Who shows up on Google, and why.
Local Service Ads, PPC ads, the map pack and organic results: what each one is, and how a local business earns its spot.
StartQuick facts, use the term "facts" loosely, very loosely
Where the clicks actually go.
Share of clicks on local service searches (electrician, plumber, handyman, auto repair and similar).
When Local Service Ads are present
Paid clicks
24.9%
- Local Service Ads13.8%
- Top PPC ads11.1%
Map and local pack
30.8%
- Local pack results28.8%
- Map clicks2%
Organic results
43.9%
- Position 125.5%
- Positions 2-1018.4%
Bottom PPC ads
0.1%
When Local Service Ads are not present
Paid clicks
14.1%
- Top PPC ads14.1%
Map and local pack
34.6%
- Local pack results32.3%
- Map clicks2.3%
Organic results
50.8%
- Position 127.4%
- Positions 2-1023.4%
Bottom PPC ads
0.2%
Totals add to 99.7% and 99.5%; the rest is rounding in the original study data.
Google makes about $10,000 every second from ads. Almost $1 billion a day.
The biggest draw of digital advertising: you can track it. Every call, click and lead.
Search “heater repair Prescott, AZ” and look at the page.
Top of the page: Local Service Ads, then the map pack below.
- Local Service Ads (LSA) sit at the very top with Get quote, Book and Call buttons.
- The map pack is the map plus three or four listings. Some are sponsored, the rest are earned.
- PPC text ads are labeled Sponsored, above and below the results.
- Organic results are the plain blue links, now often under an AI overview.
Local Service Ads: Google sends you the call.
- You pay per lead (a call, message or booking), not per click. There is currently no reliable way to tell who actually booked or if they followed through.
- Shown above everything else, with the Google Guaranteed or Screened badge.
- Ranked mostly on reviews, responsiveness, distance and verification.
- Best for: home services and trades where one phone call is the goal.
PPC: you bid, Google decides. Google wins, and sometimes you do too.
- You choose keywords, write the ad and control the budget.
- Ad Rank = bid + ad and page quality + expected impact of assets.
- Ads can sit at the top or at the bottom, under the results. Google really wants to spend your whole budget!
The map pack: Where everyone wants to be.
- Things get complicated here because some of the ranking factors you have little control over such as business name and location.
- You can't rank here just by "optimizing" your Google business profile.
- Reviews, categories and a consistent name, address and phone all count. Reviews and proximity matter the most.
- Sponsored businesses can appear in the same list, marked as ads. This is done using what's called a location extension within Google ads.
Organic: your website earns the click.
- No cost per click, but it takes months of steady work.
- Driven by helpful pages for each service and city, strong titles, speed and links.
- AI overviews now sit above the results, so clear, trusted content matters more.
- The best long-term return of the four.
Local Service Ads
- You pay
- Per lead
- Speed
- Days
- Control
- Medium
PPC ads
- You pay
- Per click
- Speed
- Days
- Control
- High
Map pack
- You pay
- Free (time)
- Speed
- Months
- Control
- Medium
Organic
- You pay
- Free (time)
- Speed
- Months
- Control
- Medium
The four questions everyone asks.
- Get Google Guaranteed or Google Screened: finish the background and license checks. Unverified profiles rarely show.
- Collect reviews. Rating and review count heavily shape who is shown first.
- Answer every call, fast. Missed calls and slow replies to messages hurt your ranking.
- Keep hours accurate and set a budget that doesn't run dry mid-month. Pick the right job types and service areas.
- Dispute junk leads inside the dashboard. Credited leads protect your cost per lead.
- Proximity: how close the business is to the searcher. You can't change this, but you can plan service areas around it.
- Relevance: the right primary category, services listed, and words customers use in your profile and on your website.
- Prominence: review count, rating, review wording, links to your site, and mentions across the web.
- Complete, active profile: photos, posts, hours, Q&A, and the same name, address and phone number everywhere.
- Run Google Ads search campaigns and connect your Google Business Profile with a location asset.
- When your ad wins the auction for a local search, it can appear in the map listings labeled Sponsored.
- A strong, verified profile with reviews improves the odds. Ads don't improve your organic map rank, though.
- Ads are ranked by Ad Rank: your bid, the quality of your ad and landing page, and the expected impact of your ad assets.
- A lower bid or weaker relevance can still qualify, but not win the top spots, so the ad lands below the results....so Google can get more of your money.
