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Google Business FAQs
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Is It Free to Advertise Your Business on Google?
The Difference Between Local SEO and Google Ads
How Do I Promote My Small Business on Google?
Are Local SEO Tools Worth It?
Lea Höller
2025-02-04
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There are different types of advertising on Google. You’re probably familiar with the most popular one: Google Ads—the sponsored posts that appear at the top of search results. However, there are also ways to advertise your business for free on Google.
If you run a local business—whether it’s a physical location or a service-area business like an electrician—you’re in luck. In this article, we’ll explain how local SEO and, more specifically, your Google Business Profile can help promote your business for free.
Let’s dive in!
Advertising your business on Google typically costs money if you choose to run sponsored ads. However, if you promote your business organically using strategies like local SEO, the promotion itself is free. The only investment is your time—especially if you handle everything manually without the help of tools or automation.
For small businesses, ads can quickly become a significant expense, yet they’re often seen as necessary to stay competitive. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Let’s look at the differences between Local SEO and Google Ads not only in terms of costs but also in terms of effectiveness and for who it is best suited. To begin with, let’s quickly get on the same page about what local SEO does and what we mean by Google ads.
Aspect | Local SEO | Google Ads (Map Pack Ads) |
---|---|---|
What do they do? | Helps businesses rank organically in Google’s local search results and Google Maps. | Displays paid ads at the top of Google Maps and local search results for targeted keywords. |
How do they work? | Optimizes Google Business Profile, website, and online presence to improve rankings based on relevance, distance, and prominence. | Advertisers bid on local keywords, and Google displays ads based on bidding, location, and ad quality. Businesses pay per click or per lead. |
Strategy | Focuses on organic growth through content, reviews, citations, and local backlinks. Improves credibility and long-term visibility. | Uses a paid advertising strategy where businesses set budgets, target local searches, and pay for clicks or calls. Provides instant visibility. |
What it includes? | Google Business Profile optimization, local keyword targeting, on-page SEO, NAP consistency, citations, backlinks, and review management. | Creating and optimizing Google Ads campaigns, selecting relevant local keywords, setting bidding strategies, writing ad copy, and tracking performance. |
Cost | Low to moderate (mostly time and effort, some for optimization tools). | High (pay-per-click model, costs vary by industry and competition). |
Time to See Results | Several months to start seeing significant results. | Immediate - ads appear as soon as the campaign starts. |
Long-Term Benefits | High - once ranked, traffic continues with regular updates. | Low - traffic stops once the budget runs out. |
Conversion Rate | Moderate to high, as users trust organic search results. | Higher in the short term, but users may skip paid results. |
Traffic Type | Organic traffic from search engines. | Paid traffic from search engine ads. |
Competition | Less direct competition, but rankings depend on multiple factors. | Highly competitive, especially for popular keywords. |
Maintenance | Ongoing updates are needed, but less frequent than ads. | Requires constant monitoring and budget adjustments. |
Targeting | Location-based, influenced by Google Business Profile and citations. | Highly customizable, targeting specific keywords, locations, and demographics. |
User Trust | Higher trust, as organic results are seen as unbiased. | Lower trust, as users recognize paid ads. |
Best for | Businesses looking for long-term visibility and sustainable growth. | Businesses needing immediate leads, promotions, or short-term campaigns. |
If you're looking for long-term results, local SEO is the better choice. While ads can give you a quick boost to the top of the map pack, the moment your ads underperform or your budget runs out, traffic to your Google Business Profile will drop.
Let’s explore how you can promote your small business on Google by leveraging local SEO, which is essentially “free.” We put that in quotation marks because this doesn’t account for the time you’ll need to invest. In the next section, we’ll explain why handling all local SEO tasks manually isn’t the best approach—though it is, of course, possible. But for now, let’s dive into the basics of local SEO.
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is basically your free digital storefront on Google. The more complete and optimized it is, the higher your chances of ranking in Google Maps and local searches. Here’s how to optimize it:
Now that your GBP is set up, the next step is local keyword research. These are the search terms people type into Google when looking for businesses like yours. Here’s how to find and use them:
Use your keywords in:
Did you know businesses with more (and better) Google reviews rank higher? Google sees reviews as a trust signal, so the more you have, the better. Here’s how to get them:
Replying to reviews signals to Google that your business is active, engaged, and cares about its customers. Make sure to respond to every review in a timely manner—thank happy customers and professionally address negative feedback. A business that engages with reviews appears more trustworthy and credible.
But let’s be real—managing reviews while running a business can be overwhelming. That’s where automation comes in! Use Obenan to automate your review management and respond to reviews in your brand’s unique tone of voice. This ensures that customer feedback is addressed immediately, sending positive signals to Google and helping boost your ranking.
A citation is any mention of your business online (e.g., Yelp, TripAdvisor, Apple Maps). Google cross-checks this information, so your NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) must be identical everywhere! The more places your business is listed, the more credible and legitimate it appears to Google.
Imagine your business hours aren’t accurate, and customers show up only to find your doors closed. Not a great look, right? Trust us, this happens faster than you think! Keeping your citations updated ensures a seamless experience for both Google and potential customers.
Tip from our customer success manager Diana: Even if you take the time to set up all your information correctly—like your website, GBP, and citations—it’s important to check at least twice a week to ensure everything remains accurate. Users and automated systems can suggest or make edits to your GBP and directories, leading to quick NAP inconsistencies. This can happen faster than you might think. Just one overlooked email, and suddenly your opening hours are incorrect, leaving customers standing in front of closed doors. And those customers won’t be coming back!
Backlinks (when another website links to yours) are like votes of confidence in Google’s eyes. The more of them you have from reputable local sources, the higher you’ll rank. While backlinks are not the most crucial part of local SEO, they should still be a part of your strategy when you are trying to promote your business for free on Google. Here is how to acquire more backlinks:
We know that this sounds easier said than done. Please remember that link building can be difficult, so don’t get discouraged if you are not able to collect 10 links in one week. Sometimes one valuable link can already make a huge difference.
Discover 4 link building tips to double your local SEO search visibility!
Google loves fresh content, and Google Posts are a great way to keep your GBP active while boosting engagement. Think of them as mini-ads within your GBP—perfect for sharing updates, promotions, or events directly with potential customers. Here’s how to make the most of Google Posts:
Learn more about how to create an engaging Google Post!
Your website plays a huge role in local SEO. Not only does it help your GBP rank higher, but it also improves your visibility in regular search results. It’s basically a win-win if you do it right! Let’s go over how you can optimize your website:
Local Business Schema is a type of structured data (written in JSON-LD format) that helps search engines understand important details about a business. It provides clear signals to Google about your business name, address, phone number, hours, and other details, which can enhance local SEO and improve visibility in search results.
Check out our free local business schema generator and effortlessly create your own schema markup!
Of course, you can do all of the above tasks manually. However, you also need to consider the time it would take, as well as the challenge of maintaining the same level of accuracy as specialized tools—especially if local SEO is just a side task alongside your main business.
That said, when you compare the cost of using local SEO tools like Obenan to the average ad spend budget, these tools are significantly more cost-effective. While this means local SEO isn’t entirely free, you’ll likely see a quick return on investment if you fully leverage its potential.
How to Generate Organic Visits for Your Google Business Profile?
Local SEO is essential for ranking higher on Google Maps and the local map pack when potential clients search for businesses in their area. This article will guide you on how to increase organic traffic to your Google Business profile and quickly turn potential customers into actual clients!