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The Blueprint Training
SELLING PAID SEARCH
The uncomfortable truth
AI changed SEO. Agencies need a new approach to selling SEO services.
AI has changed how agencies deliver SEO and how Google surfaces results, and search platforms like ChatGPT and Claude are taking a growing share of queries. That's where blended search comes in. We can't call it "SEO" anymore. Search is an umbrella term that covers:
1
Local Service Ads
4
Local map pack results
2
Traditional PPC ads
5
Traditional website results
3
AI Overviews
6
ChatGPT, Claude & other AI platforms
A search for 'car accident lawyer near me' with six numbered placements: Local Service Ads, a sponsored text ad, an AI Overview, the map pack, organic website results, and a ChatGPT answer
Blended search
The problem. The fix.
The problem
SEO is fragmented and doesn't drive clicks.
People are still searching as much as ever, but AI is absorbing a lot of the clicks and the rest is spread across ads, organic, and AI platforms. Traditional SEO, sold the traditional way, doesn't send your clients enough traffic to get real results.
The fix
Sell a "blended search" model that drives results.
The blended search model goes after ads, organic, and AI platforms at once and builds visibility across every channel. That's how you keep delivering strong results for your clients, and it's how your agency keeps growing.
We're using this model right now to sell $8,000-a-month search retainers and get strong results for those clients.
BLENDED SEARCH
TRADITIONAL PPC ADS
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PPC is the quickest way to results, and it's the perfect complement to SEO.
2
Ads aren't going anywhere. No matter what happens with Google, search ads will always be there.
3
They're not overly complex, and they're a great way to get your hooks into a client for the long term.
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Low effort, and easy to outsource.
5
The data tells the story in black and white: they work or they don't.
6
They're reliable. As SEO clicks get harder to win, ads are something you can bank on. Forecast what every dollar spent will return.
Google search for 'hvac near me' showing three Local Service Ads above a sponsored text ad
BLENDED SEARCH
LOCAL SERVICE ADS (LSAs)
1
Built for low budgets. Pay per lead means you don't need to spend a ton. Set a lower budget and a cap, and if they don't perform, they don't spend.
2
Placement. They appear at the very top of Google, above standard text ads and organic results.
3
Pay per lead. You pay for leads, not clicks. Easy to quantify, easy to track, and Google refunds spam leads.
4
Simpler than Google Ads. You don't need to be a wizard to get them to work.
5
Build trust, buy time. LSAs are guaranteed to drive conversions. In a tough SEO niche, quick results buy you time with the client.
Google search for 'injury attorney near me' showing Google Screened Local Service Ads for three Miami Springs injury firms
The pitch
Sell the OUTCOME, not the channel
1
Start with what matters most: the services and locations the client cares about.
2
Search for them. Show where the client appears, where competitors appear, and where the client has gaps.
3
Connect gaps to revenue. Tie them to actual revenue opportunities, not just missing impressions.
4
Recommend the right mix of channels based on demand, budget, eligibility and the client's ability to handle leads.
"Our goal isn't to sell you more marketing channels. It's to put you in more of the places your best customers are making decisions."
The pitch
How to pitch PPC to an SEO client
Say this
"SEO is building your organic presence. PPC gives us another way to compete for priority searches while that work develops."
1
Test. Use paid search to learn which services, queries and messages produce valuable inquiries.
2
Share. Hand those findings to the SEO team to inform content and landing pages.
3
Prove it's incremental. Test whether paid brings in customers beyond what the client already gets organically.
Be clear: paying for Google Ads does not improve organic rankings.
The pitch
How to pitch LSAs
Say this
"Some prospects want to call a provider directly from the search results. LSAs give eligible businesses another opportunity to be considered there."
1
Part of the system. Position LSAs inside the lead-generation system, alongside local SEO and PPC.
2
Sell the ongoing work: eligibility, service-area setup, profile quality, lead review, responsiveness and optimization.
Set expectations: Google charges for valid leads, not guaranteed appointments or customers. Eligibility and availability vary by service and location.
Reporting
Measure the business, not just the dashboards
Visibility
Are we appearing for the right services and locations?
Response
How many calls, forms and messages are coming in?
Quality
How many are qualified opportunities and booked appointments?
Outcome
How many become customers, and at what acquisition cost?
Look at the combined result and avoid counting the same customer multiple times.
Scoping deals
Work backward from the value of a customer
Before proposing a budget, ask:
1
What does an average new customer contribute after the direct costs of serving them?
2
What percentage of inquiries becomes a customer?
3
How many more customers can you handle?
4
Who answers calls and follows up?
5
How much can you afford to risk on a test?
Illustrative example, not a forecast
Run the downside case
25% become customers
$1,000 ad spend ÷ $50 per lead
20 leads
25% become customers
5 customers
× $600 contribution each
$3,000
− $1,000 ad spend − $300 management
−$1,300
Before setup, tools and fixed overhead
$1,700
Only 10% become customers
$1,000 ad spend ÷ $50 per lead
20 leads
10% become customers
2 customers
× $600 contribution each
$1,200
− $1,000 ad spend − $300 management
−$1,300
Before setup or other costs
−$100
Teaching point: the close rate and customer economics matter as much as the cost per lead. Run a downside case before selling the test.
Scoping deals
Can the budget produce useful information?
1
There's no universal minimum ad budget. Costs vary by service, geography and competition.
2
Work backward. Estimate the cost of an opportunity, then budget for a practical number of leads to learn from.
3
Know when it's too small. Two leads may be too little to learn much or support responsible management.
Enough to learn from
15 leads × $50 each
~$750 media
15 leads × $150 each
~$2,250 media
Fifteen is a planning example, not a magic statistical threshold.
Too small to learn from
$500 budget − $300 fee
$200 for ads
÷ $100 per lead
~2 leads
Don't split an already tiny budget across two paid channels just to call the strategy blended.