Two Ways to Advertise on Google
Service businesses that advertise on Google usually choose between two products, or run both. Local Services Ads are built for local service providers and connect customers with businesses by phone, message or booking. Google Ads search campaigns show text ads for the keywords you choose and send people to your website. They look different, charge differently and need different kinds of work.
How Local Services Ads Work
You Pay for Leads, Not Clicks
With Local Services Ads, you pay for valid leads. According to Google, a lead can be an answered call, a missed call during business hours where the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds, a text or email message, a voicemail, or a booking request in the US and Canada. Google filters out invalid activity such as spam and duplicate contacts, and it may credit leads its systems later judge to be low quality.
Lead Charges and Credits
Each lead in the Local Services Ads inbox shows a charge status: Charged, Not charged, In review or Credited. Google says it keeps assessing lead quality for a period after the lead arrives, and applies credits automatically when a lead is found to be poor quality, a duplicate or invalid. If the same customer contacts you again from the same number or email within a short window, you are not charged a second time. You can also leave feedback on individual leads, which Google uses to improve the leads it sends. Reviewing this inbox each week is part of running the account well.
Screening and the Google Verified Badge
Before an ad can run, the business goes through Google's screening and verification process. Depending on the service category and location, that can include license checks, insurance checks and background checks on the business owner or field staff.
Google has replaced its older Google Guaranteed, Google Screened and License Verified labels with a single Google Verified badge. As part of that change, Google discontinued the Money Back Guarantee that came with the Google Guarantee badge. Businesses that already met the verification requirements received the new badge automatically.
Budgets and Bidding
You set an average weekly budget, and Google keeps total spend under a monthly maximum. You can let Google set bids to get the most leads for your budget, set a target cost per lead, or set a maximum per lead yourself. Responsiveness and reviews also influence where your ad appears, so answering calls and messages quickly matters.
How Google Ads Search Campaigns Work
Search campaigns let you choose keywords, write ad copy and pick the landing page each ad sends people to. You usually pay when someone clicks your ad, whether or not they contact you. That makes the quality of the landing page and the tracking behind it critical.
Search campaigns offer much more control. You can target specific services, exclude searches you do not want with negative keywords, test different messages and promote jobs that Local Services Ads may not cover in your category.
Key Differences
- Cost model: Local Services Ads charge per valid lead; search ads usually charge per click.
- Trust signal: Local Services Ads can show the Google Verified badge after screening; search ads do not.
- Destination: Local Services Ads connect people to your phone, messages or booking; search ads send people to your website.
- Control: Local Services Ads offer limited control over wording and targeting; search ads let you control keywords, copy and landing pages.
- Setup: Local Services Ads need verification before launch; search ads need keyword research, ad copy, landing pages and conversion tracking.
When Local Services Ads Make Sense
- Your service is in a category Local Services Ads supports in your area.
- You can pass license, insurance and background checks.
- Someone answers the phone and replies to messages quickly during business hours.
- You want leads without building and testing landing pages first.
Check category availability in your area before planning around Local Services Ads, because supported service types vary by location.
When Search Campaigns Make Sense
- You want to promote specific high-value services or projects.
- You have a strong landing page and conversion tracking in place.
- Your category is not available in Local Services Ads.
- You want to control exactly which searches trigger your ads.
Running Both Together
Many service businesses run Local Services Ads and search campaigns at the same time. Local Services Ads can bring steady calls for core services, while search campaigns target specific jobs and capture people who want to see your website, photos and reviews before calling. The key is measuring both the same way, by booked jobs and revenue, not just by lead count.
Make Every Lead Count
- Answer calls live whenever possible and return missed calls quickly.
- Mark lead outcomes in the Local Services Ads inbox and leave feedback on poor-quality leads.
- Use call tracking and conversion tracking for search campaigns so you know which keywords produce jobs.
- Keep your Google Business Profile, reviews and service areas accurate.
- Review results monthly and shift budget to what produces booked work.
How 1REALTOUR Helps
1REALTOUR manages Local Services Ads and Google Ads for home-improvement contractors and other local service businesses in San Diego and beyond. We handle verification setup, budgets and lead review for Local Services Ads, and keyword strategy, ad copy, landing pages and tracking for search campaigns. Learn more about Local Services Ads management, Google Ads management and call tracking.
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