Solved: Google Ads vs. Local Services Ads for Local Ad?

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out! I'm happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance on your advertising strategy. I understand you're looking to run a Local Ad for your Google My Business profile and are unsure whether to use Google Ads or Local Services Ads, and the difference between them.

Let's break this down. I will start with Google Ads and then Local Service Ads, before looking at ways to make this work for you.

Understanding Google Ads for Local Businesses

Okay, so with Google Ads, you have more flexibility. You can create different types of campaigns. Crucially, if you select 'Search' ad, this will mean it shows up as a search result ad, just like you thought. You can target folks searching for your services using keywords like "plumber near me," "emergency plumber," or "plumbing repair." A campaign structure to drive the right kind of traffic is essential. We've helped a lot of businesses with this, and it can really make a difference.

I've run quite a few campaigns like this and they have proven to be really effective at attracting the right customers. Of course you're in B2B, so any advertising will be difficult and more costly, but not offering a service or consultation upfront could damage your changes of securing more leads, or in turn sales.

But it can get quite expensive. Your cost per lead can range quite a bit. I've seen anything from $10 to $50, but it can go higher depending on how competitive your market is. With that being said, what can you do in the mean time? Well, that's what we're going to look at next...

Exploring Google Local Services Ads

Right, Local Services Ads (LSAs) are specifically designed for local service businesses. They appear right at the top of Google Search results. They are pay per lead (or pay per call), which I'd say makes them your best bet if you're eligible. LSAs are great because they showcase your business name, phone number, hours, and reviews right in the ad. People can contact you directly from the ad, which is super handy.

One thing to keep in mind is that Google vets businesses before they can run LSAs. This involves background checks and license verification. It's a bit of a hassle, but it helps build trust with potential customers. I remember one client of ours that actually had more luck after completing the verification as they found customers trusted them more.

Combining Google Ads and LSAs: A Powerful Strategy

For maximum impact, I'd suggest running both Google Ads and LSAs. LSAs can capture those immediate, high-intent leads, while Google Ads can provide broader coverage and target different stages of the customer journey.

Let's look at an example: If someone searches "leaky faucet repair," an LSA can get you that immediate call. But if someone searches "best plumber in town," a Google Ad can drive them to your website where they can learn more about your services and read testimonials.

Your landing page is so important here - it has to be persuasive in order to stand out amongst your competition. We use a copywriter for this with experience writing for SaaS. Then need to decide on the right ad platform: for B2B it's usually either LinkedIn or Google Search ads.

Actionable Recommendations

Here's a table that summarises the main point and the next steps to take:

We'll need to look at traffic quality and your website...

Just had a look at your website and tbh I can see why ads aren't working for you. The start page looks pretty cluttered and is slow to load, the product images would probably look much better with proper photography and models (even just a video of you showing/wearing them might work), no product descriptions on the product pages.

I'm not sure whether "Where business meets privacy." is a value proposition businesses care about. They probably care about their accounting system being reliable and that it has all the features they need. There is lots of competition that has privacy built-in already, so not sure whether this is much of a selling point.

One of our recent clients had a very poor quality score and web design, but after optimising for ads, their website and copy, their sales skyrocketed. This shows that it's important to have the best foundation to work on before scaling out.

I'd say you need to give it more time...

This is quite normal for software campaigns. Your spend will plateau at some point where you can't scale further without lower ROAS/higher CPA - because you are only selling one product and can't easily branch out and there will be a limited number of people likely to convert for this product. So as you scale, costs increase.

As you scale, it’s worth considering switching to ROAS optimisation. The system will then try to keep your ROAS stable while you increase ad spend. We've had several SaaS clients see really good results with UGC videos - lots of angles to test there as well.

Why Consider Expert Help?

Advertising can be complex, especially when you're balancing different platforms and strategies. A professional agency like ours can save you time and money by:

• Developing a comprehensive advertising strategy tailored to your business goals
• Optimising your campaigns for maximum ROI
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• Providing detailed reporting and analysis

We can take this burden off your shoulders and help you achieve the results you need. We've helped many clients like yourself. For example, we recently had a client receive 3,543 users at £0.96 each through our Google Ads campaign.

If you're interested in learning more about how we can help, we'd be happy to offer you a free consultation. During this consultation, we'll discuss your specific needs and goals and develop a customised plan of action.

Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh