What Are Local Services Ads?

Local Services Ads sit at the very top of a Google results page, above the paid search ads and above the map. They carry a Google Guaranteed badge, which requires a background check and proof of license and insurance, and they are billed per lead rather than per click.

For plumbing, HVAC and electrical they are often the largest line in the marketing budget, and most owners can say within a few dollars what a lead from them costs.

What they do and do not do

They get you listed. A homeowner sees three businesses in the block and picks one, and what they use to pick is the review count, the rating, and then the profile itself once they tap through.

So the ad buys the impression. The Google Business Profile behind it is what converts the impression into a call, and it is usually the part nobody has touched.

The comparison worth making

If you know your cost per lead from Local Services Ads, you have the number that makes every other marketing decision easy. Anything that costs less than one lead a week and lifts the profile those ads point at is not really a decision, and the arithmetic is worth doing with your own numbers.

That is the argument for keeping the profile alive, and it is what PostIQ costs.

Where the rules come from

Eligibility, the background check behind the badge and what you are charged for are set by Google and documented on its own pages. The free listing the ads appear above is the Business Profile, and the two are worth thinking about together.

The bottom line

Local Services Ads work, and they are not a reason to leave the profile beneath them dormant. The comparison worth making is what a lead costs you there against what it costs to keep the free listing current.