Local Advertising
Local advertising services built around local customer acquisition
Rank 4 Local builds paid advertising around one job: putting a business in front of the people in its service area who are searching for what it sells, right now. Instead of chasing impressions or traffic, we work on the two Google channels where local buying decisions actually happen, and we start by working out which of them fits your business.
Pay per lead, or pay per click
Both channels are Google. They bill differently, they ask for different things before you can run them, and they suit different businesses. This is the short version, taken from Google's own pages.
You pay when a potential customer gets in touch through the ad, by call, message or booking.
You pay when someone clicks the ad and lands on your site.
Available only in the service categories Google offers, of which there are more than 350 in the US.
Built around the keywords people type, so it is not limited to that category list.
Every advertiser needs a verified public Business Profile, and screening can include license and insurance checks.
A verified Business Profile linked to the ad account is what unlocks location assets and placements on Google Maps.
Shows at the top of Google Search and on Google Maps for service searches.
Can show on Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail and Maps, depending on the campaign.
Google describes the two as complementary. You are not picking one forever, and plenty of businesses end up running both.
Sources: Google, Local Services Ads · Google, Local Services Ads compared with Google Ads · Local Services help, getting started · Local Services help, screening · Google Ads help, ads on Maps
Where to start, based on your situation
Find the line that sounds like your business. It will not decide the whole strategy, but it usually decides the first month.
Google lists your service category
And someone answers the phone
Pay per lead is usually the cleaner first test, because you are buying contacts rather than visits. Screening takes time, so start it early. See Local Services Ads management.
Your category is not on Google's list
Or Google does not offer it in your area
Search campaigns are not tied to that list. They are built around what people actually type. See Local Google Search Ads.
You sell several services at different values
And want to say something different for each
Search gives you the keywords, the ad text, the schedule and the page each click lands on. That control is the point of it.
Customers come to your address
A shop, showroom, clinic or studio
Placements on Google Maps are worth looking at. There is no Maps-only campaign to buy, so they run through campaign types covered on the Local Google Search Ads page.
Hardly anyone searches for what you sell
A new service, or a new market
Paid search can only capture demand that already exists. Look at the market before the budget, through market and competitor research.
Local advertising services
Two local advertising services, run as one presence
Whichever channel you start with, we treat it as part of your wider local presence rather than an isolated account. Your Business Profile, your reviews, your website and the way your team handles a lead all affect what the advertising is able to do.
- 01
Google Local Services Ads
For businesses in the categories Google offers. We set up or review the account, configure services and service areas, plan the budget, monitor lead volume, quality and cost, then keep optimizing. Ad spend is paid to Google.
- 02
Local Google Search Ads
Keyword-led Search campaigns for the services and markets you choose. Keyword and competitor research, campaign structure, geographic targeting, ad copy, negative keywords, conversion strategy and ongoing optimization.
Before the budget starts
What has to be in place before you spend
Advertising buys attention. It does not fix what happens next. These are the things we check before recommending that anyone turns a campaign on.
A verified Business Profile
Google requires a verified public Business Profile from every Local Services Ads advertiser, and a linked verified profile is what lets Google Ads use location assets and appear on Maps. Start with Business Profile management if yours is not sorted.
A page that answers the search
Sending every ad to the homepage makes a paying visitor hunt for the service they just searched for. A page built for that search is a cheaper fix than a bigger budget. See landing pages.
Someone who picks up
On Local Services Ads a voicemail counts as a lead you are charged for, and Google weighs how responsive you are when deciding who to show. See sales and conversion systems.
An agreed definition of a result
Clicks and impressions do not pay wages. Decide up front whether a result is a call, a form, a booking or a job won, and make sure it can be counted.
Honest expectations about Maps
Paid placements do not lift your organic position. Google says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. That work belongs to Google Maps ranking.
Advertising is one layer of a local presence
Paid placements work best when the rest of the picture holds up. Here is how we think about the three parts, and where each one is handled.
Paid placements
Position now, for as long as the budget runs. Predictable, controllable, and it stops the day you stop paying.
Where we work on it
Organic visibility
The map results and search listings you do not pay for. Slower to build, and it does not switch off with the budget.
Where we work on it
What happens after the click
The page the visitor lands on, how fast the call is answered, and whether anyone follows up. This is where paid budget is most often wasted.
Where we work on it
Johnny Garage Door Service, Woburn, MA. Website development, a Local Services Ads account we created and manage, local SEO and business automation, run together rather than one at a time.
See the case studiesLocal advertising questions
Do I need both Local Services Ads and Search ads?
No. Google describes the two as complementary and they can run at the same time, but doing one of them properly first is usually the better starting point. Which one depends on your category, your service area and how quickly you answer.
How much should a local business spend on ads?
It depends on your market, your category and how many jobs you can actually take on. Nobody can name a sensible number without looking at your market first, so we don't publish one. Ad spend is paid directly to Google and is separate from our management.
How quickly can ads start producing work?
Search campaigns can start running soon after the account is ready. Local Services Ads have to clear Google's screening first, and Google gives no fixed timeline for that. Lead volume and cost per lead are not guaranteed on either channel.
Do you only work with businesses near Hallandale Beach?
No. Our office is in Hallandale Beach, Florida, and we run local advertising for businesses in markets across the United States.
Not sure which channel fits your business?
Take the free growth assessment. We'll look at your category, your market and what you already run, then tell you which one we would start with and why.