The Plain-English Guide to Local PPC

For the last few weeks, my husband and I have been ordering more takeout than ever.

As we were trying to find a restaurant to order from, we came across an online ad for one of our favorite local restaurants that just started offering delivery.

We were so excited and immediately placed an order.

That's why local pay-per-click (PPC) can be a great option for local businesses.

Even when budgets are tight, a local PPC campaign can improve the efficiency of your local marketing as it allows you to get in front of the right audience.

Below, let's review the benefits and top strategies for implementing a successful PPC campaign.

Benefits of Local PPC

When you own or run a local business, you know it can be hard to get in front of the right audience. When the budget is tight, it can be even harder.

However, with local PPC campaigns, you can run effective online advertising without breaking the bank.

Below, let's discuss the top benefits of local PPC.

1. Running relevant ads.

With local PPC, your ads will only show up in front of the right audiences because you're in control of who you're targeting. Ideally, you're only targeting people who can benefit from your business.

Additionally, you won't be competing with national big names, so your budget will go a lot further. With more local campaigns, you'll see less competition and more clicks and conversions.

2. Increasing brand awareness.

As a local business, it's always important to get your name out there so your local community knows you exist.

With a local PPC campaign, you'll increase brand awareness just by getting your name out there and in front of your audience. Even if those people don't convert, brand awareness is very important in the success of a local business.

3. Improving conversions.

With people shifting to online shopping, it's more important than ever to run a local PPC campaign.

When local audiences see your ad during their online shopping search, they're more likely to convert because they're actively searching for a solution to their problem.

4. Easily trackable.

Local PPC ads are easier to track than other local marketing tactics like banners or flyers. With these ads, you can see impressions, clicks, and conversions.

5. Low barrier to entry.

If you're new to online advertising, local PPC is a great place to start. You don't need to have a ton of SEO knowledge to run a local PPC campaign.

With local PPC, you can easily target people outside of your existing followers and cast a wide net to find new customers. Plus, most of the steps are intuitive when you're in a PPC platform.

6. Flexible options.

With local PPC, there's a lot of flexibility. For instance, you don't have to spend a lot of money to see success. You can choose your budget and set a limit on what you're willing to spend.

Then, if things go well, you can immediately scale up. On the other hand, you can also pause campaigns whenever you need to.

Additionally, local PPC ads give you flexibility with your targeting options. You can run ads based on geographic location or specific behaviors.

Local PPC Strategy

Now that we know what local PPC is and the benefits of running a local PPC campaign, let's review the top strategies to get started.

1. Be specific with location.

When you're deciding what locations to target, be specific. For instance, you can use zipcodes or city names to describe your service area.

However, keep in mind that it's just as important to exclude areas where potential customers aren't.

When you're more specific with location, you'll use your budget wisely so your ad never shows up to someone who can't use your service.

2. Use the local language in your keywords.

The language in your PPC ads should be specific to your location. For instance, you can use Google Trends to see if people in your area are more likely to search "tennis shoes" than "sneakers."

Additionally, you should include the location in your ad. For example, including the city name in your title can remove unqualified traffic from clicking on your ad. This will also save you money, so you don't have to pay for a click that'll never convert.

Using hyper-local language will help you succeed in local PPC.

3. Quickly test and optimize.

With local PPC campaigns, you can quickly test and optimize your ads based on immediate results.

A part of your local PPC strategy should be to make changes quickly when you see an ad performing well or underperforming.

Additionally, you can implement A/B testing to help you decide what ad will be more successful in your area.

4. Analyze the results of your current SEO.

If you track the health of your SEO, you should take note of your best-performing keywords and target those in your local PPC campaign.

For instance, if you see that a keyword performs well in organic rankings, you should use that keyword in your paid campaigns as well.

Typically, you can find these keywords in tools like Google Search Console, SEMrush or Ahrefs.

5. Enable ad extensions.

With ad extensions, you can include more details in your local PPC campaign. The more details you add, the better your ads will perform and the more you'll get out of your budget.

You can add extensions such as location or call extensions. With these extensions, you can add more business information including your address and phone number. Additionally, call extensions can add a clickable button so customers can call you directly.

Before you enable ad extensions, make sure your Google My Business account information is up to date. Local PPC platforms pull data from GMB.

6. Use multiple PPC platforms.

You can run a local PPC ad on social media platforms or search engines. To reach more people with your online advertising, try using several platforms.

Additionally, you might be able to use your marketing automation software to facilitate the process. For example, with HubSpot Marketing Hub, you can use the Ads Management tool to track and manage your PPC ads.

7. Don't neglect your landing page.

The website or landing page your PPC ad directs visitors to is very important. For instance, your site should include contact information that is easy to find so there's no friction in the conversion process.

Additionally, your copy and images should highlight community love, either with local awards, local images, or local keywords.

Implementing a local PPC strategy doesn't have to break the bank. Even more, it can be a cost-effective way to reach local audiences and increase brand awareness.