Google this week unveiled new features for Local Services Ads (LSA), one of which automatically selects profile photos to display in ads, while the others give advertisers more control over their spend.
Profile photos
This update aims to increase ad engagement and potentially improve ad rankings for local service providers.
And this is how it works:
- Google selects photos from advertisers’ LSA profiles based on whether they are likely to increase engagement.
- Depending on user requests and other factors, photos may not appear in every ad.
Recommendations from Google:
- Upload 3-5 high-quality images to your LSA profile.
- Make sure the photos are relevant and original to your work and not copied or stolen.
What you should see. How this change will impact ad performance and rankings for local service providers, especially those who have not previously focused on visual content in their profiles.
Control of advertising expenditure
New ad budget features include the ability to set a maximum monthly ad spend limit for specific accounts, giving advertisers more control over their spend and potentially preventing unexpected budget overruns.
Main features:
- Immediate effect after setting.
- Automatic campaign stop when limit is reached.
- Monthly reset on the 1st of each month.
- Flexible management – can be updated at any time.
That’s how it works. Advertisers can use the Local Service Ads interface to turn the account spend limit on or off, set a specific monthly limit, view last month’s spend, and monitor current month’s spend and remaining budget.
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Yes but. Due to reporting delays, there is a possibility that the set limit may be exceeded, particularly in the following cases:
- Setting a limit for the first time.
- Reduction of an existing limit.
If the limit is exceeded, advertisers are responsible for paying any additional costs.
The catch. If the limit is exceeded, ads will stop running until the next month.
