Google should be one of your main tree service marketing strategies, based solely on the fact that it’s the most popular search engine, processing more than 3.5 billion searches every single day. When a local customer is in need of a tree service company, what do they do? They turn to Google, enter in a search query — and begin their search for a solution based on the results they are presented with.
Aside from the fact that your potential customers are using Google, you have to understand that your competition is also using Google to market, and might even be bidding on your brand name in order to literally steal business away from you, unsuspectedly.
While you might be ranking organically for your business name, a savvy competitor could be bidding on your business name via an AdWords PPC campaign. The paid results are displayed above the organic results, making it very possible that potential customers searching for your business are actually connecting with your competition. You could essentially be delivering customers to your competition on a silver platter without even knowing it.
Google Ads need to be part of your tree service marketing; there is no denying the fact that it’s one of the most important and effective SEM strategies for a tree service business.
Google Ads is often referred to as pay-per-click, where your tree service business pays for each click (PPC) or per impression (CPM) of an ad. The better your ad campaigns are optimized, the more impressions and clicks you receive, which translates into more leads and customers for your tree service business.
Your ads can be seen across Google search results, on YouTube and on millions of other websites that are part of the Google Display Network (GDN). This reach ability gives you the potential to be seen by local customers that are seeking the exact same services your business provides. Let’s review the three types of Google Ads that need to be part of your tree service marketing campaign.
1. Google Search Ads
Search ads are the most common Google Ads format, and what most people refer to as PPC. When we build out a tree service PPC campaign we are looking to target local customers in your area that are on Google searching for the exact same services that your business provides.
These are typically local searches that have a high probability of buyer-intent. This is the most common tree service PPC strategy when it comes to paid ads, and many tree service businesses give Google PPC a try, but experience less than desirable results if they are not working with an experienced agency that specializes in marketing tree service businesses.
Common Reasons Why Google Ads May Not Have Worked for You in the Past
We work with several tree service companies that have tried Google PPC ads in the past but failed miserably before hiring us. The most common reasons why you may not have experienced successful results in the past include:
Irrelevant Keywords and Ad Copy: Your keyword selection and ad copy needs to match the terms your potential customers are searching for in Google. If not, your ads will receive minimal impressions and if they receive any clicks it will be low quality traffic lacking buyer-intent.
Solution: We build out highly optimized ad groups that target the right keywords, matched with ad copy that is relevant to what your potential customers are searching for, designed to cure the issue or problem they are seeking to solve.
Broad Keywords: Targeting the wrong keywords will place your ads in front of an audience that isn’t truly interested in the tree services you offer. This results in lower traffic numbers and a higher overall lead acquisition cost.
Solution: We constantly test and optimize keyword selection and targeting to ensure we are driving high quality traffic to your website that converts at a high rate.
Poor Quality Score: Google assigns a Quality Score (QS) to every ad group in your AdWords campaign. They take your keywords, ad copy and destination landing page into consideration. The higher your score, the more impressions you receive and the lower your CPC (cost-per-click) is. A low score will result in far less impressions, and when you do receive clicks you will be paying more — for lower quality traffic.
Solution: We build out highly targeted campaigns with multiple ad sets that target the correct keyword(s). These are matched with relevant ad copy and landing pages with copy and an offer that is also highly relevant.
Poorly Optimized Landing Page: All the clicks in the world are useless if the traffic isn’t converting on your landing page. Your tree service PPC landing pages must offer a frictionless experience and present a clear solution to the visitors’ problem or question.
Solution: We build out landing pages that are relevant to the keywords and ads that the potential customer searched and clicked on. The landing page must present an offer that solves their problem or answers their question.
2. Google Local Service Ads
Google Local Service Ads is one of the most effective ways to generate leads from potential customers that are ready to hire your tree service company. This search engine marketing strategy delivers leads in the form of phone calls and messages directly from your ad.
These leads are some of the highest quality, so it’s important that you connect with them as soon as possible while their interest level is at its highest peak. You are able to manage, track and communicate with these leads online via a dashboard or via the dedicated iOS and Android apps.
The most attractive benefits of Google Local Service Ads:
- Ads are displayed at the very top of the Google search results — the most valuable real estate on Google.
- You can instantly connect with your leads via phone or message while they are highly interested, giving you the opportunity to close them quickly.
- The app allows you to be mobile – you can even connect with hot leads while on the job site.
- The “Google Guarantee” builds consumer trust and acts as a highly effective trust seal. Google Guaranteed covers claims up to the amount on the job invoice, providing extra incentive for the customer to hire your tree service business.
- You only pay for the leads your campaign generates.
- Leads are inbound — they want to hear from your business.
How Local Services Ads Rank
Bidding determines where your ad is displayed, similar to regular PPC campaigns. When a potential customer engages with your ad they have the choice to call your business or send you a message. As soon as the lead is submitted you receive a notification.
From there, it is in your hands to convert that lead into a customer. You not only want to act quickly as the odds of converting decreases as time passes, but if you don’t answer the calls or respond to the messages in a timely manner your ad position can drop.
3. Google Display Ads
Google Display Ads are a great way to advertise your tree service business to those that have previously visited your website through re-marketing. These ads essentially “follow” the potential customer as they browse online, check their email (Gmail) or browse videos on YouTube.
Google’s Display Network (GDN) consists of millions of websites and blogs and includes Google properties like YouTube and Gmail. By leveraging the GDN you can reach nearly 90 percent of all internet users.
Display ads are best used as a re-marketing strategy to compliment your Google PPC and Local Service Ads campaigns. Not every lead is going to be ready to convert right away the first time they visit your website or landing page. It might take several connections before they are ready to speak to you, so a well-designed re-marketing effort will follow them with offers relevant to their previous interaction with your tree service business.
For example, if a potential customer visited one of your landing pages from a PPC ad, we can re-market a similar offer across the GDN with additional incentive to contact your business.
