Why Your Local Services Ads Are Attracting the Wrong Customers
Receiving LSA leads that are outside of your area of expertise is a challenge for many professionals who use Google Local Services Ads. The problem is often related to the "job types" settings in your Local Services Ads profile.
The "Other" Job Type
By choosing specific job types, Local Services Ads enables you to classify your services. The typical titles for a real estate agent are "Property Management," "Buyer's Agent," or "Seller's Agent." A generic "Other" option is available too, but when you select this box, you are effectively telling Google that you are open to a wider range of inquiries.
This "Other" option enables broad matching for your advertising, connecting you with users looking for terms that are loosely related to real estate but not your primary service. This is where the irrelevant calls for electricians, plumbers, and other home service providers originate.
How "Other" Connects You with Out-of-Scope Leads
Let's see how this works in real-world searches for real estate agents:
- Property Inspection: A critical component of every real estate transaction, "property inspection" is a term you want to be identified with. Nonetheless, it is a primary service offered by home inspectors, who might have specializations in electrical systems, for example. When someone searches for "electrical inspection," a service you do not offer, your advertisement might appear if "Other" is enabled.
- Remodeling or renovation: Although you do not carry out the work yourself, you may counsel clients on how to improve their homes to increase their value. A potential homebuyer searching for "kitchen renovation" may be seeking for an electrician to do the wiring. With the "Other" category selected, this search may activate your ad.
- Home Services: A consumer searching for "home services near me" for a quick electrical fix may see your ad merely because "home" is a real estate-related term.
Take Control of Your Leads: The Solution
I strongly advise that you log in to your Local Services Ads account and thoroughly review your "job types." Deselect the "Other" options in your real estate category.