Local Service Ads Guide for Home Service Companies

In today’s world, most people turn to online platforms like Google or social media to find nearby HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and other home services companies. To stay competitive, businesses have had to adapt their marketing strategies to cater to the online crowd. One especially effective tool is Local Service Ads (LSAs), a type of advertising that helps connect you to consumers in your area.

But what are Local Services Ads exactly? How are they different from other types of pay-per-click ads? And why should you consider investing in them? We’ve got the answers you’re looking for in this Local Services Ads guide. Keep reading to learn about:

• What Local Services Ads Are
• Why Local Services Ads Matter for Home Service Companies
• Getting Started With Local Services Ads
• Maximizing Your Local Services Ads
• The Benefits of Working With an Agency Partner

Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with Rocket Media’s home services marketing pros.

For over 20 years, we’ve helped home services companies attract and convert more customers. Contact us today for a free 30-minute consultation. Whether you’re interested in Local Service Ads, paid search, SEO, or more, we’ll help you find the most effective marketing strategies to grow your business.

Local Service Ads are a type of paid advertisement on Google that appears at the very top of the search results, even above traditional Google Ads and organic search results. They're designed specifically for local service providers, such as plumbers, electricians, and HVAC professionals, allowing businesses to connect directly with potential customers in their service area. LSAs display crucial information like business hours, ratings, and reviews, providing instant credibility and encouraging potential customers to choose your business over competitors.

It's worth noting that LSAs are different from traditional, pay-per-click (PPC) ads. With PPC ads, you pay the ad publisher whenever your advertisement receives a click. LSAs, on the other hand, use a pay-per-lead model. This means that businesses only pay when a potential customer contacts them through the ad.

Now that you know what local service ads are, let's review the benefits they bring to home service companies.

LSAs appear at the top of Google search results, giving your business prime real estate on the search engine results page. For customers in a hurry to book a plumbing or HVAC repair, this makes it much more convenient (and likely!) for them to book with one of the listed companies.

Unlike traditional pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, you only pay when a potential customer contacts your business through the ad. Since you won't lose money over meaningless clicks, LSAs are a cost-effective advertising option, especially for growing businesses that don’t have a huge marketing budget.

The Google Guarantee or Google Screened badge accompanying your LSA can significantly boost consumer trust. This badge indicates that Google has verified your business and backs the services you provide.

LSAs let businesses specify their service areas so that your ads are only displayed to users within your geographic region. This is a huge benefit for home services businesses with a limited service area since you won’t waste money advertising to people outside of your service area.

Google offers detailed performance metrics and analytics for LSAs, giving valuable real-time insight into your impressions, clicks, and leads. With this data-driven approach, you can adjust your strategy to optimize lead generation.

Overall, local service ads give you a unique advantage over companies that only use organic search results or traditional PPC ads. Not only do you receive a more prominent ad placement, but you'll also enjoy very specific targeting that makes connecting with your key audience easier than ever.

Think that Local Service Ads would be a good idea for your business? First, you'll need to set up a Google Business Profile (GBP) because you can’t run Local Service Ads without one.

Second, you’ll need to fill out an online interest form. Once your form is approved, you'll undergo the following screening process:

• Background checks: To verify your home services company's legitimacy, a third-party risk management and security company will conduct background checks.
• License and insurance checks: HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and other contractors must hold licenses and insurance required by their state, city, and/or country. These will need to be verified before you can run LSAs.
• Reputation assessment: Finally, Google will validate your online reputation. To pass this assessment, it's helpful to have a place where customers can leave reviews.

Does any of this sound confusing? You don't have to go it alone. As a Google Partner, Rocket Media can help you navigate the screening process and build an effective digital marketing strategy. Call us at (800) 339-7305 or contact us online to schedule a free 30-minute consultation today.

It's one thing to launch a local service ad; it's another thing to get results. Here are a few ways to maximize the benefits of LSAs:

As mentioned above, you’ll need a Google Business Profile to run LSAs. However, it’s important to make sure that your GBP is optimized with accurate information (e.g., hours of operation, phone numbers, website URL, etc.), as well as high-quality photos and positive reviews. This helps to establish your credibility and promote a positive reputation, increasing the effectiveness of your ads.

You’re in control over the services you advertise. To attract customers, emphasize services most in demand in your area. For example, if you’re an HVAC contractor in Phoenix, Arizona, this will likely be AC repair, maintenance, and installation services.

Make sure that your service areas are clear and up to date. This way, you can connect with the right customers and avoid spending money advertising to people outside of your service area.

If a customer ends up reaching out, you'll want to respond to them in a timely manner. Be sure to have systems in place that respond quickly to leads, whether it's through phone calls, text messages, or emails. At that time, you will also want to update the lead information and update the lead in your Google LSA Platform. A quick response time could improve your ad’s ranking on search and increase your chances of showing up on more searches and driving more leads.

Analyzing data, such as your impressions and clicks around customer location, service calls, and service types, can help you identify areas for improvement. For example, if you receive many clicks from faraway customers, you may want to specify your geographic area. If you fail to connect with HVAC customers, you might want to rethink your ads. Whatever you're missing, the data can help you figure it out.

Ultimately, local service ads are only beneficial if you know how to use them properly. To get the most out of your ads, it's helpful to work with an experienced LSA provider, such as Rocket Media.

Since you pay per lead with LSAs, disputing bad leads is a critical process for maintaining the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of your LSA campaigns. Generally, a bad lead could be one that is irrelevant to your business (meaning, a customer is looking for a service that you don’t offer), was generated by mistake (e.g., wrong number calls), or was from spam sources. It could also be a lead that came from outside your service area.

You’ll want to monitor and dispute bad leads. In the event that it’s not being accepted easily, you may benefit from working with an agency partner. At Rocket Media, we can escalate bad leads to get the dispute resolved with support or provide additional training and feedback to help you better handle leads in the future.

While you can manage LSAs alone, partnering with an experienced agency like Rocket Media can ensure that your digital marketing strategy is as effective as possible. In addition to helping you launch your Local Service Ads, our team will continually optimize them to meet your customer acquisition goals. Here are some top benefits of working with us:

We have over 20 years of experience developing lead generation strategies for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and other home services companies. From setting up a fully optimized profile to leveraging analytics, we're there every step of the way.

Managing LSAs requires time, effort, and energy. By hiring an external company to perform these services, you can focus on what you do best: running a successful business.

After analyzing your business goals, competition, and local market dynamics, we create a custom strategy that brings quality, conversion-ready traffic while aligning with your budget.

Not only do we have advanced digital tools, but we also teach you how to use them. Our team creates a user-friendly, intuitive dashboard, showing you how to confidently monitor and manage your campaigns.

We use Google's analytics tools to track and analyze key metrics, including customer trends and behaviors. Then, using this information, we refine your marketing strategies to improve customer experiences and get conversions.

You don't have to worry about being stuck with a contract. We offer month-to-month agreements, so you can shift strategy at any time.

Still unsure if working with an agency is right for you? Start with a FREE consultation. We'll give you an overview of what to expect and the exact ways in which LSA services can elevate your HVAC company.

Since 2003, Rocket Media’s digital marketing experts have helped home services companies generate high-quality leads. Using strategic LSA profiles, we bring you conversion-ready traffic and help you thrive amongst local competitors. Contact us today to chat with one of our seasoned marketing experts.