Google Local Service Ads FULL Tutorial + 4 Things YOU MUST Avoid!

Summary

The video script offers a comprehensive guide on leveraging Google Local Service Ads to elevate a business's online presence. It emphasizes the importance of having a verified Google business page with numerous positive reviews to qualify for the service. The speaker, drawing from substantial ad spend experience, outlines the pay-per-lead model which differs from traditional PPC by charging only for validated leads. The script provides a step-by-step process for setting up the service, including checking local availability, business verification, and budgeting. It also highlights common mistakes to avoid, such as selecting too few service areas and lacking sufficient reviews. The guide underscores the competitive nature of the platform and the need for ongoing optimization to secure leads, positioning Google Local Service Ads as a valuable yet strategic marketing tool for local businesses.

Takeaways

• 📈 **Prioritize Google Local Service Ads**: Aim to be on the front page of Google with your brand and reviews to boost visibility for your business.
• 💡 **Understand the Target Audience**: This platform is designed for verified local service businesses, so ensure you have a Google business page and verified reviews.
• 🚫 **Availability Check Essential**: Before proceeding, verify if Google Local Service Ads are available in your area to avoid wasting time on an unavailable service.
• 💰 **Pay-Per-Lead Model**: Unlike traditional PPC, this program operates on a pay-per-lead basis, meaning you only pay when you get a verified lead.
• 📞 **Lead Verification Process**: You have control over validating leads from calls, messages, or direct bookings on your calendar, which affects your charges.
• 📈 **Competitive Environment**: Be aware that the number of leads you receive can be influenced by competition and the number of reviews your business has.
• 📝 **Documentation and Verification**: Submitting proof of qualifications, insurance, and a background check is crucial for the verification process on Google.
• 📊 **Budget and Bidding Strategy**: Set a budget and choose a bidding strategy that aligns with your business goals, such as maximizing leads.
• 📍 **Service Area Selection**: Selecting the right service areas, typically 3 to 6 zip codes, can impact the number and quality of leads you receive.
• 📅 **Appointment Booking Integration**: New feature allows customers to book appointments directly on your calendar, streamlining the service process.
• 📊 **Lead Management**: Actively manage your leads by marking them as booked or invalid based on the service provided to optimize your ad performance.
• 🌟 **Reviews Matter**: Having a significant number of positive reviews can greatly enhance your standing on the platform and attract more leads.

Q & A

What is the primary goal of using Google Local Service Ads?

The primary goal of using Google Local Service Ads is to appear on the front page of Google with your brand and reviews, attracting potential customers by showcasing your business at the top of search results.

What are the two key requirements for businesses to be eligible for Google Local Service Ads?

The two key requirements are that the business must be a verified local service business and have a verified Google local business page with multiple positive reviews.

How does the payment model for Google Local Service Ads differ from traditional Google PPC or search ads?

Google Local Service Ads operate on a pay-per-lead model, meaning businesses are charged only when they receive a lead, as opposed to the pay-per-click model where charges are incurred for every ad click.

What are the three ways a business can receive a lead through Google Local Service Ads?

The three ways to receive a lead are through recorded phone calls via the Google Local service ad system, direct messaging on the platform, and a new feature allowing customers to book appointments directly through a connected calendar.

Why is it important for a business to have a significant number of verified reviews on Google before using Local Service Ads?

Having a significant number of verified reviews helps establish the business as legitimate and trustworthy, which is a prerequisite for Google's verification process. It also increases the likelihood of leads being sent to the business and improves the business's visibility and credibility on the platform.

What is the significance of choosing the right service areas in Google Local Service Ads?

Choosing the right service areas ensures that the business is targeting the correct geographical locations where it can effectively provide services. It helps avoid driving potential customers away due to long distances or irrelevant service offerings.

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How does the Google Local Service Ads platform handle unverified or low-quality leads?

The platform allows business owners to review and validate leads. If a lead is deemed not valid or not worth the business's time, the owner can mark it as such, and Google will not charge for it.

What is the recommended bidding strategy for Google Local Service Ads?

The recommended bidding strategy is 'Maximized Leads,' which aims to get the most leads possible for the business within the set budget.

How does the competition for leads in Google Local Service Ads work?

The competition is based on the number of reviews a business has, the verification of those reviews, and how often the business accepts the leads provided by Google. Businesses with more reviews and higher acceptance rates are likely to receive more leads.

Why is it crucial for businesses to manage and mark leads as booked or invalid in Google Local Service Ads?

Properly managing and marking leads helps Google's system understand the quality of leads the business is receiving. This feedback loop ensures that the business is sent more relevant and higher quality leads over time.

What is the recommended approach for businesses that are new to Google Local Service Ads?

New businesses should start by checking availability in their area, setting up a detailed and complete profile, choosing a broad enough service area, setting a reasonable budget, and ensuring they have a significant number of positive reviews to stand out on the platform.

Outlines

00:00

📌 Optimizing Google Local Service Ads for Business Visibility

This paragraph introduces the topic of the video, which is about how to get a business on the front page of Google with local service ads. The speaker mentions their experience with Google ads and emphasizes the importance of having a verified Google business page and reviews. They explain the pay-per-lead model of Google Local Service Ads, which differs from the traditional pay-per-click model. The speaker also provides an overview of the ways leads can be generated through the platform, including calls, messages, and direct calendar bookings. They conclude by inviting viewers to follow along with a screen share tutorial on setting up and optimizing these ads.

05:01

📋 Navigating the Setup and Verification Process for Google Local Service Ads

The second paragraph delves into the specifics of setting up a Google Local Service Ad. It covers the verification process, which includes submitting a headshot, proof of license, insurance, and a background check. The importance of customer reviews is highlighted, as they contribute to the legitimacy and visibility of the business on the platform. The speaker discusses setting a budget, choosing categories, and the competitive nature of the ad platform. They also touch on the aspects of job types, service areas, and the new feature of booking appointments directly through the calendar. The paragraph concludes with a look at the lead management process and the significance of marking leads as booked or invalid.

10:02

🚀 Enhancing Business Reputation and Lead Generation through Google Local Service Ads

The final paragraph of the script focuses on the benefits of using Google Local Service Ads for enhancing a business's online reputation and generating leads. The speaker discusses the simplicity of the platform and encourages viewers to manage their own ads for a more hands-on approach. They also mention the channel's intention to release more tutorials on various marketing topics, including algorithms, advertising, social media, and organic marketing. The paragraph ends with a call to action, inviting viewers to subscribe for more DIY marketing tutorials.

Keywords

💡Google Local Service Ads

Google Local Service Ads is a platform where local businesses can advertise their services to appear at the top of Google search results. It is specifically designed for verified local service businesses and operates on a pay-per-lead basis. In the video, the speaker discusses how to set up and optimize this type of advertising to get more leads for a business.

💡Pay-Per-Lead Model

A pay-per-lead model is a type of online advertising pricing structure where the advertiser pays a fee each time a lead is generated. This contrasts with pay-per-click (PPC) models where advertisers pay each time an ad is clicked. The video emphasizes that with Google Local Service Ads, businesses only pay when they receive a verified lead, making it a cost-effective way to generate high-quality leads.

💡Google Business Page

A Google Business Page is an online listing that allows businesses to provide information such as their address, contact details, hours of operation, and customer reviews. In the context of the video, having a Google Business Page with a significant number of verified reviews is a prerequisite for using Google Local Service Ads, as it helps establish the business's credibility and legitimacy.

💡

💡Verification Process

The verification process refers to the steps that Google takes to confirm the legitimacy of a local business and its owner. This includes submitting a headshot, proof of license, proof of insurance, and a background check. The video mentions that this process is crucial for businesses to be eligible for Google Local Service Ads and to gain consumer trust.

💡Customer Reviews

Customer reviews are evaluations left by customers about their experiences with a business. They play a significant role in Google Local Service Ads as they contribute to the business's online reputation. The video highlights the importance of having a substantial number of positive reviews to stand out on the platform and to increase the likelihood of receiving leads.

💡Budget and Bidding Strategy

Setting a budget and choosing a bidding strategy are critical components of managing Google Local Service Ads. The budget determines how much a business is willing to spend to acquire leads, while the bidding strategy influences how aggressively the ads will compete for visibility. The video recommends using a 'maximized leads' strategy to aim for the highest number of leads possible within the set budget.

💡Service Areas

Service areas refer to the geographical regions where a business offers its services. In the context of the video, the speaker advises selecting 3 to 6 zip codes as service areas to start with, ensuring that the business can realistically serve those areas without incurring excessive travel costs. The choice of service areas can significantly impact the number and quality of leads a business receives.

💡Lead Validation

Lead validation is the process of confirming whether a lead generated through an ad is legitimate and relevant to the business's offerings. In the video, the speaker explains that with Google Local Service Ads, business owners can listen to call recordings and decide whether to validate a lead or mark it as invalid, thus avoiding charges for unqualified leads.

💡Competition

Competition in the context of the video refers to the rivalry between businesses in the same industry or advertising space. The level of competition can affect the number of leads a business receives through Google Local Service Ads. The video suggests that businesses with more reviews and better lead validation rates may be prioritized by Google, emphasizing the importance of standing out in a competitive market.

💡Optimization

Optimization involves making adjustments and improvements to increase the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. The video touches on the importance of optimizing various aspects of Google Local Service Ads, such as job types, service areas, and budget, to enhance lead generation. A newly set up account, as mentioned in the video, may require time and adjustments to become fully optimized.

Highlights

Introduction to using Google Local Service ads for verified local service businesses.

Explanation of the Google Local Service ads being a pay-per-lead program, differing from PPC.

Description of three ways to generate leads through Google Local Service ads: calls, messages, and direct bookings.

Highlight on the importance of business verification and gathering many positive reviews to succeed.

Discussion on the importance of checking availability of the service in the user's specific area.

Explanation of setting up and optimizing a Google Local Service ad campaign.

Cost estimation guide based on the number of leads and specific business industry.

Step-by-step process to search and verify eligibility for Google Local Service ads in a specific region.

Importance of a detailed profile setup including business verification, budget setting, and category selection.

Tips on maximizing lead potential by properly managing business hours and service areas.

Explanation of the competitive nature of the service and strategies to enhance visibility and lead conversion.

Details on how to handle, validate, and charge for leads, and the role of user reviews in this process.

Mention of common mistakes to avoid when setting up and managing Google Local Service ads.

Importance of having an adequate number of reviews to compete effectively on the platform.

Final advice on self-management of campaigns and encouragement to engage with DIY marketing tutorials.

Transcripts

if you want to be on the

front page of Google

right at the top with your brand

and your reviews front and center,

this video is for you.

I assume most of you want that.

You should if you have a good business.

And so in this video,

I'm going to show you

exactly how to operate

and set up Google local service

ads I'm also going to show you

the four big mistakes

that you need to avoid while

setting this up My company,

we spent over half a million dollars

a month on Google

ads, mostly Google PPC

and YouTube

ads I'm going to show you

to do it, how to avoid the big mistakes

and why you should probably be doing it.

But before I get into that,

there's really two things need to know.

The first thing is

this is for verified

local service businesses only,

and it is not yet available everywhere.

So you need to have a verified Google

local business,

need to have verified reviews

and the more the better.

there's a verification process

they have

because they actually guarantee

the people who become a lead

for your business

that they're going

to get decent service from you.

And if they don't Google

will actually cover a cost for that.

So if you don't have

a Google business page,

if you don't have a lot of reviews,

this is not for you.

the second thing to understand is

this is a pay

per lead

program, contrary

to Google,

PPC or Google search

ads, which we all know and love.

Those are the search as you see

above the Google search result.

That's a pay per click model.

So every time you click

on one of those ads,

Google will charge the advertiser

for that click.

Then they will feed you back

data that will basically show you

how many clicks did it

take to get a lead.

And I'll give you a cost per lead.

This is a pure pay per lead model.

So there's really three ways

you can get a lead

with Google Local service ads.

People can call you and through

Google Local, the service ad system,

it actually records the calls

and you can decide

if that lead is validated

or a valid lead.

And that's when Google will charge you.

Or you can decide if it was a junk lead,

it wasn't worth your time

or is in the wrong industry

or something like that.

And Google shouldn't charge you.

So you actually determine that.

you want to keep the amount of people

you say

Google should charge you for high

so that they show you more.

Naturally, Google wants to make money.

The second thing is

they can actually message you

on the platform.

And the third thing,

which is brand new, is

you can actually connect a calendar

and they can book with you directly.

So it's a paper lead model,

meaning you only pay

when you actually get a lead.

You don't pay for impressions or clicks

You just pay when you actually have

a meaningful connection with someone

who needs your services,

which is really, really cool.

without further ado,

let's head over to my screen share

and I'm going to walk you

through exactly how to do this.

So the first thing you're going to do

is just go to Google and literally

search Google Local service ads.

Now, if you are curious

about the cost of this in your niche,

going to get this option for costs.

And if you don't get that, just search

Google Local service has cost.

Now this is a little calculator

you can put in a zip code

and then you can also put in your

amount of leads.

You can handle a month.

So for some businesses

you might be up at 100.

For some you only be able to handle ten.

our industries real estate.

So I'll just use real estate.

So see you want ten leads a month

that'll be roughly 270 to 410.

If you say I want 100 leads a month

I'll be 2740. 100.

And that doesn't mean you're

going to get that many leads

because there's

a lot of competition in this. Now.

It was the shiny object of last year,

so a lot of people jumped on this.

And it really depends on your industry,

but I'll just give you

roughly an idea of cost.

So you might be expecting like 50

to $100 a lead, something in that nature.

But you can verify

these leads to yourself.

And with Google PPC,

you're going to get

a lot of unverified leads

and you have to filter those through.

And the lead cost,

the qualified quality lead cost,

depending on your industry,

could be roughly the same.

But it really depends,

and I think this is worth a shot.

what you're going to do

is go back to the searchers.

I'll just hit Google local service ads.

You're going to get started

and I'm not going to take you through

this whole setup process.

I'm just going to show you

this first part,

which is the first big mistake

people make, is not actually checking

if there's availability in their area.

So that's the first thing

you're going to do.

So if I say let's try Florida

with the

same random Florida zip code I chose,

and then we go to like carpentry.

That's just a random things.

I'm going to check eligibility. Great.

So it looks like there is eligibility.

I assume for real estate

agents it's the same.

So if I go through

and I do real estate, we Florida

zip code.

If it goes to the next step,

that means you're eligible,

which it did again.

So one thing I want to make clear

for my real estate friends

is this isn't available

in a lot of places.

Woops, not France Canada.

So if I choose like British Columbia,

which is where I'm from

and I go down,

you'll see there's actually no option

for real estate agents.

So They're adding to locations

and service areas all the time.

They're trying to grow this program

right now. A lot.

So even though I don't see

real estate agents in here

because this isn't

available in Canada yet,

at least most of Canada to my knowledge,

but by the time you watch this,

it might be

you need to go in

and just select your country,

select your zip or postal

code, your province, state, whatever,

and just check if it's available.

there are some pockets even in the U.S.

where there isn't availability.

So just make sure you check that.

you're going to go ahead

and create a new account,

already have an account.

So that's why it's giving me this option

to go to my existing one.

I'm not going to go through this process

on this video,

putting in all of this information.

But here's basically

the idea is you can appear in the top

search results.

You can only pay for calls and messages

people send and now booked appointments.

And you can build your local reputation

just by being on the

front page of Google,

which is pretty cool.

So if I click get started,

what you're going to do

is fill out your business name,

your official business

name, like your LLC.

Put in all your information.

I'm not going to go through this here

because it's pretty dry and boring,

there is a sign up

tutorial video at the very bottom

if you really want some help with this.

But it's a basic sign up flow.

So there's nothing really

too crazy in there.

Now, once you get through your

into your profile, it's

going to look something like this.

You're going

to have your options on the left

so you can have

your business verification.

So this is a client,

one of our clients I'm just going to

uses an example

who's already gone through this process.

So basically

you're going to submit a headshot,

in her case, a real estate license,

if you're in some other industry,

you're going to have to submit proof

that you're qualified

or certified to work in that industry.

Proof of insurance is a big one.

A background check.

So you also want to have

customer reviews, set your budget,

put your billing information

in, and choose your category.

So you want to make sure

this is obviously done

or you're going to deliver an ad.

So is really important.

But as you can see here, like

she is now,

Google screened,

which means Google has verified her

she's a legitimate business,

legitimate agent.

I think she has like

60 some five star reviews on Google,

which is awesome.

So that's kind of what you need

to make this work right

If you go over to your profile

and budget, this is where you can kind of

now it's going to do this

through the sign up flow for you.

But you can go in here

and you can always change stuff.

So you can look at like

your business hours,

you can change those.

So you

can basically choose that

you only want people to be calling

you during your business hours

or if you want them to call you

any any day or customer hours.

you can go in here

and you can choose your budget,

your bidding strategy,

I would recommend maximized leads.

That's what we all want.

Is the most leads possible.

this is important.

This is something I want to point out.

Our weekly target is 15 to 38 leads.

But in the last seven

days, we've got one lead.

this is a brand new account

we just set this up recently,

so it's not fully optimized yet.

But the point is, is that

this is competitive.

So you might want 100 leads a month,

but you might only get five.

And that's pretty normal

with this type of advertising.

And it really depends on the competition

in your market at the time.

So it really depends on

how many other advertisers

are there with a lot of reviews,

because if there's someone else

with way more reviews

and they're verifying all of the leads

Google sends them,

Google is probably going

to prioritize them.

If you're declining all of the leads

Google sends

you and says, no, they're not verified

and you're only approving like 25%.

Google is not going to want to send

you more leads than someone else.

So keep that in mind.

Google's

motivation is to make money, right?

So just make sure you know

that you can also add your job types.

So these are like real estate categories.

If you're like a locksmith,

there's going to be different categories

for that.

you can obviously have photos

just like a regular business profile.

servicers, I'll touch on in a minute

because that's the second

big mistake

I see people make,

choosing too few service areas

and not broad enough.

So what I generally recommend

is choose like 3 to 6 zip codes

and see how that goes for you.

You might want to go broader

if you're not getting enough leads,

but you also don't want to be driving

like 2 hours to someone's house

for your service. Right?

this hasn't been set up yet.

This is brand new

where people actually can book

appointments on your calendar.

And this doesn't make sense

for most businesses.

If you're a locksmith, for example,

people are probably going to call you

but make sure all of this is dialed in.

It's pretty straightforward.

You want to make sure you have

all your information filled out.

You set your budget,

you set the job types you serve.

You have some photos

Also here, you can go through

and you can look at your reviews.

Obviously, the more positive reviews

you have, the better.

In this case,

we have a 5061 five star reviews,

which is great.

But then what I want to show

you really the most important

thing is leads.

So this is where you're actually going

to get your lead flow.

Now you will get notified by your email

for new leads.

if you look at active leads,

you can see there's

not a lot of volume in here yet.

So that could be the case for you.

In some cases.

People that have been on Google

screen, Google verified for a while,

they're getting like

multiple leads a day.

That's not the case for most people.

if you look here,

you'll see this lead is not charged

and this lead is charged.

Now, what's interesting is

if you go to the not charge lead,

you'll see that

their calls are actually recorded.

So you'll see this

call is actually 26 seconds long.

And it looks like

it was in the correct industry.

I think they might

have wanted like a rental

and they don't do that.

how you manage

that is

if you're going to job types here,

you can actually choose like what

type of people you service.

So there's like buyer's agent

foreclosures, new construction,

property management rentals.

So we have those turned off, right?

Because she doesn't do

PM doesn't do rentals.

Then we have seller's

agent relocation, luxury

first time homebuyer.

So turn on the ones that you do serve.

If you do rentals, obviously

you want to turn on rentals,

but if someone calls you for a rental,

that's not what you do.

You've listed that in here.

You can mark that as an invalid lead.

if I go back and I look at the one

that was charged and verified,

you'll see that this conversation,

this recording was actually 3 minutes

and 14 seconds, a little bit longer.

And if I go over to completed

leads, you'll see there's

a couple in here that were charged

that are titled

as job type seller's agent. Right.

So if I go on to this conversation,

you'll see

that it was actually a 22 minute

phone call.

So that was pretty awesome.

It looks like

they were actually a seller's agent.

And so she got an opportunity

to go get a listing,

which is pretty huge.

So This is where you kind of

want to pay attention to you,

but you want to

make sure your marking leads

as booked or invalid.

And so that's the big thing

you want to pay attention to.

And that's the third big mistake

I think people make is

they don't proactive.

We actually do this,

which is really, really important

and yeah, the fourth

big mistake I see people

make is like

they just don't have enough reviews.

Like,

you can try this

if you don't have enough reviews,

but if you have like one or two,

it's really not worth your time.

You want to make sure

you have a lot of reviews.

That's how you're going

to really stand out on this platform.

there's not a whole lot more to show you.

This platform Super simple,

so I hope that helps

you make less mistakes

when setting this up.

And just to show you

that you can actually self manage this.

So you like this kind of content

and you want to learn DIY

marketing tutorials,

that's what this channel is all about.

So make sure you hit

that subscribe button and a little.

We're going to be dropping

a lot of different

tutorials in the future,

especially in the next coming weeks

on algorithms,

advertising tutorials, social media,

organic marketing tutorials,

all that good stuff.

So I will see you guys in the next one.