Local PPC Ads Skill — Geo-Targeted Google Ads Strategy with Claude

A roofing company in Charlotte wants to run Google Ads. But national keyword targeting puts them in competition with franchise roofers with massive budgets. What they need is hyper-local targeting: ads that appear only for Charlotte-area searchers, bid strategies calibrated for local competition, and ad copy that speaks to local customers. Generic PPC strategy doesn’t account for the local intent signals and geographic precision that make local paid search work.

The local-ppc-ads skill develops geographically-targeted Google Ads strategy for local businesses — covering campaign structure for local intent keywords, geo-targeting configuration, local keyword selection, and performance analysis in the context of the full local search landscape.

What This Skill Does

The local-ppc-ads skill enables Claude to build geo-targeted Google Ads campaign structures for local service businesses, select local intent keywords including geo-modified terms and near-me strategy, configure location targeting and proximity bid adjustments, develop ad copy that addresses local customer intent, set up call extensions and location extensions for local conversion, and analyze local PPC performance alongside organic and maps visibility.

Prompt: "Build a Google Ads structure for a roofing company in Charlotte
targeting storm damage and new roof installation keywords."

Skills fired: dispatch → local-ppc-ads + localseodata-tool
Data pulled: search_volume, keyword_suggestions

Output:
GOOGLE ADS CAMPAIGN STRUCTURE

Campaign 1: Charlotte Emergency/Storm Damage
Intent: Urgent repair needs
Budget allocation: 40%

Ad Groups:
- Storm damage repair
  Keywords: storm damage roof repair Charlotte, emergency roof repair
  Charlotte NC, hail damage roof Charlotte, wind damage roof repair
- Emergency roofing
  Keywords: emergency roofer Charlotte, 24 hour roof repair near me,
  same day roof repair Charlotte
- Roof leak
  Keywords: roof leak repair Charlotte, leaking roof emergency Charlotte

Campaign 2: Charlotte New Roof Installation
Intent: Planned projects
Budget allocation: 35%

Ad Groups:
- Roof replacement
  Keywords: roof replacement Charlotte NC, new roof cost Charlotte,
  full roof replacement Charlotte
- Roof installation
  Keywords: roof installation Charlotte, roofing contractors Charlotte NC,
  residential roofing Charlotte
- Roof types
  Keywords: shingle roof installation Charlotte, metal roof Charlotte NC,
  asphalt roof replacement Charlotte

Campaign 3: Charlotte Brand/Competitor
Intent: Brand searches and competitor targeting
Budget allocation: 25%

GEO-TARGETING:
- Primary: Charlotte city limits
- Secondary: Mecklenburg County
- Extended: 25-mile radius with bid adjustments
  - 0-10 miles: +15%
  - 10-20 miles: standard
  - 20-25 miles: -20%

LOCATION EXTENSIONS:
- Link to Google Business Profile
- Enable call extensions with tracking number

NEGATIVE KEYWORDS:
- DIY, how to, cost to (unless targeting info seekers)
- Jobs, employment, career
- Other cities not served

Geo-Targeting Configuration

Effective local PPC requires precise geographic targeting:

Radius targeting: Draw a radius around your business location. A plumber might target 15 miles; a specialized attorney might target 50 miles. Radius targeting captures all searchers within the zone regardless of how they phrase their location.

City and ZIP targeting: For businesses with specific service areas, target named cities or ZIP codes. More precise than radius for irregular service areas.

Bid adjustments by proximity: Increase bids for searchers close to your business; decrease for those at the edge of your service area. A searcher 2 miles away is more valuable than one 20 miles away. Proximity bid adjustments capture this value difference.

Bid Adjustment Strategy:
- 0-5 miles from business: +25%
- 5-10 miles: +10%
- 10-15 miles: standard bid
- 15-25 miles: -15%
- Beyond 25 miles: exclude

Near-me keyword handling: “Plumber near me” shows high volume in keyword tools, but you can’t target “near me” with exact match keywords. Instead, use location targeting combined with broad match. When someone in Charlotte searches “plumber near me,” your geo-targeted campaign captures that search if you’re bidding on broad match plumber-related terms.

Location options: Set campaigns to target people “in” your target area, not people “interested in” your target area. The latter shows ads to people anywhere who search about your city — not your local customers.

Local Keyword Strategy for PPC

Local keyword strategy differs from national campaigns:

Geo-modified terms: The core of local PPC. “[service] [city]” and “[service] [city] [state]” combinations. “Roofing company Charlotte NC,” “roof repair Charlotte,” “roofer Mecklenburg County.”

Service + location combinations: Every service you offer combined with your target locations. “Shingle roof replacement Charlotte,” “metal roof installation Charlotte NC,” “flat roof repair Uptown Charlotte.”

Emergency and urgency terms: For service businesses, urgent need terms carry high intent. “Emergency roof repair,” “24 hour roofer,” “same-day roof fix.” These terms cost more but convert at higher rates.

Near-me and proximity terms: Captured through geo-targeting plus broad match. Include core service terms to capture “near me” searches within your target area.

Competitor terms: Bidding on competitor business names is legal but costs more and converts at lower rates. Use selectively for competitors with brand recognition.

Bid strategy by intent: Emergency terms warrant higher bids (urgent need, high conversion). Research terms warrant lower bids (early-stage, lower conversion). Structure campaigns or ad groups to enable different bid levels by intent type.

Campaign Structure for Local Service Businesses

Organize campaigns by intent and geography for maximum control:

Intent-based campaigns:

  • Emergency/urgent: Highest bids, 24/7 scheduling
  • Service-specific: Standard bids, business hours scheduling
  • Information/research: Lower bids, broad capture

Geography-based campaigns (for multi-location):

  • Each service area gets its own campaign
  • Independent budgets and bid strategies
  • Location-specific ad copy and landing pages

Hybrid structure: For larger operations, combine intent and geography:

  • Charlotte Emergency Services
  • Charlotte Installation Services
  • Gastonia Emergency Services
  • Gastonia Installation Services

This structure enables granular performance analysis and optimization.

Ad Copy for Local Intent

Local ad copy includes signals that generic national ads miss:

City mention in headline: “Charlotte Roofing Experts” immediately signals local presence. Searchers clicking expect a local business.

Urgency signals: “24/7 Emergency Service,” “Same-Day Appointments,” “Fast Response.” Service businesses win on speed.

Trust signals: “Licensed & Insured,” “20 Years in Charlotte,” “A+ BBB Rating.” Local businesses compete on trust.

Clear CTAs: “Call Now for Free Estimate,” “Schedule Today,” “Get a Quote in 24 Hours.” Direct action language.

Local phone number: Display a local area code, not a toll-free number. Local numbers signal local presence.

Ad Copy Example:

Headline 1: Charlotte Emergency Roof Repair
Headline 2: 24/7 Storm Damage Response
Headline 3: Licensed & Insured Since 2005

Description 1: Fast response to storm damage, leaks, and
emergencies. Charlotte's trusted roofing experts. Call now.

Description 2: Free estimates. Same-day service available.
Serving Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and surrounding areas.

Call Extension: (704) 555-0123

Call-Only Campaigns

For service businesses where the phone call IS the conversion, call-only campaigns optimize directly for calls:

When to use call-only:

  • Service businesses (plumbers, HVAC, roofers, locksmiths)
  • Businesses without online booking systems
  • High-intent searches where immediacy matters
  • Mobile-heavy search audiences

How call-only works: The ad shows on mobile devices with a phone number as the primary CTA. Clicking the ad initiates a call — there’s no website click. You pay for the call.

Call tracking: Use Google Ads call tracking or third-party call tracking (CallRail, etc.) to measure call quality, duration, and outcomes.

Bidding: Bid per call, not per click. Call-only campaigns often have higher costs per action but better-qualified leads.

Local PPC in the Context of Your Full Local Strategy

Local PPC doesn’t exist in isolation. It interacts with organic local search, maps rankings, and LSA:

Paid + organic visibility: Appearing in both paid results and the map pack increases overall click share. Some businesses run paid ads specifically to complement organic map pack presence.

When to invest more in paid: When organic rankings are weak or building. Paid provides immediate visibility while organic develops. When competitors dominate organic, paid provides alternative path.

When to invest more in organic: When organic rankings are strong and stable. When paid costs exceed customer lifetime value. When category is ineligible for LSA.

Budget allocation: Most local businesses benefit from balanced investment — organic for sustainable visibility, paid for immediate results and testing new markets.

Get Started

For campaign structure development:

Build a geo-targeted Google Ads campaign structure for [Business Name],
a [business type] in [city] targeting [primary services]. Include
keyword groups, geo-targeting settings, and bid strategy.

For local keyword development:

Generate a local keyword list for [Business Name] covering [services]
in [city/region]. Group by intent type and include volume estimates.

Claude returns campaign structures with keyword groupings, geo-targeting configuration, and bid strategy recommendations calibrated for local service business competition.

Learn More

To learn what this skill can do for your local SEO workflow, see the skill overview.