The success of your business mostly depends on your ability to market your company and brand. There have been two primary mainstays to help accomplish this goal: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Google Ads. But a third platform has been on the horizon for the past three years: Google Guaranteed.
While Google Ads has some longevity in the paid ads arena, Google Guaranteed is just getting started and looks like a long-term stay in the market. We’ll take a look at the new guy, Google Guaranteed, what he brings to the table compared to Google Ads, and why both have a valid place in the marketing atmosphere.
The New Guy: Google Guaranteed
There are many various types of advertising that you can use when developing marketing campaigns for your company, one of which is advertising with Local Services Ads, known as Google Guaranteed, a marketing tool provided by Google for local businesses. The Google Guaranteed program, which enables you to advertise your local business in the home services sector, is a key component of this solution.
Google originally developed this particular advertising platform in 2019 to support lead generation and ensure that clients obtain top-notch service from a business that they have verified. With this service, Google guarantees the legitimacy of the services you provide. If a buyer is dissatisfied and wants a return, they are covered up to $2,000 by Google. This platform has continuously gained popularity for businesses since its introduction.
The Veteran: Google Ads
Google Ads is an advertising platform that has been around for a long time, since October 2000, and actually went by the name of Google AdWords, this platform has been the standard go-to for businesses to advertise. Since it’s inception, Google Ads has become a multi-billion dollar ads platform for Google.
They continue to dominate the ads landscape and look for ways to improve the platform. For example, within the past couple of years, they launched Lead Form Extensions for Google Ads. This allows a contact form link to show with your ad, so someone can contact your business immediately, and you can even add customized questions to ask to help ensure you’re only getting qualified leads.
Ok, So What's the Difference?
While both Google Ads and Google Guaranteed are great advertising platforms, they have unique standout properties. Google Ads is a Pay Per Click platform, while Google Guaranteed is a Pay Per Lead business model. This is the primary difference that makes these such great advertising models, and your business can benefit from either or both, depending on your marketing goals.
Google Ads - Pay Per Click (PPC)
If you want a quick turnaround for leads, then Google Ads is the way to go for your business. They are the industry leaders when it comes to paid ads and even though you can acquire leads in the shortest time, it still takes a well planned ads strategy in order to be effective.
Google Ads is not a “set it and forget it” strategy, it takes consistent monitoring and updates to your ads in order to find the right target market, so the leads can start flowing in. With Google Ads, your ads appear at the top of the search results page above the “organic” listings (SEO).
Another benefit is that Google Ads is a robust platform and has many options in order to effectively show your ads to the right consumers. You can set up many different ad types:
Search Ads – These are the basic ads that show on the Google search results when you search for “Men’s Running Shoes” for example. They had a small AD square next to the listing.
Display Ads – Ads that have images to showcase your business that can appear on various websites and apps.
Smart Ads – These are mostly automated ad campaigns that can be beneficial when you have a small or limited ads budget.
This is just a small roster of the many campaigns and ads available with Google Ads. They can be a good starting point to get the leads you need to help grow your business, and one highlight is that they are available to almost every type of business.
Google Guaranteed - Local Service Ads
Ok, here’s the (fairly) new kid on the block; Google Guaranteed. It only just launched back in 2019, but has caught the attention of many business owners as another option for bringing in new leads. While Google Ads focuses on displaying ads for people to click on, Google Guaranteed took a different approach: pay per lead.
It’s also known as Local Service Ads, and as the name implies, they are geared toward local business to help them draw in local traffic. Another great benefit is that Local Service Ads will appear above Google Ads, placing them in the highest priority when it comes to paid ads.
Well, doesn’t Google Ads do the same thing?
To an extent, yes, but with Google Ads, they can work for businesses that service locally, regionally, or nationally.
The Google Guaranteed difference is that:
- You’re paying per lead
- The lead is contacting you directly
- If a client is unsatisfied with your service, Google reimburses them, not your business.
So Why Would I Not Just Go With Google Guaranteed Instead of Google Ads?
Google Guaranteed is limited to certain service-based industries, and there is a verification process. While this may seem to limit for some businesses, one of the reasons Google created this amazing platform is to help fight against fraudulent practices by some businesses taking advantage of customers with misleading services.
While there is a verification process, it’s not painful at all. Google will require information that you will already have:
- Business License
- Proof of Insurance
- Background Check (at no cost to you!)
- Google Reviews
Ok, Now I Understand, so Which One Is Best for Me?
Both platforms are great and understanding your business needs, we can help you determine which, or if both, will be valuable to you. Google Ads is not as limiting as Google Guaranteed, although there are a few regulated industries. If you want to have a variety of ads at your disposal, Google Ads is the way to go.
If you want to target more qualified leads and are in a qualified home service industry, then Google Guaranteed is a better fit. You get the benefit of leads contacting you directly, and you can book them right in the Local Service Ads platform mobile app.
Who's the Winner?
When it comes to having the most effective paid ads strategy, there’s no one winner over the other. Both have a place in your overall marketing strategy and can work together. But now we come to the part that we can’t avoid, Google is a Pay to Play business platform, and the obvious must be said: businesses that have higher ads budgets get more leads. There’s no other way around it. Because of the vast competition out there, companies with good ad spend budgets do fair better than companies with lower budgets.
That’s why The AD Leaf is here. We’ll help you navigate the paid ads marketing space to ensure you’re successful. Minimize the stress and maximize your profits; be ready for a stronger Fall holiday season that’s quickly approaching. Connect with us by phone at 321-255-0900 or email info@theadleaf.com.