In our recent articles, we’ve talked a lot about the power of Google's Local Inventory Ads for retailers. They are a fantastic tool for showing customers with a scannable, barcoded inventory that you have the exact product they need in stock, right now.

But this raises a crucial question we hear all the time: what if you’re a cafe, a hairdresser, a dental practice, a pub, or a florist? Your "inventory" is a service, an experience, or a constantly changing collection of unique items. How can you possibly use Google Ads to bring more people through your physical door?

The great news is, Google's ad platform is far more than just a tool for selling products online. It has powerful features designed specifically for one goal: to increase real-world, physical footfall to your business.

Understanding "Store Visit" Goals

The biggest mindset shift is understanding you can change your campaign's objective. Instead of telling Google your goal is "get website clicks" or "get online sales," you can set a primary goal of "get more people to visit my shop."

Google is able to measure this using safe, anonymised location data from users who have opted-in, creating a reliable statistical model of how many people who saw your ad then visited your location. It’s a privacy-conscious way to finally connect the dots between your digital ad spend and your real-world business.

The Best Tool for the Job: Performance Max for Store Goals

The smartest, most effective way to achieve this today is with a "Performance Max" (PMax) campaign, optimised for store goals. Think of this as Google's all-in-one campaign type for local businesses. You provide the ingredients, and Google's AI figures out the best recipe to find you local customers.

What you provide:

• Your Assets: This is your creative toolkit. High-quality photos of your business (interior, exterior, happy customers), your logo, short videos if you have them, and compelling text that explains what you do (e.g., "Market Harborough's cosiest pub," "Award-winning hair colouring services").

• Your Location(s): You must link the campaign to your verified Google Business Profile. This is the anchor for the entire strategy.

• Your Goal: You tell Google that your primary objective is to drive in-store visits.

Google then takes your assets and automatically creates and runs ads across all of its channels - Search, Maps, YouTube, Display, and Gmail - to reach potential local customers at the exact moment they are most likely to visit.

Who Is This For? Real-World Examples

This strategy is perfect for a huge range of local businesses that don't fit the traditional e-commerce model.

• The Village Pub: Run ads in the evening to people in surrounding villages searching for "pub food near me," showing them your cosy interior and a map pin to guide them in. A perfect complement to the strategy in our guide for village pubs.

• The Hair Salon: Target people within a 10-mile radius who have shown interest in beauty and wellness, promoting a "New Client Offer" on YouTube and Display to encourage them to book their first appointment.

• The Local Florist: Showcase your beautiful seasonal bouquets to people searching for gift ideas, with a clear call-to-action to "Visit Our Shop on the High Street." An essential tactic from our Shopify guide for florists.

• The Dental Practice: Run professional, reassuring ads on Search and Maps to people actively searching for a "dentist in Market Harborough," building the trust needed to encourage them to book a consultation.

Why It Works So Well

This approach is powerful because it captures customers when their intent to visit a physical location is at its highest. It’s the person searching on Google Maps for "coffee shop near me," or watching a YouTube video about a hobby you cater to. It allows you to build local brand awareness across multiple platforms, keeping you top-of-mind and providing a measurable way to see how your digital advertising is impacting your real-world bottom line.

You don't need a product feed or scannable barcodes to succeed with Google Ads. You just need a physical location, a story to tell, and a clear goal to drive more footfall.

Setting up and managing a Google Ads campaign focused on store visits can seem complex. At Brand Canyon in Market Harborough, we specialise in creating these campaigns for local service and hospitality businesses. We can help you turn a small ad budget into a measurable increase in customers walking through your door. Get in touch for a chat.