Google Ads
Montreal
Google Ads in Montreal reward businesses that target tightly and measure honestly. I work in English: I build English-language campaigns for the customers who search in English, track real calls and forms, and manage the account myself. French campaigns are not part of my work.
Free: a 30-minute call, an action plan and a price range in writing.
Five decisions that
shape your results
None of these is exotic. Together they decide whether your budget buys enquiries or just clicks.
English keyword list
Built from scratch for the English searches in your area. The search terms report shows the real phrases within weeks.
French stays separate
I do not write or run French campaigns. If you have them, your own team or a French-language provider runs them in separate campaigns, so the numbers never mix.
Areas, not the whole island
Locations set to the boroughs and suburbs you serve. Crossing a bridge at rush hour is a real cost for a customer.
Matching landing pages
An ad leads to a page about that exact service in the same language. Sending it to a homepage wastes the click.
Consent-aware tracking
Conversions measured with Consent Mode, in line with Law 25, so bidding keeps learning without ignoring privacy.
You pay only
for the right keywords
Every week I review what people actually searched for and exclude terms that don’t bring customers.
- Search terms report
- Negative keywords
- Budget on high-intent phrases
Google Ads prices
for Montreal
The ad budget is paid directly to Google from your card. I recommend starting with about $1,000 a month for a local service business.
Account structure, English-language campaigns, conversion tracking.
- Keyword research in English
- Location settings by area
- Call and form conversions
Weekly checks, new ads and negatives, report every two weeks.
- No minimum term
- Monthly summary call
- One month's notice to cancel
From brief to
first leads
Google Ads in Montreal: my part is English
Most Google Ads in Montreal that underperform have the same root cause: an account with mixed languages and no clear structure. Quebec customers search in their own words, and Google matches those words to ads in the same language. So I want to be clear up front: I work in English. I build and run English-language campaigns for the customers who search in English. I do not write, translate or run French campaigns; that side comes from your own team or a French-language provider.
For the English side, I start with a keyword list built from scratch, based on how people describe your service, the questions they ask on the phone and what Google's own data suggests. Then I let the search terms report correct me. Within the first weeks it reveals phrases nobody would have guessed, and those often become your cheapest leads.
Language rules for ads aimed at Quebec
The Charter of the French Language, reinforced by Bill 96, covers commercial advertising in Quebec. For a Google Ads account that means French ads should exist for your Quebec audience and should not be weaker than any English ones. I am not a lawyer and will not pretend to be one, but for a typical local business the sensible setup is clear: French campaigns from your own team or provider, English campaigns where you also serve English-speaking customers, each pointing to a page in its own language. My part is the English campaigns.
Geography on and around the island
Montreal looks compact on a map and feels huge in traffic. A renovation company in Rosemont may not want jobs in Pointe-Claire; a clinic in Saint-Laurent rarely gets patients from Longueuil. I set locations to the boroughs and suburbs you actually serve, and use the setting that targets people physically there rather than anyone interested in Montreal. For businesses that also cover Laval or the South Shore, those areas get their own campaigns so you can compare costs.
Seasonality matters too. July 1 is moving day for much of Quebec, so movers, cleaners, painters and storage companies see demand bunch up around it. Winter shifts demand toward heating, indoor activities and snow removal. I plan budgets around those peaks rather than spending evenly.
Tracking under Law 25
Conversion tracking depends on tags and cookies, and Law 25 expects consent for tracking that identifies or profiles visitors. I set up a consent banner and Consent Mode v2, then track calls, form submissions and messages as conversions. Some data becomes modelled rather than observed, which is normal. The important thing is that bidding still learns from real enquiries. My article on Law 25 and websites explains the background.
Landing pages and next steps
An ad is only as good as the page it opens. If your site has no English page for a service, I will suggest building one before spending on clicks, either a single landing page or a fuller site through web design in Montreal. French pages come from your own team. I work remotely, with no office in Montreal; you talk to me directly on Zoom, WhatsApp or email, and the account and budget stay in your name.
Google Ads Montreal:
the usual questions
Do my Google ads have to be in French in Quebec?
Commercial advertising aimed at Quebec is expected to be in French under the Charter of the French Language. You may also run English ads, but French should be there and should not be the weaker version. I work in English and do not write, translate or run French ads, so the French campaigns come from your own team or a French-language provider. If French search is your main channel, a local agency may suit you better, and I will say so on the call.
Do you run the French campaigns too?
No. I run English-language campaigns only. If you also run French ones through your own team or another provider, keep them separate from mine, with costs and leads measured for each. Mixing languages in one campaign hides the answer.
What budget do I need in Montreal?
For a local service business I recommend about $1,000 a month to Google, plus my fee from $750/month. Competitive categories such as law, renovation or cosmetic clinics may need more. After the first month we will have real numbers on cost per lead and can decide together.
How does Law 25 affect my ads?
Remarketing lists and conversion tracking rely on cookies, and Law 25 expects consent for tracking that profiles visitors. I set up a consent banner and Consent Mode so tags respect choices. You may see fewer observed conversions, with modelled ones filling the gap.
Can you take over my existing account?
Yes. I usually start with a Google Ads audit, then clean up keywords and locations. If an agency created the account under its own name, we move you to an account you own.
Montreal, ads
and other cities
Get a Montreal
campaign plan
Tell me your services, the areas you cover and what a customer is worth. I reply within one business day with a structure, a budget range and the first keyword ideas. Or book a free 30-minute consultation.