How each one charges you
Local Services Ads are the listings Google shows prominently on some local searches, with your business name, your rating and a way to call or message you. Google's help page says you only pay when a customer gets in touch from your ad. That contact is a lead. It is not yet a job.[1]
Google Ads are the paid text ads in Google's search results. You choose the searches they show for, you write the ad, and you decide which page of your site the visitor lands on. Google's own definition of cost-per-click bidding is that you pay for each click on your ads. A click is a visit. It is not yet a call.[6]
So one bills you for a contact and the other bills you for a visit, and neither bills you for a booked job. That gap between what you pay for and what you need is where shops lose money on both, and it is why the worksheet further down counts booked jobs instead of leads.
The tradeoffs, side by side
| What matters | Local Services Ads | Google Ads |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for[1][6] | EdgeA call or message that came from the ad. | A click, whether or not it turns into a call. |
| Missed calls[2][7] | Google lists responsiveness as a ranking factor and says missed calls can hurt it. | EdgeA missed call wastes the click you paid for. Answering the phone is not among the Ad Rank factors Google lists. |
| Choosing the jobs[3] | You switch on job types from Google's list for your category and choose your cities or ZIP codes. Google says turning off every job type does not stop leads for the whole category. | EdgeYou pick the exact searches, leave out the ones you do not want, and set the hours. |
| Reviews[2] | EdgeYour rating and number of reviews are part of how the ad ranks. | Reviews help people choose, but a newer shop can still run a campaign. |
| Getting started[4][9] | Screening and verification first. Google lists extra screening for plumbers and HVAC pros, including background checks, and other requirements vary by state. | EdgeUsually quicker to launch, though Google may ask you to complete advertiser verification. |
| A contact that was not a customer[5][8] | EdgeA lead that is successfully disputed is credited back (US and Canada). | Clicks Google finds invalid are not charged, but a real click that led nowhere is paid for; you cut those searches out yourself. |
| Where the customer lands | On Google's own listing for your business. | EdgeOn a page of your website that you chose and wrote. |
Which one to try first
Local Services Ads first, if
- someone answers the phone during business hours almost every time it rings;
- your Google profile already has a good number of honest reviews;
- you would rather pay for a contact than for a visit;
- the jobs you want are in Google's service list for your category;
- you are ready for the screening and verification Google asks for in your state.
Google Ads first, if
- you want certain jobs, like water heater replacement, and not others;
- you need to control the hours or the towns more tightly than a listing allows;
- you have, or are building, a page that answers the customer's question and asks for the call;
- you are a newer shop with few reviews so far;
- you want to read the actual searches people typed and cut the wasteful ones.
Both at once: Run both only once you can tell their leads apart, and each one's cost per booked job sits below what a job is worth to you.
Work out cost per booked job with your own numbers
Published price ranges for these ads disagree with each other because every town, trade and season is different. Your own numbers are the only ones that answer the question for your shop. Take one full month for each channel and fill in the boxes. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Your worksheet: one month, your numbers
Nothing you type is sent or saved. It stays on this page and is gone when you close it.
- What you paid: the Local Services charges for the month, or the Google Ads spend for the month.
- Leads: the calls and messages that came from that channel. Tag each one when it comes in, or you will be guessing at the end of the month.
- Booked jobs: the leads that turned into a job on your calendar. Quotes do not count until they are booked.
- Cost per booked job = what you paid ÷ booked jobs. Compare it with the gross profit on a typical job, not with the ticket price.
What we sell, and where it does not fit
What we do
- We set up and run Google Ads for you. The account is yours, in your name, and the ad budget is paid by you directly to Google.
- We build the website pages those ads land on: one page per service, written to answer the question and ask for the call.
- A website chat that answers messages on your site around the clock and hands every request to a person.
Our published price: $299 once to set up, then $249 a month to manage, added to any monthly plan. Your ad budget is separate and goes to Google. Every price
Where we do not fit
- We do not run Local Services Ads. If they are your answer, you sign up with Google directly, and we can make sure your website and your Google profile say the same thing.
- We do not promise a cost per lead or a number of calls. Those depend on your area, your competition and your prices.
- Our website chat does not answer the phone. If calls go unanswered, no ad fixes that, and with Local Services Ads it can cost you ranking as well.
Questions people ask
Can I run Google Ads and Local Services Ads at the same time?
Yes. They are separate products with separate budgets, billed in different ways. Run both only once you can tell their leads apart, for example with a different phone number for each, so each one can be judged on its own cost per booked job.
Do Local Services Ads need a background check?
For plumbers and HVAC companies, yes. Google's screening page says both trades get an extra level of screening that includes background checks on service professionals. License, insurance and registration checks depend on your trade and your state, so read the requirements for your category before you plan around a start date.[4]
What is the difference between a lead and a booked job?
A lead is a call or a message from someone who might hire you. A booked job is work on your calendar with a date and an address. Cost per booked job is what you paid divided by the jobs you booked, and it is the fairest number to compare between the two.
What if a Local Services lead was not a real customer?
Google's help says a lead that is successfully disputed is credited back to you, in the US and Canada. Keep a short note on each lead as it comes in, such as a wrong trade or a sales call, so you can tell which ones were not valid when you review the month.[5]
Will Bots on Staff run my Local Services Ads?
No. We set up and run Google Ads in an account in your name, and we build the website pages those ads land on. Local Services Ads are set up with Google directly, and we can make sure your website and your Google profile say the same thing.
Sources
Each page below was read on . Quotes are word for word.
- Google Local Services Help: Getting started with Local Services Ads
- Google Local Services Help: About ad rankings
- Google Local Services Help: Edit your ad or business information
- Google Local Services Help: Business screening and verification requirements
- Google Local Services Help: disputing a lead
- Google Ads Help: Cost-per-click (CPC): Definition
- Google Ads Help: About Ad Rank
- Google Ads Help: Invalid clicks: Definition
- Google Advertising Policies Help: Advertiser verification
- Google Ads Help: Set and change an average daily budget for your campaign
