Google Ads for contractors, run like you'd run a job site.
Clicks on contractor keywords cost $30–$100+ each in competitive metros — this is the most expensive place on the internet to guess. We manage Google Ads only for the trades: LSA first, search second, with negative keywords, call tracking, and junk-call disputes handled weekly.
The two kinds of Google Ads — and which you run first.
Contractors on Google have two very different weapons. Know the difference before you spend:
Local Service Ads: pay per call
The "Google Guaranteed" spots at the very top. You pay per valid call — not per click — and rank is driven by reviews and response speed, not just budget. Cheapest qualified lead in the trades. Always first.
Search ads: pay per click
Below LSA, targeted by keyword. Expensive per click, but the only way to own specific money searches — "tile roof replacement cost," "ac installation financing" — with a dedicated landing page for each.
The junk-call tax
Wrong numbers, solicitors, job seekers — LSA bills them all unless someone disputes them weekly. Unmanaged accounts quietly pay 15–30% junk tax. Disputing is boring work. It's also free money. We do it every week.
How we set up a contractor's Google Ads account.
Not everything at once. This is the sequence that gets the phone ringing fastest, then compounds:
Google Guaranteed screening
License, insurance, background checks — we handle the paperwork for every trade category you qualify for. It takes 1–3 weeks, which is why you start before you need the calls.
Campaign structure by money keyword
Emergency, replacement, and financing searches each get their own campaign, budget, and landing page — never one "general" campaign with the budget sloshing around.
Negative keywords & call tracking
"DIY," "how to," "jobs," "salary" — blocked before they cost you a click. Every call recorded and tagged, so you know your true cost per booked job, not per click.
Weekly tuning & junk disputes
Bids, dayparting, dispute queue, new landing pages for what's converting. This weekly grind is the entire difference between profitable and "we tried Google Ads once." Learn more →
Google Ads questions from contractors.
What do Google Ads leads cost for contractors?
On LSA in South Florida: roofing roughly $90–$180 per call, HVAC $50–$120, plumbing $40–$90, electrical $40–$100. Search ads run higher per lead but reach searches LSA can't. Your exact numbers depend on cities and reviews — the free audit pins them down before you spend.
What budget do I need to start?
For LSA, $1,000–$1,500/month buys meaningful call volume in most trades. For search, under $2,000/month in a competitive metro usually can't buy enough data to optimize — we'll tell you honestly if your budget fits the channel.
Why did Google Ads fail when I tried it myself?
Usually three compounding leaks: no negative keywords (paying for DIY clicks), traffic dumped on the homepage instead of a matching landing page, and nobody disputing junk LSA calls. Any one wastes 20% of budget; all three together is why most self-managed accounts die.
Do you mark up ad spend?
No. Ad budget is paid straight to Google from your card. We charge a flat monthly management fee, month to month — so you always know exactly what marketing costs and exactly what Google costs.
Get a free audit of your Google Ads account — or the one you're about to open.
One call. Within 24 hours you get it in writing: where you rank, what leads cost in your market, and what your top three competitors are running.
No card. No contract. Takes one phone call.