What Does a Local Paid Media Strategy Look Like?

Why Local Matters in Paid Media

When people search for services or products nearby, their first stop is often Google! Whether they’re searching for a family dentist in Burnaby, a personal injury lawyer in Vancouver, or a home renovation contractor in Kamloops, users expect relevant, local results.

Local paid media means targeting users in a defined geographic region — like Vancouver, Calgary, or Toronto — with ads that align to their location and intent. It’s about combining what you offer with where you offer it to reach the right audience, at the right time, with the right message.

If your business depends on local customers, whether you provide services in a specific region, run a physical storefront, or rely on walk-ins, being visible locally isn’t just helpful; it’s how people find you!

Of course, the right local strategy depends entirely on your business goals. Whether you’re aiming to receive more calls, store visits, bookings, or increase local awareness, paid media can give you another powerful avenue to reach high-intent users in your area.

Think of it as the paid complement to local SEO. It’s designed to reach users through Google Ads placements such as Search, Maps, Display, or even YouTube, depending on your campaign setup.

In this blog, we’ll break down how we approach local paid strategy: from essential setup to ad types, targeting, messaging, and how it all connects back to SEO through cross-team collaboration.

Google Business Profile and Location Assets

Leveraging Local Ad Types

For businesses targeting local customers, Google offers more than just standard Search and Display ads. There are several ad formats tailored to support local goals, from generating phone calls and store visits to building trust with new audiences. These ad formats give you more ways to engage nearby customers in ways that align with your specific goals and service area.

Hyper-Local Targeting and Messaging

Once you’ve chosen the right ad type, the real impact comes from how well you localize your targeting and messaging. This is where geo-targeting, local keyword strategy, and tailored ad copy come into play. Think of it as digital matchmaking for your business and your local audience.

In Google Ads, you can geo-target by postal code, city, radius, or even custom geographic boundaries. When combined with “presence only” targeting (which focuses on users physically located in your target area), this helps ensure your ads reach people who are actually nearby and more likely to take action.

But location targeting is only part of the equation. Your keywords and messaging should reflect local intent and relevance. For example, instead of broad terms like “plumber,” a business could target more specific phrases like “emergency plumber Vancouver” or “drain cleaning Burnaby” to align better with how people search for local services.

You can also use location-modified keywords like “near me,” city names, or neighbourhood references to match the way people search when they’re looking for nearby solutions. This, paired with tailored ad copy that highlights your service area, seasonal relevance, or specific local needs, helps your ads feel more relevant and trustworthy to your audience.

For more advanced setups, dynamic location insertion can automatically pull in city or region names into your ads. This helps improve ad relevance and click-through rates without the need to duplicate campaigns for each location.

Local campaigns perform best when both your targeting and your messaging feel personalized, not generic.

The Power of SEO and Paid Collaboration in Local Campaigns

Paid and SEO teams shouldn’t operate in silos, especially when it comes to local strategy. In fact, some of the most effective local strategies come from paid and SEO efforts working hand in hand.