In the first half of 2020, searches for local services like home improvement or maintenance increased by over 25 percent within a year.
Many people spend more time at home and searches for “near me” have doubled worldwide.
To help trustworthy companies reach local customers, Google is introducing ads for local services in India.
Local service ads help people find and connect with trusted local professionals – like plumbers, house cleaners, and electricians. The service providers will be supported by the Google guarantee brand “Google Buyer Protection”. In this way you can position yourself as a particularly trustworthy and high-quality provider in your industry.
Your prospects can see your qualifications and ratings from previous customers, compare and contact vendors. You don’t even need a website to view these ads, and you only pay when a customer contacts you – there are no costs for people who click the ad.
Customers can book services directly with a simple phone call.
Benefits of Ads for Local Services
The ads for local services offer a number of advantages over the standard ads.
- They appear at the top of Google search results
- You can use it to reach potential customers who are looking for your services and who are very likely to use them
- You communicate with your customers at any time and easily via the app
- With the Google buyer protection logo you identify yourself as a trustworthy provider
- You only pay for relevant inquiries
- Customers have the choice: They only receive messages from users who have explicitly selected their profile
- Companies that offer Google Buyer Protection may also be listed as local service providers in Assistant. This additional service is free of charge.
How the ads for local services work
Ads for local services appear at the top of the Google search results page when people search for services that you offer in your area. Prospects can click or tap your ad to call you or send you a message.
But you also have the option of making an appointment with you directly through your ad. Learn more about activating appointment scheduling
As soon as a user contacts you, you will receive an email and a notification in the app. This gives you the opportunity to respond to this request and acquire a new customer.
It is best to answer as many messages as possible – even if you have to decline a request. Because if you regularly do not respond to calls or messages, this can have a negative effect on the display of your ads.
The display of your ads is determined by a number of factors that Google can use to better match local businesses and potential customers.
- Proximity to the locations of potential customers
- Results and number of reviews for your business
- Response behavior to inquiries from potential customers
- opening hours
- Serious or repeated complaints about your company
Google Buyer Protection
The Google Buyer Protection logo is awarded to companies that have gone through a screening and qualification process as part of advertisements for local services.
If a customer is not satisfied with your service, Google, at its option, may refund some or all of the amount paid for the service to the customer. This only applies if you have the “Google Buyer Protection” logo and the order has been placed for advertisements for local services. In addition, the total refund amount available per customer is limited to € 1,500.
Cases in which Google buyer protection applies
If a customer is not satisfied with your work, Google will reimburse part or all of the invoice amount for the service at its own discretion. For this protection, however, an upper limit applies to the entire term.
Services must be booked through advertisements for local services. Future work, property damage or dissatisfaction with the price or customer service, as well as cancellations are not covered by the guarantee.
Expiry of the Google Buyer Protection Guarantee
If one of your customers has chosen the protection, Google will ask you for more information. The customer may also be asked for additional details. In this phase, both sides have the opportunity to resolve the problem amicably. Google will review the application and then make a decision in its sole discretion.
Regardless of the decision, the customer has the right to take legal action or to report the case to an insurance company.
Review and qualification procedures
Some Google programs require businesses to go through a business category review and qualification process before they can participate. The process is free of charge for companies. It may include different background, insurance, and license checks depending on the category.
Reviews for advertisements for local services
Reviews are an integral part of Google’s local services.
Customers who placed you through an ad for local services will be asked to write a review after it has been completed. The reviews will be published in your service provider profile. In this way you can convince potential customers that you can use your services with confidence.
The number of ratings and reviews affects where your business appears in the local services ad unit. Service providers that are better rated and have more reviews stand out and usually receive more orders through ads for local services.
For which industries are there Google local services?
In India, Google local services are available for the following industries:
- Equipment repair services
- Carpet
- cleaning Cleaning
- Electricians
- Specialists in garage doors
- HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning)
- Bulky waste
- disposers Lawn care
- deletions
- Exterminators
- Plumbers
- Roofers
- Arborists
- Repairing water damage
- Window
- cleaning services Window repair services
