Advertising for Contractors: The Paid Channels Worth the Spend

What is the smartest way to handle advertising for contractors?

Advertising for contractors splits into two kinds of spend. Local Services Ads and Google Search put you in front of someone searching now. Meta ads, the sign, and the truck work the neighborhood instead. Track cost per lead on every channel.

What happened to the Google Guarantee and Google Screened badges?

A year ago, this meant two separate badges: Google Guarantee and Google Screened. Google’s Local Services Help page now says it is “simplifying our advertiser badging by launching a single badge for all advertisers,” called Google Verified. New advertisers “will need to successfully complete the Local Services screening and verification process” to earn it.

How does Google Local Services Ads billing work for a contractor?

Local Services Ads bill per lead, not per click. “You pay for valid leads,” Google’s page states. Screening comes first: Google says the process “varies by business category and location and may include background, business registration, insurance, and license checks,” and businesses “aren’t charged for the background check” itself. Set a weekly budget: “you’ll never spend more than your monthly max,” Google warns.

How does Google Search advertising work for a contractor’s website?

Google Ads search runs a “lightning-fast ad auction,” happening every time someone searches on Google. Your bid sets “the maximum amount you’re willing to pay for a click,” Google says. But how much you actually end up paying “is often less,” the same page adds. Six factors decide it: your bid, ad quality, ad assets, Ad Rank, search context, and auction competitiveness.

Turn a job-site photo into a contractor estimate, free →

How much control does a contractor have over a Google Ads budget?

More than most first-time advertisers expect. “You decide the average amount you want to spend each day,” Google says. On a strong day, Google allows “up to 2 times more” of that average. Google caps it at “your average daily budget multiplied by the average number of days in a month,” per Google.

Do Meta ads work for showing off remodel photos?

A before-and-after remodel photo is the creative Meta’s ad platform is built to show, in a Facebook or Instagram feed, to people near a job.

Are the yard sign and the company truck still advertising for contractors?

Yes, and they are your cheapest lead source, because you already paid for both. A Local Services lead and a Search click cost money every time. The sign at the curb and your truck’s lettering cost money once, then produce leads at zero marginal cost. Rank every channel by cost per lead; owned assets usually win.

How to build a paid advertising plan for a contractor

1. Turn on Local Services Ads and clear the Google Verified screening

   Complete the screening checks Google requires for your category and location, which may include background, insurance, and license checks, then pay per valid lead once approved.

2. Run Google Search ads on the terms homeowners actually search

   Bid on remodel and repair phrases and let the auction decide your actual cost per click.

3. Run Meta ads with real before-and-after job photos

   Use your own job-site photos as the creative and set a daily amount you can turn off anytime.

4. Track cost per lead by channel before you renew any of them

   Compare what each channel cost against jobs booked, then cut the ones that only produced calls.

What should a contractor track to know an ad channel is working?

Cost per lead is step one; cost per booked job pays the bills.

Measure every channel the same way: leads in, jobs booked.

SimplyWise Cost Estimator for the lead you just booked

Keep reading

• How Contractors Get More Leads.
• Social Media Marketing for Contractors.