Priced on clicks, not jobs
The agency reported cost-per-click and impressions. Nobody could tell you what a booked job actually cost, so you had no idea if it worked.
SERVICE · GOOGLE ADS & LOCAL SERVICES ADS
Google Ads for contractors, built for the dispatch board
The phone rings this week, not next quarter. Search Ads, Local Services Ads, and call-only campaigns priced on cost-per-booked-job, run by a shop that has managed local-service accounts since 2008.
THE CAMPAIGN SPEC
- Campaign typesSearch, LSA, call-only
- LSA badge setupGoogle Guaranteed
- We measureCost per booked job
- MethodSince 2008
Ad spend goes to Google, not to us. You keep the account and the login.
- Since 2008
- LSA badge setup
- Call-only campaigns
- You own the account
- Cost-per-job math
QUICK FACTS · GOOGLE ADS & LOCAL SERVICES ADS
At a glance.
The whole engagement on one ticket. Read it in a minute, then bring us the hard questions on the call.
- What it is
- Paid acquisition on Google for contractors: Search Ads, Local Services Ads (Google Guaranteed), Performance Max, and call-only campaigns, built and managed so the calls that come in are jobs you can actually run.
- Timeline
- First campaigns live in days once the account, budget, and service area are set. LSA badge screening (license and insurance checks) is on Google's clock and can take a few weeks.
- Investment
- Management is quoted at the strategy call after we see your trade, service area, and target ticket. Ad spend is separate and paid straight to Google.
- What you get
- Trade-specific keyword and negative-keyword lists, ad copy, call-only and LSA setup, a landing page built to convert clicks, and monthly reporting on cost per booked job.
- What's not included
- Organic rankings, on-page SEO, Google Business Profile map-pack work, and AI-search visibility live in other silos. Paid is paid; earned is earned.
- Managed how
- In-house, in Orlando, on a Google Ads and LSA account you own and can log into. No shared agency account you lose when we part ways.
- Who it's for
- Established contractors who need booked calls now, seasonal trades that flip demand on a switch, and owners who tried Ads, got burned, and want the math run honestly.
- Who it's not for
- Brand-new outfits with no reviews or capacity, and owners who want vanity impressions instead of tracked phone calls. If you can't answer the phone, paid ads waste money.
PAID ACQUISITION
Google Ads for contractors, measured in booked jobs
When a homeowner's water heater fails or the AC quits in July, they do not scroll. They search, they tap the first number that looks legit, and they call. Google Ads for contractors is how you become that number today, while your SEO is still climbing. The wedge is not the click. It is the booked job, and whether the call was worth what you paid for it.
Contractors buy leads under pressure, so the ads have to match dispatch reality. A call-only campaign that rings your line while the crew is on a roof is worthless if nobody picks up. Local Services Ads put the Google Guaranteed badge above the paid results and charge you per lead, not per click, but only after Google screens your license and insurance. We build for how you actually take work: service area, hours, ticket size, and the trades where a phone call converts.
Most agencies bid these same terms, then hand you a dashboard full of impressions and a retainer. We run the other math. What did a booked job cost, which keywords brought callers who signed, and which ones burned budget on tire-kickers. Since 2008 we have managed local-service accounts, so we speak service area and cost-per-job, not clicks and vanity charts.
[ 01 ] THE PROBLEM
Why contractor PPC gets a bad name
Most owners who call us already tried Ads once. Here is what went wrong.
Wrong searches, real money
Broad keywords with no negatives meant you paid for DIY searches, job-seekers, and people three states away. Budget gone by noon, phone quiet.
Sent to a slow homepage
Clicks landed on a general homepage that loaded slow and buried the phone number. Paid traffic bounced instead of calling.
No LSA badge, no trust
You competed on the paid line while the Google Guaranteed badge sat empty above you, and licensed competitors with the badge took the call first.
[ 02 ] THE METHOD
What we actually build
Every campaign is wired to your trade and your dispatch board.
Local Services Ads setup
We stand up your LSA profile, walk the license and insurance screening for the Google Guaranteed badge, and set lead disputes so you're not paying for junk.
Call-only campaigns
For trades where people call, not fill forms, the ad is the phone number. Scheduled to your hours so the phone rings when someone can answer.
Trade-specific keywords
Emergency, replace, repair, install, near me: we bid the intent that books work and write negatives against the DIY and job-seeker searches that don't.
Landing pages that convert
Paid clicks hit a page built for one job: trade, service area, proof, and a phone number above the fold, loading in under 2 seconds.
Cost-per-job reporting
Call tracking ties spend to booked work. Monthly, you see what a job cost by campaign, not a wall of impressions.
Paid remarketing
The homeowner who clicked but didn't call gets a reminder as they browse, so a maybe becomes a callback instead of a competitor's job.
[ 03 ] THE DIFFERENCE
Run by dispatch, not by dashboard
Be Seen, Contractors!
Receipts, not impressions
- Reported on cost per booked job, by campaign
- LSA badge screened, call-only built for your hours
- You own the account and keep it if we part ways
the churn-and-burn PPC shop
A dashboard and a retainer
- Cost-per-click charts, no line to real revenue
- Broad match, no negatives, budget gone by noon
- Their shared account, gone the day you cancel
[ 04 ] DELIVERABLES
What ships with a paid engagement
Account audit or clean build
We inherit and fix your existing Google Ads account or build a fresh one you own outright.
LSA profile and screening
Local Services Ads set up and walked through Google Guaranteed license and insurance verification.
Keyword and negative lists
Trade-specific bidding on booking intent, with a negative list that blocks the searches that waste spend.
Ad copy and extensions
Search ads and call extensions written in trade language, with service area and hours wired in.
Conversion landing page
A single-purpose page for paid traffic, phone above the fold, loading in under 2 seconds.
Call tracking setup
Tracking that connects a click or a lead to an actual phone call so we can price the job.
Remarketing audience
A paid remarketing setup that follows up with clickers who didn't call the first time.
Monthly cost-per-job report
Plain reporting on spend, calls, and booked-job cost by campaign, not vanity metrics.
[ 05 ] THE PROCESS
From plan to booked work.
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WEEK 1
Account Audit
We map wasted spend, weak landing pages, and the searches actually worth buying.
-
WEEK 1-2
Build
Campaigns, ad groups, call tracking, and Local Services Ads set up to ring the phone, not just get clicks.
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MONTH 1
Optimize
Search-term pruning, bid tuning, and landing pages that turn clicks into booked jobs.
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ONGOING
Manage
Weekly hands on the account. We spend your budget like it is ours.
-
MONTHLY
Report
Cost per lead and cost per booked job, in plain numbers, no agency spin.
[ 06 ] THE HONEST CURVE
What to expect from paid
Paid is the fast lane, but it is not a slot machine. Leads can come within days; a stable cost-per-job takes a few weeks of tuning as the negative list and bids settle.
Days
To first live campaigns
Once account, budget, and service area are set
Weeks
LSA badge screening
License and insurance checks on Google's clock
30-60d
To a settled cost-per-job
As bids and negatives tune to your market
0
Vanity metrics reported
We report booked-job cost, not impressions
[ 07 ] STRAIGHT ANSWERS
What contractors ask us most.
The questions contractors ask before they hand us a budget.
01What's the difference between Google Ads and Local Services Ads?
Search Ads charge you per click and show as text ads at the top of results. Local Services Ads charge you per lead, show the Google Guaranteed badge above the paid ads, and require Google to screen your license and insurance first. Most contractors run both: LSA for the badge and trust, Search for coverage on the terms LSA doesn't reach. We build and compare them for your trade.
02Is PPC worth it for contractors?
It is worth it when the math works, meaning a booked job costs less than that job is worth to you. For high-ticket trades and emergency work, paid usually pays for itself fast. For low-ticket or low-margin work, it can bleed money. That is exactly why we price on cost-per-booked-job and tell you honestly if paid is the wrong lever for your trade.
03How much should I budget for Google Ads?
There is no flat number. It depends on your trade, service area, competition, and target ticket. We size a budget at the strategy call so it's enough to gather real data without lighting money on fire, and management is quoted separately. Ad spend goes straight to Google; we never mark it up.
04I tried Google Ads before and it didn't work. Why would this be different?
Most burned owners were sold clicks, not jobs. Broad keywords with no negatives, paid traffic dumped on a slow homepage, and no line from spend to booked revenue. We rebuild around negatives, call tracking, and a landing page built to convert, then report what a job actually cost. If the numbers still don't work for your trade, we tell you to stop.
05What is Google Guaranteed and do I need it?
Google Guaranteed is the green badge on Local Services Ads. To earn it, Google verifies your license, insurance, and background, and backs qualifying jobs with a limited guarantee to the homeowner. It builds trust and can win the call over competitors without it. We handle the screening setup so you get the badge instead of stalling in it.
06Can paid ads run alongside my SEO?
Yes, and they should. Paid gets the phone ringing this week while SEO and AI-search visibility climb over the next several months. Run together, paid covers you today and organic lowers your cost per lead over time. We keep them from competing for the same clicks and the same budget.
07Do I own the ad account or do you?
You do. We build campaigns inside a Google Ads and Local Services Ads account in your name, and you keep the login. If we ever part ways, the account, the history, and the data stay with you. No shared agency account that vanishes the day you cancel.
08How do you measure whether the ads are working?
Call tracking ties every spend to an actual phone call, and every booked job back to the campaign and keyword that produced it. Monthly you see cost per booked job by campaign, which searches converted, and which ones we cut. Not a wall of impressions.
[ 08 ] WHAT COMES NEXT
What comes next.
The rest of the build works alongside this.
→
Contractor Websites
The conversion landing page your paid clicks deserve, hand-coded and loading in under 2 seconds.
→SEO for Contractors
Organic rankings that lower your cost per lead over time, so paid isn't carrying the whole load.
→Local SEO & Google Maps
Google Business Profile and map-pack work that wins the calls you shouldn't have to pay for.
BOOK YOUR FREE STRATEGY CALL
See if paid is worth it for your trade
We'll run a free audit of your market and current Ads setup and deliver it in 1-3 business days, with honest cost-per-job math before you spend a dollar.