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Playbook · Marketing

Google Local Services Ads for service businesses

LSAs sit above the map pack and Search results. Pay-per-lead, not per-click. When they work, they're the cheapest customer acquisition in the game. When they don't, it's almost always the same three mistakes.

By Richmond Agyekum

What LSA actually pays for

Only qualified leads: a call that lasts 30+ seconds and matches your service + area, or a message from a prospect. Google credits back most junk — but only if you dispute inside 30 days.

Cost per lead by trade (2026 medians)

  • Plumbing: $28–$65
  • HVAC: $35–$85
  • Electrician: $22–$55
  • Roofing: $70–$180
  • Water damage / restoration: $95–$220
  • Locksmith: $18–$40
  • House cleaning: $12–$28
  • Handyman: $10–$25

Google Guaranteed vs Screened

Home-service trades get the Google Guaranteed badge (background + insurance check, up-to-$2,000 refund promise). Professional services (lawyers, financial planners) get Google Screened. Same ad slot, different label — same ranking rules.

The ranking factors that actually move you

  1. Responsiveness. Google lists responsiveness as one factor that can affect Local Services Ads ranking. Track missed and answered LSA calls in your account; Google does not publish a universal cutoff.
  2. Review count and freshness. More is better, but recent (last 90 days) is weighted heaviest.
  3. Response time to message leads. Under 15 minutes keeps you in rotation.
  4. Dispute rate. Google watches — dispute the junk, but not everything.

The answer-rate trap

Solo operators lose LSA visibility fast because every job on a roof is a missed call. Fix the phone before you pay for more leads — even a missed LSA call needs an instant text back with your booking link so the caller doesn't bounce to the next ad.

Keep the badge lit

Text back every missed LSA call in seconds. Try Risacare free.

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