Local Services Ads Partner Updates [April & May 2023]

We are thrilled to announce that Google has expanded Local Services Ads (LSA) into 10 new healthcare verticals, broadening their reach to better serve the healthcare industry. 

The newly included verticals are Orthodontist, Optometrist, Ophthalmologist, Dietitian, Allergist, Primary care, Physical Therapist, Chiropractor, Podiatrist, and Dermatologist. Sign up for these verticals is available now through the LSA Sign-Up Flow.

Healthcare requirements encompass various facets:

• Background Check Requirements: Providers and practices must undergo background checks.
• Insurance Requirements: These include general liability insurance for practices and professional liability or medical malpractice insurance for providers.
• License Requirements: Licensing criteria vary by state and vertical but generally pertain to practice and/or provider licenses at the state level.
• National Provider Identifier (NPI) Verification: Ensuring the legitimacy of NPI information.
• Reviews: A minimum of one review is mandatory.

Key reminders:

• Badge Type: In the healthcare sector, badges are based on industry, not the level of verification. For healthcare services, it will be “License verified by Google” instead of “Google Screened” or “Google Guaranteed.”
• Business Associate Agreement (BAA): Businesses must agree to a BAA during the account creation process, granting Google the ability to handle healthcare information. A downloadable BAA copy will be available.
• Call Handling: Healthcare services calls are not recorded by Google, and lead disputes are not available.
• Lead Format: Leads in healthcare are exclusively in the form of phone calls, with no messaging or booking options.
• Desktop and Mobile Requirements: Three businesses are required to display on desktop, while one suffices for mobile.
• Ad Triggering: Ads are triggered by categorical searches (e.g., “primary care near me”) and treatments (e.g., “Root canal near me”) but not by symptoms (e.g., “My tooth aches”).
• Recommendation: Ensure businesses are aware that their ads will appear for “category near me” searches (e.g., “dentist near me,” “primary care near me”) even if they have selected only a few job types (e.g., “dental implants”). If category-level leads are undesired, LSA may not be recommended.
• Badge Requirement: All businesses must attain full badges before ads can serve. Healthcare verticals do not have pre-badge ads.
• Background Check Process: When completing the background check, initiate the Business Entity package first and subsequently add the primary dentist/physician/business owner’s email address in the Featured Professionals section to send them the BO package.