Google Ads & Local SEO
Google Ads and Local SEO work best together to help small businesses dominate page one of Google. Google Ads provides fast visibility and valuable keyword data, while Local SEO builds long-term organic rankings and Google Maps 3-Pack visibility. By combining paid search, a strong Google Business Profile, optimized content, and targeted landing pages, businesses can attract more customers, increase clicks, and reduce reliance on a single marketing channel.
- By Mike Purvis Co-founder of NH Strategic Marketing
- January 26, 2022
- August 9, 2026
Why Google Ads and Local SEO Are Better Together
Some things are simply meant to be together. Peanut butter and chocolate. Coffee and a Monday morning. And, in the world of small business marketing, Google Ads and Google Local SEO. Some pairings work so well that the combination outperforms either half by a wide margin.
For a lot of our clients, the recipe for success on search engine results pages comes from pairing a strong Google Ads campaign with a complete, well-maintained Google Business Profile.
Both of these tasks, on their own, can meaningfully increase a business’s chance of success online. Combine them, and do them well, and a business starts showing up at the best possible time for its customers.
This guide walks through what Google Ads and Local SEO do on their own, why pairing them outperforms running either strategy alone, and how to get a plan moving without overspending.
Quick Answer
Google Ads and SEO work best as a paired strategy for local businesses. Google Ads delivers paid placement and fast visibility within hours. Local SEO earns organic rankings and Google Maps 3-Pack placement over months. Businesses running both typically own more space on page one, collect more clicks, and depend less on a single channel for new customers.
What Are Google Ads (PPC) For Small Businesses?
While you may know what Google Ads are, we’ve found that many clients don’t have a complete understanding of what Google Ads are, and therefore, aren’t able to wrap their heads around how to fully optimize them.
Google Ads are the listings that prospects see when they complete a Google search for the predetermined keywords that you’ve told Google you want to show up for. For example, if you’re a landscaper, you would want to show up when someone in your service area searches for “best landscaper near me.”
Now, getting the right combination of keywords can take some time, especially if you’re not used to running these campaigns. That’s why we offer Google Ads services for small businesses.
For a deeper look at how Google Ads perform for small businesses across a range of industries, we cover that question in more detail in a separate article.
In addition to keyword selection, it’s important to select the right targeting options to ensure that your ad is showing up for the right people. If you service homeowners in New Hampshire, you don’t want your ad showing up for someone searching in Delaware.
Running an effective Google Ads campaign takes more than keywords and targeting. A landing page needs a clear path to a call or a form, the copy and images need to hold a visitor’s attention, and the offer needs to match what the searcher is looking for. Our website design team creates pages meant to convert Google Ads traffic instead of simply displaying it.
A lot of business owners launch Google Ads without a full understanding of how the auction works, and that tends to push costs higher than necessary. Google’s own Quality Score system rewards relevant keywords, tight ad copy, and a strong landing page with a lower cost per click, which means sloppy setup has a real dollar cost attached to it. For help running a campaign the right way, book a time to chat with a member of our team.
We recently did a webinar event for “The 5 Biggest Mistakes We See Small Businesses Make With Their Marketing Campaigns.” For a limited time, we’re allowing people who missed it to watch the replay by clicking the button below
What Is Google Local SEO?
Ever wonder what shows up on the search engine results page when someone searches for your business by name, or searches for the type of service you provide, right there on Google Maps? That listing is the center of Google Local SEO, a strategy that helps a business gain visibility in local search results, particularly the results tied to Google Maps.
Google Local SEO is a strategy for search engine optimization (SEO) that helps businesses have better visibility on the local search results on Google, specifically, the results that show up on Google Maps. Businesses that have a brick-and-mortar location, or service a specific geographic area, can benefit greatly from having a solid local seo presence. But how do you achieve this? Simple. Create and optimize your Google Business page.
If you’re unsure of what a Google Business page is, a Google Business Profile is the listing that appears when someone searches for a business by name or by service. A complete profile helps a business climb higher in the Google Maps results, with the goal of landing inside the Google Maps 3-Pack, the three local listings Google shows near the top of a local search.
Filling out a Google Business Profile the right way takes time. Categories, photos, service descriptions, review management, and regular updates all play a part, but the payoff justifies the effort. Our steps for setting up a Google Business Profile listing walk through the process in more detail, and our local SEO services team can handle setup and ongoing management for a business that would rather hand it off.
For guidance on where to start, the digital marketing team at NH Strategic Marketing is glad to help. Book a time to chat today. If your business covers a defined service area rather than a single storefront, our article on SEO for local service area businesses covers the specific adjustments that setup needs.
We recently did a video on the importance of the Google Maps 3-Pack and how to get your business showing on Google. For a limited time we’re allowing people who missed it to watch the replay by clicking the button below.
During the free webinar event, you will learn:
- How to optimize your Google My Business page
- The importance of keeping your information active online (no, we don’t just mean on Google)
- How your Google My Business page will help you rank in the Google Maps 3-Pack
- Why rankings are so vital, and how one bad ranking can hinder your business
Google Ads and SEO: How They Work as a Team
Google Ads and local SEO solve different problems, and that is exactly why they work well next to one another.
Google Ads puts a business in front of searchers within hours of a campaign going live, using paid placement to buy the top spots on the page. Local SEO earns those same top spots over months, through a Google Business Profile, on site content, and consistent signals that tell Google a business deserves to rank.
Neither approach replaces the other. A well managed Google Ads campaign supplies data, the keywords, locations, and offers that convert, faster than SEO alone could confirm. That data then informs which pages and services deserve dedicated SEO content.
Meanwhile, a strong Google Business Profile and website give an ads campaign a landing experience that converts, rather than losing warm clicks to a thin page.
Google itself draws a similar line between the two channels. Google’s own comparison of SEO and PPC frames paid search as the faster path and organic search as the channel that compounds over time. Our experience with small business clients across New Hampshire and beyond backs this up.
The businesses that treat Google Ads and SEO as one connected plan, not two separate line items, are the ones that end up owning the most space on page one.
The Power Of Combining SEO and Google Ads
Now that we’ve covered what both Google Ads and Google Local SEO are, let’s dive into what makes them a powerhouse of a combination for marketing small businesses. First, let’s back up a bit. Let’s start with why showing up in as many spots on the front page of Google is so important for your business.
Think about your own search habits. How often do you click to go to the second page of Google results? More than likely, you’re like over 95% of other Google users. This means that if you aren’t showing up on the front page of Google, you’re likely losing far more customers than you realize.
Search behavior research from DemandSage found that roughly seventy-five percent of people never scroll past the first page of Google, and less than one percent click through to a page two result. A business missing from page one is, for practical purposes, missing from the search entirely.
That’s because, as consumers, we’re looking for things quickly. We don’t want to have to dig through pages and pages of results to find what we’re looking for. So, getting your business to show up, in as many ways as possible, on that front page of Google search results is an important step to take if you want to run successful marketing campaigns.
But, how do you do that? That’s where Google Ads and Google Local SEO come in. When you complete a search on Google, you’re going to see different types of listings on that front page. The first 2-3 that you see are going to be the “sponsored” listings, which are the Google Ads.
Next, for some searches, you’re going to see the Google Maps listings, which show only the top three businesses that fit your search (this is the Google Maps 3-Pack).
Next, below that, you’re going to see the organic results, which come as the result of a solid SEO strategy.
Organic SEO rankings are worth the wait, but the wait is real, often months, sometimes longer than a year for a competitive keyword. That is why it makes sense to lean on Google Ads and the map pack while SEO climbs toward those organic spots in the background. We go deeper on this idea in why owning the top spot on page one matters for a local business.
Book A Meeting With Kyle To Get Help!
Why The Combination of Google Ads and Ranking in the Google Maps 3-Pack Works So Well
When someone does a search for a specific type of small business (landscaper near me, paving company Concord, NH, etc.) the more “Real Estate” you own on that front page of Google, the higher the likelihood that the searcher will find your business and click on one of your listings. For our clients that we work with on running a Google Ads campaign AND a local SEO campaign, they get the best results.
- They get more front page placements.
- They get more clicks where people discover their business.
- They get to benefit from the synergistic effect of showing up in more than one spot on the front page of Google. Consumers think to themselves. “This business is one I keep seeing so they must be good.
We have helped multiple businesses go from doing less than $1 million in revenue to multi-million dollar businesses because they dominate the front page of Google. When our clients OWN the front page, they dominate their local market and become the #1 choice for their prospective consumers. This creates a steady flow of new customers from Google every single month.
If you’re only focusing on one of the two platforms, you’re likely missing out on customers that could come from combining the two
Deciding Where To Start: Use Google Ads Or Local SEO First
Small business owners often ask which comes first, Google Ads or SEO. The honest answer depends on a few factors specific to the business.
Lean Toward Google Ads First If
- New customers are needed within weeks, not months.
- The business is new to Google, with no ranking history to build from.
- A budget exists for testing which keywords and offers convert best.
Lean Toward Local SEO First If
- The business already ranks for a handful of terms and needs a push toward page one.
- The service area or niche has lighter competition, making organic rankings realistic sooner.
- The goal is durable, long term visibility that keeps working after monthly spend stops.
For most of the small businesses we work with, the strongest path skips the either or question completely. Google Ads brings in customers while the Google Business Profile and organic content earn authority in the background. Within a matter of months, both channels are contributing, and the business is no longer dependent on a single source of new customers.
Our organic traffic services team walks through this decision with new clients based on budget, timeline, and competition.
What About AI Search? Google Ads, SEO, and AI Overviews
Ever asked ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Google’s AI Overview who the best contractor is nearby? More customers do that as the months go by. Search does not end at the traditional results page anymore, and that changes what “showing up” means for a small business.
The channels that already earn trust from Google tend to carry that trust into AI answers. A complete Google Business Profile, consistent reviews, and clear, well organized website content all feed the same signals AI systems rely on when deciding which local business to name in an answer.
Search Engine Land’s coverage of generative engine optimization makes a similar point: AI systems tend to reference content that is well organized, trustworthy, and easy to interpret, the same qualities that support strong organic rankings.
This is part of why we created a dedicated AI Search Visibility service that tracks whether a business gets named when a customer asks an AI tool who to call.
Between paid ads, local SEO, and AI visibility, a small business now has three surfaces to manage instead of two, and neglecting any one of them leaves an opening for a competitor to fill.
Getting Started With Organic SEO and Paid Search
A handful of mistakes show up again and again when small businesses attempt Google Ads and local SEO without a coordinated plan.
Mistake 01
Sending Google Ads clicks to the homepage instead of a page made for that specific search.
Mistake 02
Leaving a Google Business Profile half finished, missing photos, categories, or service descriptions.
Mistake 03
Letting reviews pile up unanswered, which quietly hurts both map rankings and customer trust.
Mistake 04
Treating Google Ads and local SEO as two separate budgets managed by two separate people, with no shared data.
Building A Google Ads and SEO Strategy For Your Business
A Google Ads and SEO strategy with a shared budget, shared keyword data, and one point of accountability tends to outperform two disconnected efforts running side by side, even when the total spend stays the same. If competitor visibility is part of the question, our piece on researching your online competition is a solid next stop.
Final Thoughts On Google Ads and Local SEO
Peanut butter and chocolate will always be a classic pairing. For a small business trying to get more customers from online marketing, Google Ads and Local SEO make an even stronger combination. Google Ads can help bring in customers who are actively searching, while Local SEO builds visibility and trust in local search results.
When these strategies work together, they can give your business more opportunities to be found and turn searches into customers. A business that wants this pairing working in its favor can book a time to chat with our team today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I need both Local SEO and PPC, or is one enough?
A business can run with one, but pairing both is where the biggest gains show up. Google Ads brings speed. SEO brings staying power. Together, they cover more of page one and reduce how dependent a business becomes on a single channel.
Q: How long does it take to see results from local SEO?
Local SEO efforts usually needs a few months before real movement shows up, and a competitive market can push that closer to a year. A complete, well-maintained Google Business Profile tends to move faster than website rankings alone.
Q: Does running Google Ads help my organic rankings?
Google search Ads spend does not directly influence organic rankings, and Google has been clear about that. What ads do provide is fast keyword data, which shows exactly what searchers respond to, and that data can sharpen an SEO strategy.
Q: How much should a small business budget for Google Ads?
Budget depends on the industry, the competitiveness of the keywords, and the goal for new customers on a monthly basis. Our paid search management team can put together a plan using real cost per click data for a specific market and industry.
Q: What is the Google Maps 3-Pack?
The Google Maps 3-Pack is the group of three local business listings Google shows near the top of a local search, above most organic results. Landing a spot there depends heavily on a complete Google Business Profile, strong reviews, and consistent business information across the web.
Talk with Kyle about a plan combining Google Ads, local SEO, and AI visibility for your business.