Local Queries Going Straight to LSA Landing Page?

[CraigJMount]

Hey smart folk,

Has anyone else found local queries that take users directly to a Local Service Ads landing page?

If so, can you provide some examples?

Also, any reason why something like this would be happening?

 

[Phil Rozek]

@CraigJMount, if you search for a service-area business in San Diego, you'll see plenty of examples of that. (E.g. "San Diego plumber.")

What I find interesting is there's a directory-type functionality:

san diego plumbing - Google Search

I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm not sure whether this is new. It's not often I click on LSAs, partly because they're not in many markets, and partly because I don't like to click on people's ads and run their bills (unless in the name of science ).

 

[CraigJMount]

@Phil Rozek — you are a gentleman and a scholar.

This is exactly what I was looking for. My next question, why is this happening?

Also, anyone reported on this? If not they should.

Doesn't this mean the sky is falling for local SEO? Shouldn't we all be panicking and running around our offices!?

My theory—Google is trying to improve the functionality of LSA ads and are artificially increasing the searches to these pages to do so. I'd like the counter argument though, the "this is the new future get used to it argument".

 

[JoyHawkins]

@Phil Rozek you got to that page by first searching "San Diego Plumber" and then clicking the "more" result that is under the LSA ads right? Like the screenshot below?

If so, I don't think anyone should be panicking.

 

[Phil Rozek]

@JoyHawkins, no. I clicked on an ad, and then clicked the "Plumbers" link in the breadcrumbs (in the upper-left corner).

 

[Phil Rozek]

@Phil Rozek — you are a gentleman and a scholar.

This is exactly what I was looking for. My next question, why is this happening?

Also, anyone reported on this? If not they should.

Doesn't this mean the sky is falling for local SEO? Shouldn't we all be panicking and running around our offices!?

My theory—Google is trying to improve the functionality of LSA ads and are artificially increasing the searches to these pages to do so. I'd like the counter argument though, the "this is the new future get used to it argument".

@CraigJMount, thanks. I'll confess to the "scholar" part.

Yeah, I don't think this is should be much cause for concern. For a host of reasons, one of which is that Google has been testing LSAs forever, on a limited scale. If LSAs worked really well (for Google and for advertisers and maybe for searchers), we'd see them everywhere by now. That is not the case.

I wheeled out San Diego as an example mainly because it's one of the first markets Google introduced LSAs in (and I have a client there), but we can't assume it's representative of Google's plans.

 

[CraigJMount]

@Phil Rozek I definitely agree with you. It'd make little sense to bypass the local algorithm directly to an LSA page. I can't even imagine that'd be very profitable vis a vis Google Ads.

I just want to confirm though... these searches go directly to an LSA page? No interstitial page? Sorry for the redundancy I just wanted to confirm.

 

[Tony Wang]

FYI, there's no ppc action on the LSA ads, you get charged per lead, defined as a phone call. So click away!

@CraigJMount I'm confused as to what exactly you are asking. In order to get to the LSA landing page for a particular business, you have to click on that business. The search query from Google.com does not take you to the LSA landing page, it only shows the LSA ads at the top of the SERP.

I think the image in your original post shows what happens when you click on the "More movers in Washington DC" under the LSA ads on the original search page, as Joy indicated in her image. Or you clicked one particular business, and then the "movers" link, as Phil described. Correct?