get (in terms of leads generated) is what you get. But GLSAs only charges you for valid leads. What’s more, you get to set a budget in terms of what you’re willing to pay. So it’s NOT like you would set a $1,000/month budget, end up w/ only one lead, and then Google would be like, “Welp, your cost per lead came out to $1,000. Sorry 😅.” That’d be ridiculous!
Seller Leads: Finally, consumers who search for agents online is (generally) characteristic of seller-intent. If you’re looking to generate some seller leads, GLSAs may be a good fit for it.
Now… all the happy & fuzzy feelings about Google aside—Local Services Ads aren’t w/o blemish.
🚫 For starters, GLSAs still aren’t available in some regions—most parts of Canada, for instance. Boo 😒!!!
⬇️ Second—though search volume is gaining more-and-more ground, there’s just not an overwhelming-ton of looking for a REALTOR types of Google searches happening on a consistent basis. As a result, GLSAs won’t show nearly as often as, say, “Homes for sale near me” Google Search ads.
🥵 The competition is fierce! When GLSAs first became available for real estate agents, it was like come-list-me calls on the daily! Well, word spread and other agents joined in on the fun 🤩!
Which brings us to present day…
5 ways to Improve Your Google Local Services Ads to Get More Leads!
Local-Services Biz Profile: Fill out your GLSA profile in its entirety! Set your hours-and-availability, insert your business's bio, specify your services areas/zip-codes, declare the services you offer (e.g. “new construction,” “first-time-homebuyers,” et al.), and so forth. Bear in mind, Google measures how often your ad converts—i.e., how often a viewer calls or messages you. The more info you provide, the more there is for a lead to gain confidence in contacting you.
Customer Reviews: Sync your Google Business Profile (GBP) to front-load customer reviews. Keep in mind, the quantity and average star-rating of your reviews impacts how your ad ranks. For customers who find/use your business via Google Local Services Ads, request that they review you on GLSA directly vs. on your GBP. That way, Google will mark the review as verified, which'll reinforce rankings. The downside, though, is that the review won’t sync over to your GBP. Can’t win ‘em all 🤷🏻♂️.
Answer. The. Phone. The simple truth is: Google knows when leads call or message your business. So, if you fail to answer those calls or if you don’t reply the messages quickly, Google will demote the ranking of your ad. So… If your profile is set as open 24 hours/day, for instance—unless someone's monitoring for incoming leads overnight—you may reconsider your settings.
Log-&-Notate Your Leads: GLSA offers advertisers a basic lead-management dashboard/platform. My advice: USE IT! Mark-up every lead's record with detailed notes as well as update the statuses of your leads (e.g. active, inactive, or otherwise). Remember, by showing your ad, Google is indirectly giving its approval of your business. So provide them reassurance that your leads are being properly serviced.
Tweak/Adjust Your Bidding: If you're lead-flow has declined, you may think about altering your bid-settings. The default bid strategy is set to "Maximize Leads"—meaning, Google will seek to generate as many leads as it can w/in your specified daily, weekly, or monthly budget. First off, try increasing your spend. If that doesn’t do it, consider switching to a “Max-Cost-Per-Lead” bid strategy. Using the latter, you're essentially offering top-dollar for any-and-all leads in your market area—that is, depending on the amount you tender per lead.