News and Notes From Google Local Services Ads: September 2024

Welcome to our latest installment of "News and Notes From Google Local Services Ads," where we bring you essential updates for lawyers directly from the Google Partner newsletter. In this post, we'll dive into the key changes and adjustments influencing how legal professionals can effectively utilize Google Local Services to promote their practices and stay ahead of the curve in their marketing strategies.

Approximate Read Time: 3 Minutes

Google Local Services Ads (LSAs) have become an indispensable tool for lawyers. They offer prime visibility at the top of Google search engine results pages (SERPs) and the prestigious “Google Screened” badge to enhance credibility. In the dynamic landscape of online marketing, LSAs consistently provide value by ensuring top placement and connecting legal professionals with a diverse audience of potential clients, even appearing before other paid ads and organic results.

To fully capitalize on the benefits of LSAs, lawyers must stay informed about the ever-evolving landscape of this powerful marketing tool. Justia’s expert legal marketing specialists diligently monitor these changes, providing law firms with the latest insights from the exclusive Google Partner newsletter to help shape successful marketing strategies and effectively navigate the competitive realm of legal digital marketing.

New: Automated Lead Credits (US Only) and Lead Feedback (Globally) Are Now Available

Automated LSA lead credits are now live, streamlining the process of getting refunds for poor-quality leads. Instead of manually disputing leads, you’ll automatically receive credits for any leads that Google identifies as low quality. This update means you’ll get your refunds faster, and you can stay focused on growing your business without the hassle of filing disputes.

Your feedback plays a crucial role in improving lead quality. Through the new “Rate this Lead” feature in your lead inbox, you can provide input on individual leads, helping us better match you with the types of leads you’re looking for. If you need more details, check out the Help Center article or reach out to your LSA representative—just keep in mind that some restrictions may apply.

FYI: New Customer Messaging Options Available [US]

Google is committed to simplifying communication between businesses and consumers across various channels, including calls, messages, and bookings. Recognizing that many consumers often contact multiple providers simultaneously, Google is exploring different user interface designs to streamline this process. As a result, you may encounter an experiment where customers have the option to message multiple providers at once to enhance the efficiency of their interactions.

New: Google Business Profiles & LSA Booking [US]

Google is unifying the booking experience across Google Business Profiles (GBP) and Local Services Ads (LSA), creating a more efficient process for both service providers and customers. This integration brings simplified booking management, as all appointments from both platforms will now be handled through the same booking partner linked to the GBP profile, offering a centralized view of appointments. The unified system also increases booking opportunities, allowing advertisers who previously only used GBP booking to automatically tap into LSA bookings and reach a broader customer base. Furthermore, this consolidation ensures a consistent customer experience, providing a familiar and smooth booking process regardless of where customers find the service provider.

For advertisers already using LSA booking, no changes are needed as the legacy booking feature will be replaced by the seamless GBP experience. Those with GBP booking enabled but not on LSA will find that bookings have been automatically enabled if they use ServiceTitan or Jobber, though they can opt-out in LSA settings if desired. Advertisers using different booking partners for LSA and GBP will migrate to the GBP’s booking partner for a unified experience. The integration for Jobber and ServiceTitan took place in early September, with other partners migrating in the following weeks.

New: Target Cost Per Lead Bidding Option Introduced

Google Local Services Ads has introduced a new bidding option called Target Cost Per Lead (TCPL), offering advertisers greater flexibility in achieving their desired cost per lead while maintaining control over manual bids. This new strategy allows advertisers to set a target cost per lead, potentially improving their campaign results compared to traditional manual bidding. While TCPL provides a middle ground, Google continues to recommend Automated bidding (maximize leads) for optimal performance, especially for both single and multi-vertical advertisers. The TCPL feature is currently being rolled out to all CIDs over the next few weeks, and advertisers are encouraged to learn more about this new bidding option here.

Final Thoughts: Why Do You Care?

For lawyers aiming to maximize their digital marketing efforts and achieve practice growth goals, staying current with search engine marketing strategies, particularly Google Local Services Ads, is crucial. Justia Amplify offers tailored PPC management services to ensure your LSAs perform at their peak, helping you optimize ad impact and increase online visibility. Whether you’re evaluating your current marketing strategy or seeking to explore a broader range of search engine marketing tools, our team is ready to assist — contact us today for a complimentary consultation to help your law firm reach its full potential.

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