How Google Local Service Ads Can Boost Your Landscaping Business

Google Local Service Ads (LSAs) are a powerful way to attract more local customers to your landscaping business by appearing at the top of search results. 

This guide discusses how LSAs work, their benefits for landscaping businesses, and how to use them to generate more leads. 

What are Google Local Service Ads?

Google Local Service Ads (LSAs) are a type of ad within the Google Ads platform specifically designed for local businesses, such as landscaping companies, to connect directly with customers.

→ These ads appear at the top of Google search results, making them visible to customers searching for landscaping services.

Unlike pay-per-click (PPC) ads, LSAs are pay-per-lead, so you only pay when a qualified lead contacts you. LSAs are cost-effective for landscaping businesses to attract new customers without wasting money on irrelevant clicks.

Can anyone use Google LSAs?

A Google Ads account is a prerequisite for PPC advertising, including LSAs. Setting up an account allows you to manage and optimize your ad campaigns.

To be eligible for Google LSAs, landscaping companies must meet specific requirements, such as:

• Passing a background check

• Having insurance 

• Holding the right business licenses

Meeting those requirements earns them the Google Guaranteed badge, which increases trust and credibility by verifying their services.

Businesses can improve their ranking in local search results by:

• Optimizing LSAs by getting more positive reviews

• Responding quickly to inquiries

• Defining a specific service area 

LSAs allow you to dispute unqualified leads, so you only pay for legitimate business opportunities.

How do Google Local Service Ads work for landscaping businesses?

Google Local Service Ads (LSAs) allow landscaping businesses to get local customers by appearing at the top of search results. 

The pay-per-lead model allows businesses to pay only when they receive qualified leads and is cost-effective. 

Here’s how landscaping businesses can start with LSAs and get more local visibility.

Step 1. Sign up for Google Local Service Ads

The first step is to sign up for Google Local Service Ads by creating an account. While creating your Google Ads account, you can create ad groups to categorize themed keywords to manage and optimize your ads. 

You’ll need to select:

1. Your business category (landscaping services) and,

2. The types of services you offer (lawn care services or hardscaping)

During this process, you’ll enter your lawn care business details (service area, phone number, landing page, hours of operation, and contact info). 

Step 2. Pass Google’s background check

Before you can use LSAs, your landscaping business will need to pass Google’s background check. 

The verification process checks that your business owners have the right licenses, insurance, and credentials. Google also checks criminal and business backgrounds to maintain trust with potential customers. 

Once approved, you’ll get the Google Guaranteed badge, which adds credibility and security for customers.

Step 3. Set your budget

Once verified, you can set your weekly budget. 

LSAs use a pay-per-lead model, so you only pay for the leads you receive, such as calls or messages from potential customers.

You control how much you spend weekly based on the number of leads you want to generate. The budget flexibility of LSAs allows you to manage your costs and only pay for genuine inquiries from local homeowners or businesses looking for landscaping services.

Step 4. Appear at the top of Google search results

Once set up, your business will appear at the top of Google search results when local customers search for your services. 

The Google Guaranteed badge will be displayed with your business so customers know you’re verified. 

Customers are more likely to contact you when they see you at the top because they know Google has verified you as a service provider, increasing your online presence as part of your overall marketing strategy.

Step 5. Receive qualified leads

Now that you’re live, customers can find you and contact you directly. 

Through LSAs, potential clients can call or message your business through your ad and get immediate access to qualified leads. 

Each lead will be someone looking for your exact services, so converting inquiries into paying clients is easier. 

Step 6. Respond quickly and manage leads

Speed is key when responding to leads. 

Google’s platform allows you to manage incoming inquiries in one place, whether phone calls or messages. The faster you respond to inquiries, the more likely you will get the job. 

Use Google’s built-in tools to efficiently track, manage, and follow up with your leads, improve your conversion rate, and stay ahead of the competition.

Step 7. Monitor your performance

Once your ads are live, you can use Google’s dashboard to monitor your ad performance. 

If you have Google Analytics connected to your Google Ads account, you’ll get even more detailed tracking of ad performance and post-click behavior. Business owners can track:

• The number of leads

• How much they’ve spent

• How ads perform

Regularly checking this data can optimize your ad campaign for better results and higher ROI.

Now that you know how LSAs work, let’s examine their benefits to your landscaping business.

What are the benefits of using Google Local Service Ads?

Google Local Service Ads (LSAs) are a powerful tool within your overall digital marketing strategy to get new customers.

Here’s how LSAs can help your business grow.

1. Increased local visibility

LSAs appear at the top of Google Search results, even above traditional pay-per-click (PPC) ads. 

Securing the top spot means your landscaping business is more likely seen by local customers searching for lawn care or hardscaping services—the top search result garners almost 40% of all clicks on the search engine results page (SERP).

→ LSAs give you more visibility than organic results or standard search ads so potential clients can find you more easily. 

Being at the top increases the chances of getting inquiries from homeowners or businesses in your service area. That’s why LSAs are a powerful tool for landscaping businesses to stand out locally.

2. High-quality leads

One of the benefits of LSAs is the ability to get high-quality, pre-qualified leads. 

Potential customers are more likely to trust a business verified by Google, so they’re ready to work with you when they contact you. 

Google’s background check ensures that only legitimate businesses are featured, giving you more credibility. By filtering out unqualified leads, LSAs help you:

• Focus on serious inquiries

• Save you time

• Improve your lead-to-customer conversion rate

You’ll have an advantage over competitors who aren’t using verified ads.

3. Pay-per-lead model

LSAs are a pay-per-lead model that is more cost-effective than traditional PPC advertising, like other social media and Facebook ads. 

→ Instead of paying for every click, whether it converts or not, you only pay when you get a real lead, such as a phone call or message inquiry. 

Pay-per-lead helps you better manage your ad spend, as you only pay for verified interactions with potential customers. You can also dispute unqualified leads to get even better ROI, making LSAs a smart choice for businesses that want to control their landscaping marketing costs.

4. Trust & the Google Guarantee

The Google Guarantee badge adds more trust and security for your potential customers. 

When customers see this badge next to your business name, they know you’ve passed Google’s verification process, which includes:

✔ Background checks 

✔ Proof of licenses

The badge increases customer confidence in choosing your services over competitors. 

The Google Guarantee protects customers, so if they’re not satisfied with your services, Google will reimburse them--giving you a better chance of being selected by customers, who feel safer knowing Google backs their decision.

Let’s look at some challenges businesses face when using LSAs and how to overcome them.

What are the most common challenges with Local Service Ads?

Google Local Service Ads (LSAs) are great but can present some challenges for landscaping businesses. 

Here’s a look at some common issues and how to solve them.

1. Managing leads efficiently

One of the biggest challenges landscaping businesses face with LSAs is handling an influx of leads. Without the proper process, mistakes can happen, such as: 

• Overwhelming team members without bandwidth who then, 

• Miss opportunities, or

• Follow up poorly and damage brand reputation

Effective lead management ensures you respond quickly and convert inquiries into customers.

Aspire’s landscaping software simplifies lead tracking and follow-ups.

Aspire allows you to bulk-enter contacts, tag opportunities, and categorize them with custom fields so you can manage your customer properties once contracts are won. 

With CRM functionality built into the Aspire platform, you can see the status of proposals and bids so that no leads slip through the cracks. Get visibility into your sales pipeline and improve conversion rates and customer retention. 

2. Tracking ROI

Many landscaping businesses struggle to measure the true success of their Local Service Ads (LSAs). Without precise data on where leads come from and how much revenue each lead generates, it’s hard to measure ROI and make informed marketing decisions. Tracking return on investment ROI from your LSAs will help you measure their actual ROI. 

Aspire centralizes all your customer data so you can measure true ROI.

Get accurate data about your marketing efforts with performance insights tied to each contact. Use custom tags to identify leads and closed contracts from LSAs, and then filter your entire customer base records for unparalleled visibility into which of your campaigns are driving conversions. 

3. Competing with other businesses

With many landscaping companies bidding on the same spots, it’s hard to stand out. Being at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) is crucial to visibility.

Businesses with five-star reviews and fast response times rank highly. 

Encourage happy clients to leave reviews, respond quickly to inquiries, and ensure your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is current to improve local search visibility.

→ Knowing how search engines rank ad performance will help optimize your PPC campaigns.

Addressing these common challenges with the right tools and strategies can maximize the benefits of LSAs for your landscaping business.

It’s your turn now

Google Local Service Ads is a powerful way for landscaping businesses to boost local visibility, attract high-quality leads, and pay only for verified customers.

By leveraging Aspire’s landscaping software, you can streamline lead management to close more contracts, track ROI, and maximize the effectiveness of your LSAs. 

Now is the time to enhance your marketing strategy and drive more business with this dual approach.

Ready to transform your lead management? Book a free demo with Aspire today.