Google Ads can be a strong channel for local companies when campaigns are focused on suitable enquiries, not just clicks. In Baden and Wettingen, demand is often concrete: someone searches for a service, compares nearby providers and expects a clear answer quickly.
Why local Google Ads need different planning
A campaign for all of Switzerland follows a different logic than a campaign for Baden, Wettingen, Aarau or Zurich. With local demand, service area, language, keywords, contact paths and trust matter more.
- Cluster keywords by service and place
- Combine location targeting with exclusion areas
- Build landing pages regionally
- Measure enquiries, calls and form submissions cleanly
The radius matters more than the budget
The most common mistake in local campaigns is too wide a radius. Running ads 50 kilometres out from Wettingen means paying for clicks from Zurich, Olten and Lucerne, where the job rarely materialises. So we start tight and widen the radius only once enquiries in the core area run steadily.
The right setting matters here. Google defaults to 'presence or interest', which also shows ads to people merely interested in the region without being there. For a trades business that is usually unwanted, so switching to 'presence' pays off. For a hotel in Baden the default is exactly right. This single option decides a substantial share of the budget.
Keywords: where local campaigns lose money
The second big lever is the actual search queries your ad appears for. Without maintenance you end up on queries like 'job', 'free', 'DIY' or on searches for competitors. That is why we review the search terms report weekly during the first weeks and keep adding negative keywords.
For a renovation company, this clean-up alone reduced the cost per enquiry substantially without a single franc of extra budget. We describe the underlying principle in our post More ad budget does not fix a tracking problem.
The landing page often decides the enquiry
People who click an ad should not have to search for whether the company is actually active in their region. A good landing page clearly names place, service, process, contact and relevant proof.
- Region in the headline: 'Renovation in Baden and Wettingen' beats 'Welcome to our website' by a wide margin.
- Phone number visible, and tap-to-call on mobile. Many local enquiries come in by phone.
- Short form. Every extra required field costs conversions.
- Proof instead of claims: regional references, reviews, photos of real projects.
Without measurement everything stays guesswork
Clicks are not enquiries. Only when form submissions and calls are tracked as conversions can you see which keywords actually bring work. In addition, we use Microsoft Clarity to watch how visitors behave on the landing page, where they hesitate and where they drop off.
Our conclusion
Local Google Ads work well when campaign, landing page and measurement are planned together. For companies in Baden, Wettingen, Aargau, Aarau and Zurich, this is often the most direct way to capture existing demand predictably. For a realistic budget, see our post on Google Ads costs in Switzerland. More about how we work on our SEA page.