Google Ads for local services

Google search ads reach people at the moment they type what you sell, which makes them the natural first paid channel for most event businesses. Learn how to structure a small local campaign, choose keywords and negatives, set location targeting, write responsive search ads and run a weekly check.

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Google Ads for local services.

Someone types “holiday party caterer Mississauga” at 10 p.m. on a Tuesday in September.

They are not browsing.

How the auction works.

Every time someone searches, Google runs an auction among the advertisers whose keywords match.

Your position depends on more than your bid.

Structure: one campaign, a few tight ad groups.

For most event businesses, start with a single Search campaign.

Inside it, build one ad group per service, each with its own keywords, ads and landing page.

Keywords, match types and negatives.

A keyword is not the search itself; it tells Google which searches you want to compete for.

Match types control how loosely Google interprets it.

Location and schedule.

Target the area you actually serve, using cities, postal codes or a radius around your base.

Then check the location option.

Writing the ad.

Google's main search ad format is the responsive search ad.

You write up to 15 headlines of up to 30 characters and up to 4 descriptions of up to 90 characters, and Google tests combinations, showing some headlines and descriptions together.

That is the lesson. The worksheet and the quiz are just below this video.

What you will be able to do

• Structure a local Search campaign with ad groups matched to services and landing pages
• Choose keywords, match types, negative keywords and location settings that keep spending relevant
• Write responsive search ads and run a weekly search terms review

Someone types “holiday party caterer Mississauga” at 10 p.m. on a Tuesday in September. They are not browsing. They have a budget, a date and a boss waiting for options. Google Ads lets you appear at the top of that search and pay only when they click. Done carefully, it is the most direct line from a buyer’s need to your inquiry form. Done carelessly, it is a fast way to pay for clicks from students looking for catering jobs.

How the auction works

Every time someone searches, Google runs an auction among the advertisers whose keywords match. Your position depends on more than your bid. Google also weighs how relevant your ad and landing page are to the search and how likely people are to click. A small business with a tightly matched ad and a clear landing page can outrank a bigger competitor bidding more on a vague ad.

You pay per click, not per view. That makes two things matter more than anything else: showing only to the right searches, and turning as many clicks as possible into inquiries.

Structure: one campaign, a few tight ad groups

For most event businesses, start with a single Search campaign. Inside it, build one ad group per service, each with its own keywords, ads and landing page. Here is how Lantern & Lane structured its first campaign.

Never send ad clicks to your home page if a specific service page exists. The searcher asked a specific question, and the page they land on should answer it in the first screen.

Google also offers automated campaign types, such as Performance Max, that place ads across search, YouTube, Maps and partner sites. They can work once you have reliable conversion tracking and enough data, but they give you less control over where money goes. Start with Search, learn what converts, and test automation later.

Keywords, match types and negatives

A keyword is not the search itself; it tells Google which searches you want to compete for. Match types control how loosely Google interprets it.

• Exact match shows your ad for searches with the same meaning as your keyword. Tightest control, fewest clicks.
• Phrase match shows your ad for searches that include the meaning of your keyword, possibly with words before or after.
• Broad match lets Google show your ad for related searches it judges relevant. Widest reach, and the most wasted clicks if you are not watching.

A sensible start for a small budget is phrase and exact match on your core services, with broad match added later when conversion tracking is solid.

Negative keywords tell Google which searches to exclude. They protect a small budget more than any other setting. Copy this starter list and adapt it for your service:

• jobs, job, hiring, salary, career, internship, resume
• course, certificate, school, training, how to become
• free, DIY, template, ideas, checklist (unless you sell these)
• costume, toy, kit (for entertainers and magicians)
• rent, rental (for planners who do not rent equipment)
• place names outside your area

Location and schedule

Target the area you actually serve, using cities, postal codes or a radius around your base. Then check the location option. Google’s default, Presence or interest, includes people who are located in your area and people who have shown interest in it. That suits destination venues and wedding vendors whose couples may live elsewhere. For most local services, Presence, meaning people likely to be in or regularly in your area, wastes less money.

Look at when your inquiries arrive. If you cannot answer a call at 11 p.m., schedule call assets for business hours, but keep the ads running for form submissions, which can be answered in the morning.

Writing the ad

Google’s main search ad format is the responsive search ad. You write up to 15 headlines of up to 30 characters and up to 4 descriptions of up to 90 characters, and Google tests combinations, showing some headlines and descriptions together. Write each one so it works in any combination. Here is a template for the milestone parties ad group.

• Headlines: Toronto Milestone Parties | 40th and 50th Birthday Parties | Calm, Personal Party Planning | Planning From $1,800 + HST | Small Studio, Two Planners | Free 15-Minute Consultation
• Descriptions: We plan birthdays and anniversaries for 30 to 150 guests across Toronto. Book a call. | Venue search, vendors, timeline and on-the-day coordination. Real reviews from real hosts.

Use the searcher’s words, include a reason to choose you, state a price if your pricing is all-in, and end with a clear next step. Add assets: sitelinks to your key pages, a call asset with your phone number, callouts such as “Fully insured”, and a location asset linked to your Google Business Profile if you are eligible.

Worked example: the first month

Lantern & Lane set a budget of $30 a day, about $900 a month. These figures are illustrative.

1. Clicks: at an average cost per click of $3.00, $900 buys 300 clicks.
2. Leads: 4 percent of clicks inquired, so 300 multiplied by 0.04 equals 12 leads.
3. Cost per lead: $900 divided by 12 equals $75.
4. Bookings: 2 of the 12 leads booked, a close rate of about 17 percent.
5. Cost per booking: $900 divided by 2 equals $450, well under the studio’s $975 maximum.

One month is a small sample, so Marco kept the budget steady for two more months before deciding to scale.

The weekly 20-minute check

1. Open the search terms report and read every search that triggered a click. Add irrelevant ones as negative keywords.
2. Pause keywords that have spent more than your maximum cost per lead with no inquiry.
3. Check that conversions are being recorded. A sudden drop to zero usually means broken tracking, not a bad week.
4. Answer every ad lead within the hour if you can.

In Canada and the GTA

Geography is your biggest lever. The GTA is large, and buyers search in the language of their own municipality: Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Oakville, Pickering, Scarborough, Etobicoke and North York all appear in searches, even though some are now part of the City of Toronto. Build location targeting around where your profitable clients live and where your services can realistically travel, and add the municipality names to your keywords and landing pages where you serve them well. Google’s advanced location options explain the difference between Presence and Presence or interest; exclusions always use Presence.

For wedding businesses near destination areas, such as Niagara wineries, Prince Edward County or cottage country, many couples search from Toronto, Ottawa or abroad, so Presence or interest targeting on the destination may suit you better than targeting where you are based.

Language. Ontario has no general rule requiring private businesses to advertise in French; the French Language Services Act concerns provincial government services. Bilingual vendors in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario, or those serving francophone clients across the province, can run a separate French ad group with French keywords and a French landing page. Do not mix languages in one ad group. Many GTA buyers also search in other languages, and an ad group in Punjabi, Tamil or Chinese, pointed at a page written in that language, can reach a less contested audience. Have a fluent speaker write the ads.

Google Business Profile. A location asset draws on your Google Business Profile, so the profile must be eligible and verified. Google’s rules say a pure service-area business, one that serves customers at their locations, should hide its address and set a service area that “shouldn’t extend farther than about 2 hours of driving time” from its base. A virtual office or P.O. box is not an acceptable address. Keep the profile name to your real business name, with no keywords added, or you risk suspension.

The rules in your ad text

Prices. If a headline shows a price, it must be attainable under the Competition Act’s drip pricing rule, which has applied since June 23, 2022: include every mandatory fixed fee, and add only charges imposed by law, such as HST at 13 percent. “From $1,800 + HST” is fine if a client can genuinely book for $1,800 plus tax. Google’s ad space is short, which is no excuse for leaving out a compulsory service fee.

Claims. Headlines such as “Toronto’s #1 Wedding Planner” or “Best Caterer in Peel” are representations to the public. Under section 74.01 of the Competition Act, a representation that is false or misleading in a material respect is reviewable conduct, and claims about performance must be based on an adequate and proper test. If you cannot prove you are number one, do not say it. Do not use a competitor’s business name in your ad text in a way that suggests you are them or connected to them.

Alcohol. Bars, caterers with a caterer’s endorsement and other licensees must follow the AGCO’s advertising guidelines in search ads too. Licensees may advertise prices and promotions, but the advertising must be responsible, must not promote immoderate consumption, and must respect the minimum drink prices of $2.00 per standard drink, or $1.34 for spirits over 14.8 percent alcohol, including taxes.

Privacy. Installing the Google tag for conversion tracking and remarketing collects information about your visitors. Under PIPEDA’s openness principle, your privacy practices must be clear and readily available, so update your privacy policy to explain that you use advertising and analytics tools, what they collect and why.

Responsive search ads are explained on Google’s responsive search ads help page. Features change often, so check the current version before you build.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check the source or a lawyer for your situation.

Worksheet

Download the worksheet and complete it for your own business, using Lantern & Lane as the model where it helps. Keep it with your marketing plan. It takes about 10 minutes.

Download the worksheet (PDF)