Grow Your Business With Local Ads

Laura Hunter • February 19, 2021

Local Ads help you connect with local customers who are looking for your services.

To put it simply, your ads show up for customers in your area, and you only pay if they contact you directly through the ad.

Sounds good, but why are Local Ads so valuable, and how can implementing them change my business?

Increased footfall with Google Local Inventory Ads

Say a customer is in the vicinity of your shop, and they search for a specific item on the Google search engine, what will appear will be sponsored product ads in a carousel form.

This then leaves the customer with the option of buying the product online or in-store. Now if a customer is in the area, it’s likely they'll want to visit your store. Google displays your local storefront online, meaning customers can gain access to opening-hours, in-store inventory, customer reviews and directions to your store.

LIA’s fill the gap between the online and offline retail worlds, meaning retailers can give their physical shop more visibility. Even brick-and-mortar stores with no online presence can use this advertising tool to attract footfall to their stores.

The way we shop has become more omni-channel, with 39% of ecommerce transactions incorporating multi devices along the marketing funnel to help buyers with their decision making process.

Did you know? 83% of smartphone users use their device to find local businesses.

One-click calls with Google Adwords

Google Adwords can increase your website traffic and promote possible leads. One of it’s best best functions is the option for customers to ‘click to call’ directly from the search results.

How to request calls from Adwords

To request calls from your Adwords there are 2 options:

Adwords Call Extensions: This can be added to existing text or display ads. You can select preferences such as mobile devices; but it will still show on desktop and tablet. These ads leave the option for visitors to visit your site as well as allowing one-click calls.

Adwords Call-only ads: This is used exclusively to encourage calls to your business and is only visible on devices you allow. This option won’t send traffic to your site.

Which businesses can most benefit from calling ads?

Real estate promoting houses, apartments etc…
Restaurants making it easier for customers to make a reservation
Food businesses that offer take-out and delivery services
Local businesses that provide home services such as plumbers, electricians etc...

Instant gratification

We live in a world where customers require instant gratification. People are time precious, they want to search what they’re looking for and gain answers in an instant. This is a powerful force that Local Ads provide. All you have to do is give your customers what they want - instantly or soonest possible.

Google is the place where people search where to go, what to do, and what to buy in their area. Appearing on Google when someone is looking for a service like yours can turn into valuable customers.

Local ads by Google receive 13.8% of local SERP clicks (BrightLocal, 2019).

Keeping up with trends

20% of all searches come from voice search and Local Ads are one of the few ways you can make sure that you’re found on the 400 million devices powered by Google Assistant (Google).

Navigational queries and call functions have remained the top uses of Google’s voice recognition technology. This showcases a great opportunity for advertisers hoping to drive traffic to brick-and-mortar locations. Voice search is being used to get directions, openings hours, parking availability. It’s a function that local customers are using, and will continue to use on the move so imagine the potential for even greater voice search integrations with local search listings.

Targeting the right customers

Local Ads allow you to target the right customers for you using target local keywords and locations.

Including your keywords in your Local Ad text, especially in your ad's headline, will show customers that your ad is directly relevant to their search. When people see their search terms in your ad text, it shows them that your ad is probably relevant to what they're searching for. You can even schedule your ads during open business hours or during your target customers most active times.

Testing and tweaking

The great thing about Local Ads is you can regularly review your campaign performance then test and tweak your campaigns to get the results you want.

You can test out multiple Local Ads, by experimenting with different offers and call-to-actions, this way you can see what's most effective for your advertising goals.

Local Ads provide greater visibility, and allow you to monitor and review both your in-store and online performance. The omnichannel nature of LIA brings more touch points which improves your customers' buying journey. Overall Local Ads make your brand much more accessible to consumers on the move.

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