Google Ads for service businesses that need the phone to ring
Trades, law firms, clinics and other businesses that sell their time. We build Google Ads around the enquiries that turn into paying jobs, then check every one against your CRM.
Why Google Ads goes wrong for service businesses
If you sell a service, your ads are judged on one thing. Did the phone ring with someone who wanted the job? Most Google Ads accounts we open can't answer that question.
The account shows plenty of conversions. When we look closer, a lot of them are page views, button clicks or the same person counted twice. Calls get missed entirely. Nobody has checked which enquiries became paying work, so the budget keeps flowing to whatever produces the cheapest form fill.
Calls that never get counted
Most service enquiries still come in by phone. If call tracking is missing, or set to Secondary, Google can't see your best leads and can't bid toward them.
Searches from people who'll never hire you
DIY questions, job seekers and people looking for a free answer all cost the same per click as a customer. Without tight keywords and a maintained negative list, they quietly eat the budget.
Brand searches dressed up as new leads
People who already know your name search for you, click your ad and get counted as new business. Your cost per lead looks great. Your cost per new customer is a different number.
How we fix it
Fix the tracking first
Calls, forms and bookings each get counted once, as the right type of conversion. Brand and non-brand get split so you can see what new customers cost you.
Build around how your customers search
Exact and phrase match keywords grouped by the job people need done, with a negative list built from your own search terms. We don't use broad match.
Match leads to jobs
Every month we check the leads from your ads against your CRM or job system. Which ones were quoted? Which ones were won? Budget moves toward the searches that bring in paying work.
Report it in plain English
A monthly video call and a PDF report that shows leads, jobs won and what they cost. This means you know exactly what your ad spend is bringing in.
Who this is for
Local and multi-location service businesses in Australia, New Zealand and the US. That includes trades like plumbers, electricians and pest control, professional services like lawyers and accountants, and health providers like clinics and telehealth services.
You'll get the most out of it if you follow up your leads quickly and can tell us which ones turned into work. Google Ads can bring the enquiries in. Someone on your side still has to answer the phone.
What it costs
Your ad budget goes straight to Google. Our management fee is separate and depends on the size and complexity of the account. The $99 AUD audit is the best place to start. It shows you what your current account is doing before you commit to anything.
By industry
Service businesses we work with
Proof
Results from accounts like yours
Two service businesses we've run Google Ads for. Client names are withheld.
A Google Ads campaign that took a family law firm from no advertising at all to 199 leads over 15 months.
A combined Google and Meta Ads program that added over 600 new patients to a telehealth provider's books in a year, with steady growth month after month.
Keep reading
Related
FAQ
Questions people ask
They can, as long as the tracking is right and the keywords are tight. A small budget gets wasted quickly on DIY searches and job seekers. Built properly, Search ads put you in front of people who need the job done now.
It depends on your click costs, how many enquiries turn into jobs and what a job is worth to you. In the audit we work it out from your own numbers, so the budget is based on what it costs you to win a customer.
Yes. For most service businesses calls are the best leads you get. We set up call tracking so calls from your ads and website are counted as conversions, and Google can bid toward them.
A well-built Search campaign usually brings in leads within the first few weeks. The bigger improvements come over 1 to 3 months, as we match leads to jobs and move budget toward what's working.
Next step
Find out where your ad spend is going.
Get a $99 AUD Google Ads audit. We'll show you where money is being wasted and which leads you're missing out on.
Show me my current ad mistakes →