Hello and happy Friday! My name is Chris Raulf, founder of Boulder SEO Marketing. We’re a hyper-focused local service business SEO agency based in Boulder, Colorado, with offices across the state.

Today’s tip is going to be straightforward and practical because I want to address something I hear constantly from local service businesses: “Chris, I need leads now. I can’t wait six months for SEO to kick in.”

I get it. You have bills to pay, payroll to meet, and growth targets to hit. Organic SEO takes time to build momentum. So what do you do in the meantime? Watch the video above to learn more.

The Challenge Local Service Businesses Face

Many local service businesses struggle to rank at the top of Google and AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and others. If you don’t already organically show up in these search engines, you need immediate options to generate leads while your SEO strategy gets built.

I’m going to share three pay-per-click options that may be a good fit for local service businesses in Colorado or anywhere in the US. These range from incredibly affordable (20 cents per click) to reasonably priced (just over a dollar per click), which is far less expensive than traditional Google Ads in competitive markets.

Before we dive in, let me be completely transparent about my bias: I’m an SEO guy. My favorite strategy will consistently be ranking organically in the non-paid search results. That’s sustainable, cost-effective in the long term, and builds real equity in your online presence that compounds over time.

But I’m also a realist. If you need leads today while your organic rankings are being built over the next 3-6 months, these three PPC options are solid bridges that can keep your business growing during that transition period.

Understanding the Ideal Situation First

Let me show you what we’re aiming for with organic SEO. When I do an incognito search for “SEO agency Boulder,” Google doesn’t use my browser history, so these are unbiased results.

You’ll see sponsored results at the very top. Google charges quite a bit of money per click to get businesses into those positions. Let’s hide those sponsored results for a moment.

In the ideal scenario, you want to appear in the unpaid organic search results. We’re number one in the organic listings. My personal AI SEO expert Google Business Profile also shows up in the local pack. We’ve got two out of the top three non-paid Google Business Profile listings there.

Ideally, you also want your website to appear at the top in Google’s traditional blue links. Here are our website and LinkedIn company page. We’re dominating the organic non-paid search results.

If this isn’t the case for your business yet, let’s talk about three pay-per-click options to get you leads immediately while you work toward organic dominance.

Option #1: Google Local Service Ads

The first option is Google Local Service Ads. Let me search “exterior painter Boulder Colorado.” I’m in Superior, just outside Boulder so that Google will show me relevant local results.

Right at the very top, before everything else, you’ll see Local Service Ads. These are the businesses with the green “Google Guaranteed” or “Google Screened” badge. These appear even above traditional Google Ads.

If you’re a local service business and you don’t currently appear in organic non-paid search results, this may be a good option to get leads right away. You’re going to pay for those leads, but they come with high intent from customers actively looking for your services.

The Local Service Ads platform is very intuitive. Google advertises that you can get more clients for your dental clinic, real estate firm, plumbing business, HVAC company, or whatever your service is. All you have to do is sign in with your Gmail account, then click “Get Started.”

It’s a very intuitive process. Google will identify your existing Google Business Profiles and walk you through the setup process step by step until you’ve successfully signed up. Then your business will appear at the top of Google in the paid ads section.

The costs vary by industry and market, but you’re typically paying per lead rather than per click, which can be more cost-effective if you have a good conversion process.

Option #2: Google Business Profile Ads (Local Map Pack Placement)

The second option is getting into the paid section of the local map pack. This is different from Local Service Ads. This puts you directly in the map results where people are specifically looking for local businesses.

You need to set up a Google Business Profile first. This is non-negotiable. If you don’t have one yet, creating and optimizing your Google Business Profile should be your priority, regardless of whether you use paid ads or not.

Once you have your Google Business Profile set up, you’ll see your dashboard. Look for the “Advertise” option. Click on that icon, and it will take you over to set up your business profile campaign. You’ll have to set up a Google Ads account if you don’t already have one.

Again, it’s very intuitive. Google makes it very easy for you to spend money with them. They walk you through the process step by step. Pay attention to what’s written at each step, then click “Next.” This will eventually allow you to set up a campaign where you decide how much you want to spend per day or per month.

Let me show you a real example. For the purpose of this Friday SEO tip, I set up a Google Business Profile ad campaign for our Denver location page just yesterday.

We’re already spending a little bit of money. The clicks are so far relatively inexpensive. We got eight clicks and spent about 12 bucks. That’s more than a dollar per click, which is very inexpensive compared to other pay-per-click options, especially in competitive markets like SEO services.

Again, if you don’t already rank organically in the non-paid results, this may be a good option to get immediate visibility in the local map pack. But remember, you’re paying per click. Once your budget is used up, you disappear from those results. That’s why I highly recommend investing in organic, non-paid search engine optimization as your sustainable long-term strategy.

Option #3: Eventbrite Ads (The Hidden Gem at 20 Cents Per Click)

What I’m an absolute fan of is Eventbrite, especially if you’re organizing events like webinars, workshops, online summits, or in-person networking events. The Eventbrite advertising platform is a phenomenal pay-per-click option that most businesses overlook entirely.

Here’s why this matters: If you run educational events where you share your knowledge with a broad audience, which I highly recommend you do as a thought leadership and lead generation strategy, Eventbrite Ads can get you incredible visibility at an absurdly low cost.

This is an excellent option if you run events where you can share your knowledge, build authority, generate leads, and nurture relationships with a broad audience. Eventbrite is an excellent platform and a great pay-per-click option to increase visibility for your online events.

Comparing the Three Options

Let me break down these three options side by side so you can see which might work best for your situation:

Google Local Service Ads:

• Appears at the very top of search results
• Pay per lead, not per click
• Best for: Home services, professional services, health services
• Requires Google screening/verification
• Cost varies by industry and market

Google Business Profile Ads:

• Appears in local map pack
• Pay per click (around $1+ per click in our test)
• Best for: Any local business with a Google Business Profile
• Quick setup, immediate visibility
• Cost-effective for local targeting

Eventbrite Ads:

• Appears in Eventbrite search and discovery
• Pay per click (around $0.20 per click in our experience)
• Best for: Businesses running educational events, webinars, workshops
• Incredibly affordable, high-intent audience
• Double benefit: Visibility plus event attendance

Three Free Educational Events You Should Attend

Speaking of educational events and webinars, we have three completely free events coming up that you should know about, especially if you’re interested in improving your organic search visibility:

January 20th: Mastering Local Search Engine Optimization in 2026

If you’re interested in getting your local service business to rank at the top in Google organically in the non-paid search results, make sure you attend our comprehensive Local SEO webinar. We’re going to cover the latest strategies, what’s working right now in 2026, and how to avoid the common mistakes that waste time and money.

This is practical, actionable information you can implement immediately.

December 3rd: AI and SEO Strategy Webinar

We’re also hosting an AI SEO webinar where we talk about how AI is changing everything these days, including search engine optimization. We’re going to share some really cool findings about what we’re doing with artificial intelligence, SEO, and generative engine optimization.

This isn’t a theoretical discussion. We’re showing you actual tools, actual workflows, and actual results from implementing AI in SEO strategies.

December 9th: AI SEO & GEO Online Summit

Under my personal brand, the Chris Raulf AI SEO brand, I’ll host and moderate a three-hour AI SEO & GEO online summit featuring some of the brightest minds in this space.

This three-hour free online summit is happening on December 9th. You can learn a tremendous amount about what’s going on with AI, SEO, and generative engine optimization from multiple expert perspectives.

All three of these events are free. Definitely make sure to attend if this interests you.

The Bottom Line: Bridges, Not Destinations

Here’s what I want you to take away from today’s tip:

If you’re a local service business that doesn’t rank organically yet, these three PPC options can get you leads immediately while you build your long-term SEO strategy:

1. Google Local Service Ads for immediate top-of-page visibility with the Google Guaranteed badge
2. Google Business Profile Ads for local map pack placement at around $1 per click
3. Eventbrite Ads for event promotion at an incredibly affordable $0.20 per click

But I want to be crystal clear about something: These are bridges, not destinations. They’re temporary solutions to get you leads now while you build something more sustainable.

With paid ads, once your budget runs out, you disappear completely. You’re invisible. You stop getting leads the moment you stop paying.

With organic SEO rankings, you show up consistently day after day, month after month, year after year, without paying for every single click. You build equity in your online presence. Your rankings compound over time. Your authority grows. Your cost per lead decreases dramatically.

That’s why organic, non-paid search engine optimization should always be your long-term strategy. These PPC options are excellent for maintaining lead flow during the 3-6 months it takes to build strong organic rankings, but they’re not replacements for SEO.

If you’re a local service business and you’re interested in learning more about how to rank at the top in Google and AI search engines organically, feel free to reach out. We’d love to help you build that sustainable, long-term visibility.

I hope you learned something new today. As always, stay safe and healthy, and happy Friday. I’ll catch you next time.

Cheers,
Chris

P.S. If you’re running any educational event, webinar, workshop, or summit, seriously consider Eventbrite’s advertising platform. At 20 cents per click with high-intent traffic, it’s one of the most underutilized advertising platforms I’ve seen. Most businesses have no idea this option exists, which means less competition and better results for those of us who do use it.