"Plumber near me." "AC repair near me." "Roofer near me."
Over the last 5 years, "Near Me" searches have exploded by 500%. These aren't just searches; they are distress signals. A user typing this is usually on a phone, in a hurry, and ready to buy.
But you can't just bid on the keyword "near me." You need a location strategy.
Strategy 1: Tiered Radius Bidding
Distance kills conversion. A customer 5 miles away is 3x more likely to convert than a customer 20 miles away. Your bids should reflect that.
Instead of targeting one giant city (e.g., "Austin"), set up concentric circles around your office.
Strategy 2: Dynamic Location Insertion
If someone searches "Plumber in Round Rock," showing them an ad that says "Plumber in Austin" feels lazy. It feels far away.
You can use Google's Dynamic Location Insertion `{LOCATION(City)}` to automatically inject the user's city into your headline.
Strategy 3: The "Location Extension"
Conclusion
"Near Me" isn't just a keyword; it's a behavior.
By layering radius bidding with dynamic text, you stop being "a plumber" and start being "THE local plumber." And in the service business, local always wins.