Local Ads and Local Services Ads (LSAs) are two different ways to get paid placement in Google’s local results. Local Ads show your business on Google Search, Maps, and Waze, no category restrictions, just a linked business location, and you pay per click. LSAs are pay-per-lead, only available for certain service categories, and require passing Google’s screening process to earn the Google Verified badge. We set up, manage, and optimize whichever type, or both, fit your business.
Google offers two different types of ads for local businesses, that get you displayed in the Local Pack or right on Google Maps.
Local Ads. These ads show your local business right in the Local Pack, Google Maps, and Waze. These are great for all types of local businesses with a physical location. No approval process, no category restrictions. Google charges per click, such as clicking to call, getting directions to your business, or visiting your website.
Local Services Ads. For local service businesses, and offering a Google Verified badge. You only pay when someone actually calls or messages you. Only certain service categories qualify, and you have to pass Google’s screening process first, which can include license checks, insurance verification, and background checks depending on your industry.
Sit down with us for a free consultation, and we’ll tailor a proposal to get you the most bang for your buck.
“I tried Google Ads before and just burned money.”
It’s usually not that paid ads don’t work, it’s that the campaign wasn’t set up right from the start. It’s also common for traditional website and SEO agencies to run standard PPC for local businesses, and that’s not what they’re meant for. Local Ads convert to paying customers at two to three times the rate of traditional PPC for local businesses, and cost less per lead doing it. If you got burned before, it’s most likely it was the wrong ad type, or it wasn’t set up properly.
Local Services Ads charge you per lead and show up above regular search results and the map pack, with a Google Guaranteed badge after you pass a background check. Regular Google Ads charge per click and give you more control over targeting and ad copy, but you pay whether or not that click ever calls you.
Cost per lead usually runs somewhere between fifteen and a hundred dollars, depending on your trade and how competitive your market is. You only pay when someone actually contacts you, not for people who see the ad and move on.
No. Local Services Ads send leads straight to a Google-hosted profile instead of your website, so technically you could run them without one. That said, a real website still helps once someone starts comparing you to competitors before calling.
For most local service trades, yes. You pay for contacts, not clicks, which means less wasted spend than a lot of other advertising. The tradeoff is less control over exactly who sees your ad compared to a fully built-out Google Ads campaign.
We’ll set up, manage, and optimize Local Ads or Local Services Ads, whichever fits your business. No pitch, no commitment.
