What are home service ads?
Home service ads are being slowly rolled out by Google and are generally part of their search advertising platform. These ads are starting to take over some prime search placements on keywords related to certain industries. For instance, in some markets, Google has rolled out home service ads for the HVAC industry, so in those markets, people searching for HVAC companies are VERY likely to be served the home service ads above the maps listings and organic results.
How do businesses use home service ads?
As part of the Adwords Express, platform businesses can use home service ads, in a similar way that they have used search ads in the past, with one caveat. Google must certify your business before they will allow you to run home service ads. This gives a significant advantage to businesses that catch this as soon as it rolls out. Google is essentially saying that your business is legit and they have done a background check on your systems, which would, in turn, make people more likely to use your company versus a competitor. This is especially true when you are in the top search position!
Are home service ads good for consumers?
No different than anything else Google does, this is a ploy for them to line their pockets a little bit more. They didn’t become the largest corporation in the world by not finding new creative ways to make money.
With this in mind, my personal belief is that this does do some good for the consumer as well. There are a lot of internet cowboys out there constantly screwing with the consumer environment online by setting up fake companies and generally attempting to muddy the waters. I believe that the home service ads will eliminate a lot of the noise and more often only allow legit companies to do business in search advertising. Some of these same concepts have already rolled out on the organic side of things, and personally, I am for it.
Wrapping it Up
Home service ads can be of great value to your business if done properly, but no different than anything else online, the providers make it super easy to get started. Frankly, they don’t care if you waste your money. So before you dive headfirst into the deep end, make sure you have consulted with a Google Ads expert who knows the landscape and can throw you a life raft if needed. Understanding what to budget and how to track ad performance are both critical components to a successful campaign.