Google Search ads

Why Google Search ads work for local businesses

Google Search ads are the most direct form of online advertising: someone types a problem, and your ad answers it. A homeowner with a flooded basement isn't browsing; they want a phone number. That is why Search is the first campaign I build for almost every service business, before Display, YouTube or anything automated.

The catch is that Search only works when the keywords, the ad and the landing page match what the person actually typed. “Bathroom renovation Mississauga” and “bathroom renovation ideas” look similar in a keyword tool, but only one of them is a customer.

Keywords: intent before volume

I sort every keyword by how close it is to a purchase:

• Ready to buy: “price”, “quote”, “near me”, “emergency”, “book”, service plus city. These get most of the budget.
• Comparing: “best”, “reviews”, “vs”. Useful, but they convert slower, so they get a lower bid.
• Learning: “how to”, “DIY”, “what is”. These go to the negative list, because they cost money and rarely call.

Match types matter too. I use phrase and exact match for the core services and broad match only once the account has enough conversion data for Google's bidding to make sense of it.

Ads that earn the click

A responsive search ad can hold up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions, and Google mixes them. I write headlines that cover the service, the area, a reason to choose you (licensed, same-day, upfront prices, a warranty you actually offer) and a call to action. Then I add assets: call buttons, location from your Google Business Profile, sitelinks to key services and callouts. Bigger ads take more space on a phone screen and usually lift the click-through rate.

Counting what matters

Google can only optimize for what it measures. I record calls from the ad itself, calls from the website, form submissions and WhatsApp or chat clicks as separate conversions, and I import offline results from your CRM when that is possible. If you're unsure your tracking is right, a GA4 and Tag Manager setup is a good first step; it costs $650 and fixes the foundation for every channel.

Example: a trades business in a mid-sized city

Picture an HVAC company in a mid-sized Prairie city. In January, “furnace repair” and “no heat” searches jump, and a campaign that was set up in summer will run out of budget by noon. In practice I build separate ad groups for repair, installation and maintenance, raise the repair budget in cold months, and pause installation ads during the busiest emergency weeks when the crew is fully booked. In spring, the budget shifts to air conditioning. The same logic applies to snow removal, roofing or landscaping.

The landing page is half the campaign

A great ad that lands on a slow homepage loses most of its value. The page a click lands on should repeat the promise from the ad, show a phone number at the top, answer the price question at least roughly, and ask for one action. For many service businesses I send each main service to its own page rather than the homepage, and the cost per lead drops simply because people find what they clicked for.

When Search isn't enough on its own

Search captures demand that already exists. If few people search for what you sell, or if you sell online with a product feed, other campaign types do better: Google Shopping for stores, YouTube or Demand Gen to create demand. For local businesses, Search pairs well with Local Services Ads and a strong Google Business Profile.

Setup costs $650 and management starts from $750 a month. You can see how this fits other channels on the advertising pricing page, or go back to the Google Ads services overview to compare all campaign types.