At age 13, I couldn’t grasp the depth of Lord of the Flies, and neither could most of my classmates. Ms. Lawson, my ninth-grade English teacher, tried her best, but our clueless faces reflected our struggle to understand the book’s powerful symbolism.

Oh, Piggy. Our beloved Piggy. One thing we did get, even through the haze of late-night gaming sessions fueled by Mountain Dew: those stranded kids had to be resourceful to survive. Local businesses face a similar challenge. Whether you’re a mechanic or a bakery owner, you’re competing in a limited market. To truly succeed with Google Ads, you need clever strategies to maximize your local reach. Let’s explore three tactics, courtesy of nexus-security’s Saloni Mahapatra and Joy Cheramie, to boost your business through local advertising.

1. Understand Your Product and Your Customers

Location targeting lets Google Ads advertisers define where their ads appear. This is essential for local businesses. Why show ads elsewhere if your revenue comes from a specific area? It only hurts your click-through rates and wastes money. Let’s focus on radius targeting, which limits your search ads to a specific distance around your business.

Via Vertical Rail. The ideal radius depends on how unique your business is and how far customers will travel. For example, a cozy coffee shop with a unique vibe might only attract customers within a couple of miles. A wider radius would be inefficient. On the other hand, a high-end jewelry store with no close competitors can set a broader radius, even though focusing on the local area remains crucial. Understanding your audience is as important as your product. That’s where demographic targeting comes in.

Via ThinkWithGoogle. This might not matter much for a coffee shop catering to a diverse crowd. However, for a high-end jeweler, targeting older, wealthier individuals in relationships makes sense. Similarly, nanny services target parents of young children, while calculus tutors focus on parents of teenagers. Knowing your market and your ideal customer is key to using radius and demographic targeting effectively.

2. Optimize Bids for Mobile Users

Here’s a fact: people search differently on desktops and mobile devices. What matters here is that people use mobile search to find local businesses. According to Google found that 76% of people who search for something nearby on their smartphones visit a business within a day. Google also has observed a 500% rise in “near me” mobile searches that include “can I buy” or “to buy.” And guess what? 28% result in purchases.

Via ThinkWithGoogle. For searches with high purchase intent, the strategy is clear: bid higher. Positive mobile device bid modifiers automatically increase bids for “near me” searches from mobile users, giving you a better chance of appearing at the top and capturing those valuable leads. Remember, 93% of people claim they’re likely to click the first result for mobile “near me” searches. So, make your ad copy compelling and optimized.

3. Tailor Your Account and Ad Copy to Specific Locations

Segmenting campaigns by location within your Google Ads account allows for more precise targeting and relevant ad copy. Use dynamic keyword insertion (DKI) to insert location-specific keywords based on the searcher’s location, instantly boosting relevance. Segment landing pages by location too. The closer the alignment between your search ads and landing pages, the better your results.

Google My Business

People increasingly rely on Google for answers instead of visiting websites directly. Think knowledge graphs, featured snippets, and Google My Business. Local searches on Google (like “food near me”) display business listings with names, addresses, phone numbers, hours, and reviews.

A fully optimized Google My Business listing is critical. When optimizing for any search engine, provide as much relevant information as possible. This helps Google connect your listing with the right searches.

Location Extensions

These allow you to showcase your business address for free within your search ads. They’re clickable on mobile, offering instant directions. The advantage is clear. If someone searches for “pizza near me” and your competitor uses location extensions while you don’t, they’re more likely to choose the convenience of instant directions.

Local Service Ads

Designed for specific industries (plumbers, locksmiths, electricians, etc.), Local Service Ads (LSAs) appear at the top of search results, offering immediate solutions.

When a flooded bathroom needs urgent attention, you won’t waste time browsing through regular results. LSAs display crucial information for urgent situations: name, rating, hours, and phone number. Qualified LSAs even come with the Google Guarantee, a powerful endorsement. Best of all, clicking an LSA doesn’t lead directly to a website. Google prompts users to select the service and enter their ZIP code, ensuring they connect with the most relevant provider. You’re only charged when a user takes these steps and interacts with your ad, making it a cost-per-lead model, not cost-per-click.

Call-Only Ad Campaigns

Like LSAs, call-only campaigns recognize that sometimes, customers need immediate assistance. Forcing them to navigate a website is counterproductive.

Plus, some customers prefer speaking directly for reassurance before making a commitment. It builds trust. Sticking with the flooded bathroom scenario, the urgency is clear. However, a stranger entering their home at night requires a level of trust best established through a phone call. Unless you offer 24/7 service, run call-only ads only during business hours to avoid wasted spending and frustrating potential customers.

Facebook Local Awareness Ads

While “store traffic” is the current term within Facebook, many know this as Local Awareness Ads. Setting up these ads is surprisingly straightforward, making it a great starting point for local businesses on Facebook.

Local Business Advertising: A Necessity

With millions of small businesses vying for attention, ignoring local search optimization is a recipe for losing customers to nearby competitors. The good news? The steps involved are manageable. Targeted adjustments, bid modifiers, and new ad types can dramatically improve your local search advertising. Start maximizing your local market presence today! For further guidance, explore our digital marketing solutions. Special thanks to Saloni and Joy for their invaluable contributions to this post.