If your home services business has explored the idea of running Local Services Ads (LSAs) on Google, you may know that there are many steps to getting approved.
You have to:
- Begin the application process.
- Spend hours filling out paperwork.
- Get background checks on your employees.
- Prove that your business is properly licensed and insured.
It takes a lot of time and energy—and that’s time and energy you may not be able to spare when you’re busy running a business. That’s why many home services professionals hire a company that specializes in LSAs to do the heavy lifting for them.
But what happens once you get approved? Are you prepared for what comes next?
Of the marketing companies that help clients with LSAs, most only handle the application process, which means it’s up to the home services business to take it from there (e.g., learn how to navigate the LSA platform, set up and manage their ad campaigns, track their leads, etc.).
Meanwhile, there are other marketing companies that do assist with LSA advertising once a business becomes “Google Guaranteed”—but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re equipped to get the business the biggest bang for their buck with their Local Services Ads.
And when you’re not running your LSA campaigns at maximum efficiency, you’re essentially missing out on potential calls, jobs, and new revenue for your business.
To ensure your success with this advertising, it’s critical that you choose the right partner to help you with your LSAs—and not just for the application process, but for the long haul.
Your LSA partner should offer these 7 factors, at a minimum
So now that you know the importance of finding the right LSA partner, here’s what to look for when choosing your partner.
You need an LSA partner who can provide your home services business with...
#1: Step-by-step assistance with the application process.
#2: Help getting set up on and learning how to use the LSA platform.
#3: A professional team to guide your LSA strategy and build your ad campaigns for you.
#4: Budget recommendations based on how competitive LSAs are in your specific industry and market.
#5: Call tracking numbers to identify which leads are coming from which LSA campaigns.
#6: Assistance handling lead disputes (asking Google to reverse a charge for a “bad” lead, such as a call from someone looking for a service you don’t offer).
And what’s the MOST important thing you should get from your LSA partner?
#7: Direct access to Google.
There are some marketing companies that have learned the process of applying for Google LSAs and managing these types of campaigns, and they’re simply offering to do the work on a home services business’ behalf.
And then there are other marketing companies that are Google Premier Partners. These are companies that have met certain criteria set by Google and are therefore recognized as trusted Google advertising partners.
These partners have access to their own Google representative, which means they have a direct line to Google that they can use whenever they have a question or a need on behalf of a client.
Google Premier Partners also have access to:
- Special training from Google on how to help businesses with LSAs.
- First notification of when a new development occurs with LSAs.
- Early access to new LSA products and features (through beta testing).
- Additional data for measuring their clients’ LSA rankings.
So when you hire a marketing team to help you with your LSAs, ask if they’re a Google Premier Partner so you can ensure you’re working with true LSA experts and getting the full support you need!
Scorpion is a Google Premier Partner that has been helping home services professionals grow their businesses for nearly 20 years. To find out how we can help you get started with Google’s Local Services Ads, click here!
