Field Guide · Budget
Paid ads or the Google map: what to fund first
Ads stop the day the budget stops. Your map position doesn't. That is the short version. Here is the longer one, with what the evidence does and doesn't show.
Two different things you can buy
Ads rent a place above the results for as long as you pay per click. They start the day you switch them on and stop the day you switch them off. They are good for testing a new service, filling a slow month, or reaching people before your profile has any reviews.
The map and the regular results are earned. Google decides who shows there from relevance, distance and prominence: your profile, your listings, your pages and your reviews. The work takes months to show, and it keeps showing after you stop paying for it.
What the evidence says, and how strong it is
- A 2018 click study (BrightLocal, a local SEO tool vendor) showed about 5,500 people mock-up Google results for home-service searches. More of them clicked the map and the regular results than the ads. Grade: low to moderate. It used mock-ups rather than real searches, it is US data and it is old. Source.
- A 2020 case study of 110 law firm profiles (Sterling Sky, an agency) found that when Local Services Ads arrived, clicks on the Google profiles dropped only slightly. Grade: moderate for the direction, low for applying it elsewhere: one profession, US, no control group. Source.
- A 2024 clickstream study (SparkToro with Datos) found most Google searches end with no click at all, and few clicks overall go to ads. Grade: moderate, but it covers all searches, and searches like “dentist near me” carry more ads than average. Coverage.
What we can honestly say: in the click studies we know of, more local searchers clicked the map and the regular results than the ads. We know of no independent, Canadian or dental-specific study. A single click-share percentage quoted as fact, including the widely repeated ones, is not something we would put weight on.
When to fund which
- Ads first: a new business with no reviews; a seasonal spike you can't wait for; a new service you want to test; a town you can't yet reach on the map.
- The map first: an established business with a defined area; services people search for every week; anyone who wants the phone to keep ringing in a month with no ad budget.
- Both: often the honest answer. Ads for this month, the map for next year, and the ad spend reduced as the map work shows up.
Measure it on your own business
Your Google profile's Performance tab shows calls, website clicks and direction requests from the map. Search Console shows clicks from the regular results. Your ad account shows what the ads cost per click. Put the three side by side for three months before deciding, and count booked work, not clicks. See what an enquiry is, and isn't.
Questions about ads and the map
Should a new business start with ads?
Often, yes, for a few months. A business with no reviews and a new profile will not show on the map for a while, and ads can bring the first customers while the profile, listings and pages are built. Plan to reduce them as the map work starts to show up.
Is there a reliable figure for how many people click the map instead of the ads?
No. The studies people quote are old, mostly from vendors, and they disagree with each other. Your own Google profile and Search Console show what happens for your business, and that is the number to use.
Can dental clinics in Canada run Google Local Services Ads?
We could not confirm it. Google's help page lists dentists as a category without saying which countries. Check Google's own eligibility tool for your clinic before you plan around them. Source: Google Ads Help.
See where you show up without paying per click.
The free scan shows your position on the Google map at every point across your area. About a minute, no account, no call and no webinar.