How Local Businesses Can Use Google Ads

There are some crazy misconceptions when it comes to Google Ads – like only big businesses can afford them or that they don’t work for local businesses. We get it; ads are intimidating. But sometimes, you have to spend money to make money. Here’s how local businesses can use Google Ads to full effect.

LETS GOO!!!!

What’s the deal with local campaigns?

Local campaigns are as simple as they sound: you create ads targeting your local area. This means the keywords you bid on for your ads feature the suburb that your business operates in, plus nearby areas. You can run a local campaign for both Google Ads and SEO, but for this article – we’re focused on ads.

Why target local? We’re glad you asked. Here’s two reasons:

1.      Capture people with strong purchase intent: people searching for things nearby often have immediate needs, which means they’re ready to buy.

2.      Local campaigns may be lower competition: since fewer businesses have an interest in those keywords, the competition goes down and often, so does the price.

Wondering about Local SEO? Read our past blog on the 5 benefits to Local SEO. Plus, we break down the top reasons that PPC is worth it for small businesses.

Best practice tips for local ad campaigns

So, how do you build effective Google Ads for local businesses? Here are four best practices for local campaigns.

Get a Google My Business

Before you can build any kind of local campaign, you need a local business profile. You’ve definitely seen these profiles before. They’re the boxes that appear with business info, imagery and reviews on the sidebar of search results or within maps. Having this profile gives you the authority you need to rank for local keywords.

Setup your extensions

There are two great ad extensions that local businesses should try – location and calls. The location extension adds your business address to your ads and helps you appear in map results. The call extension inserts your phone number, so people can get in touch ASAP. You can even setup a schedule so that your phone number is only visible during opening hours.

Explore surrounding suburbs

A common mistake is to make your ads too local. That might sound odd, but hear us out. Your local area is not just the suburb your business is in, it’s also the ones nearby. Try expanding your keywords to include the neighbouring areas.

Think creatively about your local area

Once you’ve hit the obvious suburb keywords, get creative. Try postcodes, nearby buildings, landmarks and green spaces. Take a look around your area and brainstorm the kinds of places people would search for. A good example is restaurants close to a theatre. People going to a show are likely to look for somewhere to eat before or after.

Keeping digital simple for local businesses

At Daily Digital, our goal is to keep it simple. We’re here to build campaigns that grow your business; whether in SEO, Google Ads or social media. Next time you’re struggling to make heads or tails of this digital marketing stuff – get in touch with us. We’ll be happy to talk you through it.