Google Ads for Contractors
When a homeowner needs a contractor now, they search and call one of the first names they see. Google Ads and Local Services Ads put your company at the very top for those ready-to-hire searches, so the call comes to you while the job is hot. We build campaigns aimed at booked jobs and cost per lead, not clicks and impressions. Ads are one part of a bigger plan on our digital marketing for contractors page.
Get a Free SEO AuditHonest timeline: first calls in the first week, an efficient cost per lead in 60 to 90 days.
per area
We Pay for Booked Jobs, Not Clicks
Most ad accounts are measured on clicks and impressions. We measure the only number that pays a contractor: the cost of a booked job.
Cost per booked lead, not per click
We track the calls and jobs your budget produces, then work to make each one cheaper.
The right searches only
Negative keywords cut the DIY, job-seeker, and out-of-area clicks so your budget reaches buyers.
Ads timed to your season and capacity
Spend rises when roofs are leaking or the heat wave hits, and eases when the crew is full.
Every call tracked to its ad
Call tracking shows which campaign booked the job, so budget follows what works.
What Goes Into a Contractor Ads Program
Four parts, working together, built around how contractors actually get hired.
Search ads for ready-to-hire terms
- Bids on hire-now searches, not research or DIY
- Tight match types and locations, so there is no broad waste
- Ad copy that names the service, the area, and a clear call to action
Local Services Ads and Google Guaranteed
- The pay-per-lead ads that sit above the regular ads
- The Google Guaranteed badge set up and disputes managed
- Often the cheapest lead in a contractor account
Landing pages that convert the click
A click is wasted if the page does not convert, so we send ads to fast pages built to turn a visitor into a call. More on our contractor website design page.
- Tap-to-call above the fold, fast on a phone
- Proof a stranger can check before they call
- One offer and one next step, with no menu to get lost in
Tracking and weekly pruning
- Call tracking so you know which ad booked the job
- Negative keywords pruned every week
- Budget moved to what converts, away from what does not
Every dollar is aimed at a booked job and reported in plain language.
The Clicks Worth Paying For, and the Ones We Block
Half the work in contractor PPC is blocking the searches that waste the budget, so the other half can win jobs.
"diy [service]" and "how to"
searches
"[trade] jobs" and "salary"
job seekers
"free" and "cheapest"
price-only, low value
searches from outside your service area
geo-excluded
"emergency [service] near me"
urgent, ready to hire
"[service] contractor [city]"
local and ready
"[service] replacement cost [city]"
planned, high ticket
"24 hour [trade] [city]"
after-hours, high intent
A well-run contractor account spends most of its budget on the searches on the right and almost none on the left.
The Ad That Sits Above Everything - Local Services Ads
For home-service contractors, Google’s Local Services Ads sit above the map pack and the regular ads, and you pay per lead, not per click. For many trades it is the cheapest, highest-intent lead in the account, and most contractors have never turned it on.
- Google Guaranteed badge set up and verified, which builds instant trust
- You pay for phone leads, not clicks, and can dispute junk leads
- Budget and hours set so ads run when your team can answer
- Reviews and response time managed, because they decide your Local Services Ads rank
- AYour business▲ #1
- BCompetitor
- CCompetitor
What the First 90 Days of Contractor Ads Look Like
Launch
Accounts, tracking, and Local Services and Search ads live on your top services and area.
What you see: First calls usually come in this week.
Clean-up
Negatives pruned, bids and hours adjusted, and junk leads disputed.
What you see: Wasted spend drops and cost per lead starts falling.
Optimization
Budget shifted to the services and areas that actually convert.
What you see: A clearer, lower cost per booked lead.
Scale
Once the numbers work, we scale spend on what pays.
What you see: More booked jobs at a cost you can predict.
Ads bring calls fast, then we spend the next 60 to 90 days making each lead cheaper.
Results We Can Show You
We would rather show you a live ad account than a testimonial. Where results are still building, we say so instead of dressing them up.
Don't Take Our Word for It. Go Check.
Every agency says they get results. Here’s how to verify ours in about five minutes, without talking to us.
search the terms yourself
Recognized by verified clients for delivering measurable growth.
Client sites live and ranking right now — Mind-Body Care, Trenchless Drilling, HD Engines, 850 Divorce Lawyer
What Lands in Your Inbox Each Month
One page you can read in four minutes. No forty-slide deck, no charts that hide the point.
SPEND AND RESULTS
What you spent, the calls and form fills it produced, and your cost per booked lead.
TOP CAMPAIGNS
Which services and areas produced the best leads, and which ones we cut.
WHAT WE DID
Bids, negatives, Local Services Ads disputes, and pages changed last month, in plain language.
NEXT 30 DAYS
Where we will move the budget next, and one honest recommendation.
When Google Ads Is the Wrong Tool
Four times we will tell you to hold off on ads, because they will not fix the real problem.
Your budget is too small for your market.
Some trades and cities need a minimum spend to work at all. We will tell you the floor before you spend a dollar.
You can't answer the phone.
Ads that ring out are wasted. We will show you the missed calls in the tracking and help you sort coverage first.
You want traffic without ongoing spend.
Ads stop the moment the budget stops. For lasting rankings, pair them with SEO for contractors.
You aren't licensed, or the area has no demand.
We will not spend your money on searches that cannot convert into real work.
Contractor Google Ads Questions We Get Every Week
Straight answers on ad budgets, lead costs and what contractors should expect.
Book a Free AuditHow fast will Google Ads bring me calls?
Usually within the first week once campaigns are live. An efficient, lower cost per lead takes 60 to 90 days of pruning and testing.
What are Local Services Ads, and should I use them?
Local Services Ads are pay-per-lead ads with the Google Guaranteed badge that sit above everything else. For most home-service trades they are the cheapest, highest-intent lead, so yes, if you qualify.
How much should I spend?
It depends on your trade and city, because a click costs far more in some markets. On the free audit we tell you the minimum spend where your market starts working, and we are honest if your budget is below it. See our pricing page for how fees work.
Do you charge a percentage of my ad spend?
No. We charge a flat management fee, so we never earn more by spending more of your budget. Our only job is lowering your cost per booked lead.
Who owns the ad account?
You do, always. We build in accounts you own, so if we part ways you keep the account, the data, and the full history.
Should I do Google Ads or SEO?
Ads for leads now, SEO for lower-cost leads later. Most contractors start with ads plus a fast website, then add SEO for contractors as the long-term foundation.