If you run an HVAC, plumbing, electrical, or roofing business, you've probably seen two different kinds of Google ads at the top of search: the ones with a green "Google Guaranteed" checkmark and a star rating, and the plain text ads below them. The first are Local Services Ads (LSA). The second are Google Search Ads. They work very differently — and for most contractors, the difference is real money.
Across home services, Local Services Ads are usually the most cost-efficient paid channel — often around half the cost per lead of standard Google Search ads. You pay per lead (a call or message), not per click, and you only show up after Google verifies your license and insurance, which earns you the "Google Guaranteed" badge homeowners trust.
So why not put everything into LSA? Because the two channels catch demand differently, and the smart move is usually to run both.
Search Ads give you more control and reach. You bid on specific searches — "emergency AC repair," "water heater replacement," "panel upgrade" — and send people to a landing page or your phone. You pay per click, which is why cost per lead tends to be higher, and it varies a lot by trade. Roofing leads, for example, are among the priciest in home services.
The advantage: you can target exactly the high-intent, high-value searches that matter most, and capture demand that LSA doesn't cover.
For most contractors, the answer isn't either/or:
Here's the truth that no ad platform will tell you: the cheapest lead in the world is worthless if no one answers the phone. In home services, only about 55% of calls actually reach a live person, and fewer than half of those even ask for the booking. Before you spend more on ads, make sure you're catching the calls you're already paying for. That's why we track and record every call, not just the spend.
Want to know your real cost per booked job — and where calls are slipping away? We'll mystery-shop your phone and audit your Google presence, free.