How much should a trades business spend on Google Ads?

Work backwards from the jobs you want. Multiply your target number of jobs by the cost per lead, then divide by your close rate. Our budget guide walks through this with three trades so you can do it with your own numbers.

What is the difference between Google Ads and Local Services Ads?

Standard Google Ads charge per click and give you full control over keywords, ad text and landing pages. Local Services Ads charge per lead, appear at the very top for some trade searches, and depend on Google's own screening and on whether your trade and area are eligible.

Is the ad spend included in your plan?

Whoever you hire, you should see the money paid to Google separately from the management fee. We'll set out both in writing before anything starts, and the ad account stays in your business's name.

Why are my ads getting clicks but no calls?

The usual causes are broad keyword matching, ads showing outside your service area, landing on a home page instead of a service page, and a phone line nobody answers at the busy hour. We check those four first.

Google Ads and Local Services Ads for Trades

Paid search is the fastest way for a trades business to appear at the top of Google: you can be visible for "emergency electrician" or "roof replacement quote" within a day of launch. The catch is that every click costs money, and in trades a large share of clicks come from people who will never hire you. Our job is to buy the searches that turn into booked work, block the rest, and prove it with numbers you can check.

Two kinds of paid search

Google Ads (search campaigns) charge you per click. You choose the keywords, write the ads, set the areas and hours, and send people to a page you control. That control is what makes them work for trades, provided someone uses it.

Local Services Ads charge per lead rather than per click and can appear above everything else for some trade searches. Google runs its own screening before a business can show, and whether they are available depends on your trade category and where you work in Canada. When they are available they're worth testing, but the volume can be uneven and you have less control over which leads arrive. We check eligibility and set them up where they make sense.

Who it's for

Paid search fits trades that:

need work now, such as a new business, a slow season or a new service area
sell a clear, high-value job: water heater replacement, panel upgrade, roof replacement, interlock installation
have someone who can answer the phone during the hours ads run
already have a website with a page for the job being advertised

It's a poor fit for a business whose calls already go to voicemail half the time. Fix that first, perhaps with a text-back service such as CallText.chat, then buy traffic.

What's included

Account set-up or audit. In your business's name, with conversion tracking for calls, texts and quote requests.
Keyword plan by job type. Separate campaigns for emergency, repair and replacement work, because they carry different values and different bids.
Negative keywords from day one. Jobs, training, DIY, parts, wholesale, and towns you don't serve.
Geography and schedule. Ads limited to the areas you want to drive to, with bids that follow your real hours.
Landing pages. Each campaign sends people to the matching service page on your website, not the home page.
Local Services Ads where your trade and area qualify.
Weekly checks and monthly reporting.

Advertising honestly in Canada

Ad copy is advertising under the Competition Act. The Competition Bureau's guidance on drip pricing warns against advertising prices that leave out mandatory fixed fees. So an "$89 service call" ad that always adds a fixed trip charge is a problem. We write ads with prices that hold up, and we suggest you confirm anything you're unsure about with the Bureau or your own advisor. This is general information as of October 2026, not legal advice.

Timeline

Week 1 is the audit or set-up, tracking and the first campaigns. Weeks 2–4 are about learning: searches are reviewed several times a week and the waste is cut. By the end of month two you should have a reliable cost per lead for each job type. From month three, budget moves toward the campaigns that produce booked jobs.

How we measure results

We report cost per booked job, not just cost per click. Each month you see:

calls, texts and quote requests by campaign and job type
cost per lead and, where your records allow, cost per booked job
the search terms that triggered your ads, including the ones we blocked
what we're changing next month and why

Our budget guide shows how to judge those numbers against your job values.

Mistakes to avoid

Broad keywords with no negatives. "Plumbing" brings in apprenticeship and supply-store searches.
Running ads 24/7 with nobody on the phone. Unless you truly offer emergency service, you're paying for voicemails.
One campaign for every service. A $250 repair and a $12,000 replacement shouldn't share a budget.
Judging after two weeks. Early data is noisy, especially in winter or storm spikes.
An ad account in the agency's name. If you leave, you lose the history. Ours stay yours.

See pricing for plans, or contact us to have your current account reviewed.

Google Ads and Local Services Ads for trades