Growth · Google Ads
Google Ads for contractors: costs and what to check
The short answer
Do we manage Google Ads?
No. We don't manage Google Ads. We focus on websites, SEO and software. This page is here because contractors ask us about ads all the time: it shows what search ads cost home-service businesses and what to check before you hire anyone to run them.
If you run ads yourself or with another provider, we can build the landing page the ads point to and make sure calls and form fills are tracked. That page is built and tested to the same standard as the rest of a site we build.
What good ads management looks like
Three rules to hold any ads manager to
Tracking before spending
No campaign starts until calls, form fills and bookings from ads are recorded as conversions and tested. Google defines a conversion as an action you count as valuable, like a call or a form (Google Ads Help). Without it, nobody can say whether an ad paid for itself.
You own the account
The Google Ads account should be in your name, under your login. Your ads manager gets access as a manager. If you stop working with them, the account, its history and its data stay with you.
Spend goes to Google, not through us
Your card should be on the account so Google bills you directly. The manager's fee is separate and on its own invoice, so there's no hidden markup on clicks.
Use this yourself
What Google search ads cost home-service businesses
Median figures from LocaliQ's home services search advertising benchmarks: about 3,211 US campaigns, April 2024 to March 2025, page updated July 15, 2026. Your own numbers will differ by area and season; use these as a sanity check, not a forecast.
| Category | Cost per click | Conversion rate | Cost per lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| All home services | $7.85 | 7.33% | $90.92 |
| HVAC (air conditioning) | $9.68 | 6.56% | $127.74 |
| Plumbing | $10.49 | 7.63% | $129.02 |
| Roofing and gutters | $10.70 | 3.70% | $228.15 |
| Electricians | $12.18 | 9.08% | $93.69 |
| General contractors | $5.31 | 2.61% | $165.67 |
| Pools and spas | $5.81 | 10.89% | $45.15 |
| Painting | $13.74 | 10.80% | $138.38 |
The quick math: multiply the cost per lead for your trade by the number of leads you need to book one job. That's your cost per booked job. Compare it with the gross profit on an average job. If the profit is several times higher, ads can pay. If it's close, fix your close rate and landing page first.
Checklist
Questions to ask any Google Ads manager
- Whose name is the account in, and do I have the admin login?
- Is ad spend billed to my card by Google, or paid through you?
- Which actions count as conversions, and can you show me one being recorded?
- Will you report cost per booked job, not just clicks and impressions?
- Where will the ads send people, and how fast does that page load on a phone?
- What's in the negative-keyword list?
- What's the notice period, and what do I keep if I leave?
If an agency can't answer the first three clearly, keep looking.
FAQ
Google Ads questions
Why don't you manage Google Ads?
Because we focus on websites, SEO and software. Those are the services we build and measure, and we'd rather do three things well than add a fourth.
Should I run Google Ads or work on SEO?
They do different jobs. Ads can bring calls this week but stop the day you stop paying. SEO and your Google Business Profile take months but keep working. A common approach is to use ads to fill slow months while SEO builds.
What about Local Services Ads?
Google's Local Services Ads charge per lead rather than per click and show above normal ads for many home services. They're worth comparing with search ads for your trade; the same rules above apply to both.
Can you build the page my ads send people to?
Yes. A landing page is one of our marketing services: fast on a phone, with call and form tracking tested before the ads go live. Whoever runs your ads keeps running them.
Next step
Start with the leads you already get.
Book a scoping call and we'll look at where your calls and forms come from now, and what to fix first.