Google Ads for contractors.
Google Ads sit above the rest of the results when a homeowner searches the job and the town. Here is how that search reaches your phone, the keyword work behind it, the tracking, how the ad spend is paid, and when ads make sense for a contractor.
Arseni FilonUpdated October 1, 2026
How a homeowner finds you through an ad.
A search ad shows when a homeowner types the job and the town, and it sits above the rest of the results. Three steps run from that search to the phone call, and a campaign has to get all three right.
They search the job and the town.
Roof repair Renton. Kitchen remodel Bellevue. The keywords in the campaign decide which of those searches can show your ad. A search for your trade in a town you serve should. A search for work you do not do should not.
They check the map listing.
Before they call, homeowners look at the Google Business Profile, its photos, and its reviews. That is why the build ties your profile into the campaign.
They tap to call or send a request.
The click opens a page for that service, where they call with one tap or send a quote request. An ad that lands on a home page makes the homeowner hunt for the service they searched.
Each ad sends people to a landing page for the service they searched, tuned so the click becomes a quote request. A homeowner who searched gutter replacement in Auburn lands on the gutter replacement page, where the call button and the quote form are one tap away. The request lands in your email the moment it is sent, with the job details on it.
Keywords and negative keywords.
A keyword is a phrase you tell Google to show the ad for. A search term is what the homeowner typed. The two are not the same, and the gap between them is where ad money leaks.
The build starts with keyword research from local search volume for your trade and your cities. That gives the campaign the phrases homeowners in your towns type for the jobs you want. The ad copy is written for the same trade, the same cities, and the same jobs.
The negative keyword list is the other half. A negative keyword tells Google not to show the ad when a search contains that word. A roofer does not want to pay for searches like roofing jobs, roofing supplies, or how to patch a roof. The list keeps spend on homeowner searches for your trade.
The list is never done. Every search term that spent money gets reviewed twice a week, and searches outside your trade go on the negative list.
Call and form tracking.
A click is not a lead. A call or a quote request is. The build wires in call and form tracking, and the campaign goes live once that tracking is confirmed, so every call and form request traces back to the search that produced it.
On the site, each quote request shows the service, the town, and the source, so a request from an ad reads Google Ads on the dashboard. Visits, phone taps, and review clicks sit beside it.
Tracking is what the management runs on. Bids and budget move toward the keywords that produced calls. The ads winning the click keep running, and the rest pause. Without the tracking, each of those moves would be a guess.
When ads make sense, and when to wait.
Ads and the site run on different clocks. The build puts the campaign live within a week, and the ads stop when the spend stops. A new site earns its place in the results town by town, and I do not put a date on that. The pages stay up whether or not you run ads.
When ads make sense.
Ads make sense when you need the phone ringing sooner than rankings allow. They make sense when you start working a new town and have no reviews there yet. They make sense when the site has a page for each service, because that page is where the click lands.
When to wait.
Wait if there is no page for the ads to land on. The ads send people to a landing page for the service they searched, tuned so the click becomes a quote request, and a home page with a phone number does not do that job. Wait if nobody can answer the phone, because you pay for the click whether or not anyone picks up. Wait if the profile is empty, because homeowners check the map listing before they call.
The site is what the ads build on. Get the site and the profile in place first, then add the campaign when the work calls for it. The profile and site guide covers how those two fit.
The build, the management, and the ad spend.
I run the campaign in two parts, and the ad spend stays separate from both.
| Part | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| The build | $1,500, paid before work starts | Keyword research, the negative keyword list, call and form tracking, ad copy, a landing page for every ad group, and your profile tied in |
| The management | $1,000 a month, month to month | Every search term read twice a week, negative keyword updates, bid and budget moves, and a report written by hand every week |
| The ad spend | Usually $50 to $110 a day | Paid by you to Google, on your card, in your own account |
The build puts the campaign live in your own Google Ads account within a week. It runs on your card, and you keep the account, the history, and the data. If you cancel, the campaign stays in your account. Management is month to month, and you can cancel anytime.
Every week you get a report I write by hand. I run Google Ads only on a site I built, for contractors whose average job is over $10,000, and I take up to 6 accounts at a time. If you need the site too, the Lead System is a Site with Tools and the Google Ads account built together, at $5,000 to build and $1,000 a month.
The full breakdown is on the Google Ads management page. Send your trade and your towns on the start page and a written plan comes back with the price on it.
Keep reading.
- What a contractor website costs in 2026The four ways contractors buy a website, what drives the price, and what a monthly fee adds up to over three years.Read the guide
- Put your L&I or CCB license number on your websiteWhere the number goes, how to write it, and what to say about your bond and insurance without overclaiming.Read the guide
- Google Business Profile checklist for contractorsName, categories, service areas, hours, photos, services, the review link, and what to keep updated.Read the guide
- Contractor website launch checklistThe license line, a page for every town, tap to call, the quote form, reviews, photos, the profile link, HTTPS, and what to update each month.Read the guide
- How a contractor gets more Google reviewsThe ask at the walkthrough, the text with the direct link, the QR code on the invoice, how to reply to every review, and what Google forbids.Read the guide
- How long a contractor website takesWhat sets the timeline, the steps from the first text to launch, what you send, and what slows a build down.Read the guide
- Why a contractor with a Google Business Profile still needs a websiteWhat the profile does well, what it cannot do, how the profile and the site work together, and what each one costs.Read the guide
What contractors ask about Google Ads.
I am Arseni Filon. Text me the question and I answer within the hour on weekdays.
What does Google Ads management cost for a contractor?
The account build is $1,500, paid before work starts, and management is $1,000 a month, month to month, with a report written by hand every week. The ad spend is separate. It goes from your card to Google and is usually $50 to $110 a day.
Is the ad spend part of the $1,000 a month?
No. The ad spend goes from your card to Google, in your own account, and is usually $50 to $110 a day. The $1,000 a month pays for reading every search term twice a week, the negative keyword updates, the bid and budget moves, and the report written by hand every week.
Whose account does the campaign run in?
Yours. The campaign is built in your own Google Ads account, and it stays there with the history and the data if you cancel.
Should I run ads or wait for my site to rank?
Run ads when you need calls sooner than rankings allow and the site has a page for each service to send the clicks to. Wait if there is no landing page yet or nobody can answer the phone. I run Google Ads only on a site I built, for contractors whose average job is over $10,000.
What is a negative keyword?
A word that tells Google not to show your ad when a search contains it. A roofer might add jobs, supplies, and how to, so the ad does not pay for job seekers or people fixing their own roof. I update the list twice a week from the search terms that spent money.
How many calls will the ads bring in?
I do not promise a number. It depends on your trade, your towns, and the ad spend. The report I write every week lists every lead by name and town.
Next step
Build the campaign in your own account.
$1,500 to build the account and $1,000 a month to run it, month to month. For contractors whose average job is over $10,000.
Call (206) 468-2416