Google has been working on a new feature to bring home services, such as plumbers, electricians and gardeners, to the searcher through new “local service ads”.
The update has been progressively rolling out, most recently coming out in San Francisco, which Google themselves have confirmed.
The purpose of Google’s home services ads is to promote promote pre-qualified home service professionals, allowing users to submit enquiries to the provider right from the search ad.
A Google spokesperson has said: “We’re testing a new experience for local searches in the San Francisco Bay Area. We regularly test different options to deliver better results in search.”
When the ads appear, three listings for professional service providers appear in the new Home Services Ads block when Google thinks a user is looking for a service. The ads show a photo of the service provider, their details including location and phone number, and ratings. They also appear to show a description line or callout extension that shows things such as offers or details, as can be seen in the ones above, for example “Free estimate – Guaranteed repairs”.
Earlier in July, Recode reported that Google hired former Homejoy engineers to create the search matching technology for these ads.
How does Google qualify service providers for these ads?
Clicking a drop down icon on the ads shows an explainer stating the following:
The Learn More link goes to a support page which explains how businesses qualify to show their ads. Google state that they conduct a reputation assesment on all advertisers, and all reviewers who have used the business and posted a rating. From Google:
“We collect ratings and reviews from people who hired home service professionals through our home service ads, and use mystery shoppers — customers who communicate and hire professionals on our behalf without mentioning any affiliation with Google — to help us learn more about the customer experience.”
The background checks include cross-checks against sex offender, terrorist and sanctions registries.
No doubt the home services ads will hit NZ in the near future, so it is time to start preparing your online profile for these. They will more than likely be strongly linked the Google My Business profiles so make sure your details are up to date and complete so that you can take advantage of these ads!
0