Google LSA (Local Service Ads) Guide for Plastic Surgeons
Google Local Service Ads (LSAs) are a powerful paid search tool in the arsenal of plastic surgery practices looking to attract new patients. As a proximity-based advertising system, LSAs offer the chance to position your practice at the very top of Google search results for users looking for services in your area. The digital marketing consultants at Rosemont Media are here to help you make the most of your advertising budget with this helpful guide, which outlines what LSAs are, their potential benefits and drawbacks for aesthetic professionals, and how they compare to pay-per-click Google Ads.
What are Google LSAs?
Google Local Service Ads are a type of “pay-per-lead” advertising, meaning that practices only pay when their ad successfully generates a lead. LSAs are short-form listings for a business that appear at the top of Google search results, meaning that they are often the first thing a user searching for services in a given area sees. For plastic surgery practices, LSAs can help attract new patients who are already searching for cosmetic services in their region—indicating that they are more likely to be ready to book an appointment.
Google Local Service Ads: Pros and Cons for Plastic Surgeons
LSAs can be a powerful tool in your local marketing toolkit, but with a variety of paid search options at your disposal, it is important to ensure you are making the most of your advertising budget. Below, our healthcare marketing experts outline some of the potential benefits and drawbacks of Local Service Ads for plastic surgeons.
Pros of Local Service Ads for Plastic Surgeons
- Top SERP Placement: LSAs appear at the very top of Google search engine results page (SERP), meaning they are typically the first thing users see—above even Google Ads and search generative experience (SGE) results.
- Pay-Per-Lead Model: LSAs operate on a pay-per-lead model, meaning you only pay when a viable lead is generated via phone call.
- Google Guarantee: The Google Guarantee badge is given to businesses that complete the verification process, granting enhanced trust and credibility.
- Budget and Account Controls: Similar to pay-per-click ads, LSAs allow businesses to set a budget and pause their ads at any time, ensuring you are always in control of how much you are spending.
- Location-Based Advertising: LSAs are specifically designed to connect local businesses with users in their immediate geographic area, increasing the likelihood that a user will actually visit your practice.
Cons of Local Service Ads for Plastic Surgeons
- Limited Personalization: LSAs offer almost no personalization, and listings appear essentially the same for every business.
- No Website Link: The initial LSA listing does not include a link to the business’s website. Instead, they are designed to drive phone traffic.
- No Keyword Optimization: Since LSAs are based on selected service categories, businesses cannot select further keywords to better optimize their reach.
- Limited Analytics: Google currently offers a very limited set of analytics for LSAs: Ad impressions, top impression rate, and absolute top impression rate. For generated leads, practices only receive the phone number of the caller, service type requested (potentially), whether or not they were charged for the lead, and the date of the call. No other information—such as location, duration of call, etc.—is provided.
- No Lead Call Recordings: Due to HIPAA regulations, Google cannot record lead calls for health care businesses. This also means practices cannot dispute invalid leads.
Are Local Service Ads Better than Pay-Per-Click Ads for Plastic Surgeons?
In short: both Pay-Per-Click ads and LSAs can offer significant benefits for your plastic surgery practice. Deciding which one is a more optimal use of your budget requires an understanding of their different functions and how each ad type works in different markets.
PPCs—such as traditional Google Ads—are an effective way for plastic surgery practices to generate traffic for their website and connect with prospective patients. These ads operate based on a bidding system, where businesses can target certain demographics, locations, and keywords in order to have their website appear towards the top of the SERP. PPCs charge a business each time their ad is clicked by a user, regardless of how long a user spends on their website or whether a viable lead is generated.
Local Service Ads, by contrast, adhere to a pay-per-lead system, where businesses are only charged when their ad successfully generates a lead—usually a phone call or contact form submission. LSAs are also heavily linked with location targeting, and ads are shown based on zip code. This proximity-based approach to marketing can be a significant benefit—but it does also have downsides for practices in larger cities or in cases where a segment of your targeted audience resides outside of your office’s immediate location—such as in a nearby suburb.
At Rosemont Media, our marketing team has specific expertise in marketing aesthetic care. We can help you evaluate your market, budget, and goals in order to create an optimized paid search campaign personalized to your needs.
How Can Plastic Surgery Practices Set Up Local Service Ads?
To get started with LSAs, your practice will first need to sign up on the Google Local Services platform and create a profile. You will be prompted to verify your business details and ensure you meet Google’s eligibility requirements, including necessary licenses and insurance, which may take some time. Once all of your information has been verified by Google, your business listing will receive the Google Guarantee badge, which helps assure prospective patients that your practice has been thoroughly vetted,
Next, you should optimize your profile with accurate contact information, service descriptions, and high-quality images. To further enhance your profile and build credibility, you should encourage satisfied patients to leave positive reviews, which are displayed publicly.
Once your profile is set-up, you need to set your budget and bid for ads based on your desired reach. After you set up your account and start running ads, it is important to monitor your ad performance regularly and adjust your strategy to improve lead quality and ROI.
Managing Leads Generated By LSAs
In order to make the most of your LSA efforts and budget, it is vital that you set up a reliable system for managing your leads. Since LSAs are designed to generate phone calls, we recommend having a plan in place for answering the phone during business hours and responding promptly to messages left by prospective patients. Responding to messages quickly increases the chances of encouraging a lead to schedule an appointment.
Google’s “lead score” for your business is calculated based on a number of factors—including how quickly you respond to generated leads and user feedback about your services. This lead score is then used to determine how often your LSAs are shown in SERPs, meaning it is important to stay on top of your leads to avoid being penalized by Google. If you ever feel that you are getting too many leads to keep up with, you can simply go into your account and pause your LSAs.
Contact Rosemont Media Today
The plastic surgery marketing specialists at Rosemont Media are experts in helping aesthetic providers make the most of their advertising budgets. We work with each practice on an individual level to create a custom marketing plan that reflects their location, target audience, budget, and goals.
From PPCs to LSAs to organic plastic surgery search-engine optimization and beyond, our dedicated team is here to help simplify the world of aesthetic marketing so you can focus your time and attention on providing the best possible care for your patients. Contact us today to learn more.