Google Ads vs Local Services Ads for Contractors in BC: Which One Should You Run First?

Google Ads vs Local Services Ads for contractors in BC comes down to three things: whether Google offers Local Services Ads for your trade in Canada, whether you’d rather pay per lead or per click, and how much control you want over who sees your ad. Local Services Ads charge you for each lead and put your company in front of homeowners with a Google Verified badge, but only a short list of trades can run them here. Google Ads are open to every trade, charge per click, and let you choose the searches, the wording and the page people land on. For a roofer in Abbotsford the answer is often both. For a painter in Chilliwack, there’s only one choice.

TL;DR

• Local Services Ads charge per lead. Google Ads charge per click.

• In Canada, Google lists 16 home service categories for Local Services Ads. Roofers, plumbers, electricians and HVAC are on it. Painters, concrete and excavation are not.

• Local Services Ads need a verified Google Business Profile and a screening process that Google says takes 3 to 4 weeks on average.

• If your trade is eligible and someone answers your phone, start with Local Services Ads and add Google Ads for everything they miss.

What is the difference between Google Ads and Local Services Ads?

They’re both paid ads on Google, and that’s where the similarity ends.

Local Services Ads

A Local Services ad isn’t something you write. Google builds it from your business information. According to Google’s Local Services Ads overview, the ad shows your business name, a tracking phone number, your city, your star rating and review count, your hours and the Google Verified badge. When someone clicks it, they land on a profile Google generates, not on your website.

You don’t pick keywords either. Google’s help page on reaching customers with Local Services Ads explains that you choose job types from a list for your category, such as “install shower” for a plumber, and you choose the cities or postal codes you serve. Google decides which searches match.

Google Ads

A standard Google Ads search campaign is the opposite. You choose the keywords. You write the headlines. You decide which page the click goes to. You can block searches you don’t want with negative keywords, which Google describes as a way to exclude search terms from your campaigns.

Which BC trades can run Local Services Ads?

This is the question that settles it for a lot of contractors, so check it first.

Google’s getting started page for Canada says Local Services Ads are available “only for certain service categories” and lists 16 of them:

• Appliance repair

• Carpet cleaning

• Cleaning

• Electricians

• HVAC

• Junk removal

• Lawn care

• Locksmiths

• Movers

• Pest control

• Plumbers

• Roofers

• Tree services

• Water damage

• Window cleaning

• Window repair

So roofing, HVAC, plumbing and electrical companies in BC can apply. Lawn care is on the list, but landscape design and construction is not named. Painting, concrete, excavation, paving and general renovation aren’t on it at all.

If your trade isn’t listed, the comparison is over. Google Ads is your paid search option.

If your trade is listed, there’s one more check. The same page tells you to use Google’s eligibility checker to confirm the ads are available in your area. A plumber in Surrey and a plumber in Hope shouldn’t assume the answer is the same.

How you pay: per lead vs per click

Local Services Ads: you pay for valid leads

Google’s page on how leads work says you’re charged for each valid lead, and that lead prices vary with your location, the job type, the type of lead and how you bid. You set an average weekly budget. Google can spend more than that in a given week, but not more than your monthly maximum, which is your weekly budget multiplied by the average number of weeks in a month.

Read the definition of a valid lead closely. On that same page, a valid lead includes:

• A call you answer, or a call you return and connect on.

• A call you miss during your business hours where the customer stays on the line for more than 20 seconds.

• A text message, an email or a voicemail from a customer.

• A booking request.

The second one matters. If your phone rings out to voicemail while you’re on a roof in Langley, you can still pay for that lead. Google says its systems filter out spam and duplicates and credit leads its models later judge to be low quality. A real homeowner you never called back isn’t spam, so don’t plan on a credit for that one.

Google Ads: you pay for clicks

With Google Ads you pay when someone clicks, whether they call or not. You set a daily budget, and what a click costs depends on your trade, your market and your competition. We covered the billing rules and the benchmarks in how much Google Ads cost for contractors in BC.

Neither model is cheaper by default. A lead you don’t answer is money gone, and a click that lands on a weak page is too. The only fair comparison is cost per booked job, tracked the same way for both.

Control and setup: what each one asks of you

What Local Services Ads ask for

Google’s screening and verification requirements for Canada list a public, verified Google Business Profile as a must, along with identity, business registration and licence checks that vary by trade. Google says the process takes 3 to 4 weeks on average after you submit your documents. If your listing isn’t verified yet, start with our guide to Google Business Profile verification in BC.

Once you’re live, there’s very little to adjust. You can’t write the ad. You can’t send people to a landing page. What you can do is run the business well. Google’s page on how bidding works for Local Services Ads says a higher bid can move your ad up, but “quality service still matters, including responsiveness and reviews.”

So the work is answering the phone and earning reviews. If reviews are thin, read how to ask for Google reviews in BC before you spend a dollar.

What Google Ads ask for

Google Ads ask for more work up front. Someone has to pick the keywords, write the ads, choose the landing page and set up tracking so calls and forms are counted. Done badly, you pay for DIYers and job seekers. Done well, you can do things Local Services Ads can’t:

• Advertise one service, like heat pump installs or re-roofs, instead of your whole category.

• Send each service to its own page with its own photos.

• Turn budget up for the jobs that pay and down for the ones that don’t.

That targeting is where most of the work in Google Ads management for contractors goes. Keyword choice is the biggest lever, and we break it down in contractor Google Ads keywords.

Google Ads or Local Services Ads first for a Chilliwack or Abbotsford contractor?

Here’s how to decide, based on where you are today.

1. Your trade isn’t on Google’s Canadian list. Painting, concrete, excavation, paving, renovations. Run Google Ads. Put your effort into keywords and landing pages.

2. Your trade is listed and your phone gets answered. Apply for Local Services Ads now, because verification takes weeks. While you wait, build a Google Ads campaign for your best-paying service.

3. Your trade is listed but calls go to voicemail. Fix the phones first. Local Services Ads can charge you for a missed call, and Google’s Canadian page says regularly missing calls and messages can affect your ad ranking.

4. You’re already running one and want more work. Add the other. Local Services Ads cover the broad “plumber near me” searches. Google Ads cover the specific jobs you choose.

Whichever route you take, track both the same way: lead, booked estimate, signed job.

Frequently asked questions

Are Local Services Ads available in BC?

Yes, for some trades. Google’s Canadian help page lists 16 home service categories, including plumbers, electricians, roofers and HVAC. Availability can also depend on where you are, so use Google’s eligibility checker with your own postal code before you plan a budget around them.

Can a painter or concrete contractor run Local Services Ads in Canada?

Not right now. Painting, concrete, excavation and general renovation aren’t on Google’s Canadian category list. For those trades, standard Google Ads search campaigns are the way to show up at the top of the page.

Do Local Services Ads send people to my website?

No. Google’s overview says a click on a Local Services ad opens a profile Google builds from your business information, with a tracking phone number that forwards to yours. Google Ads are the format that sends people to a page on your own website.

The bottom line

Local Services Ads are simple, and they reward a company that answers the phone and has strong reviews. Google Ads take more work, and they give you control over which jobs you chase. If you’re a roofing, HVAC, plumbing or electrical company in BC, you likely want both. If you paint, pour concrete or move dirt, Google Ads is the tool you’ve got, so it has to be built properly.

Either way, the ad is one part of the system. The phone has to get answered and every lead has to be tracked to a job.

If you want that set up for your trade, from Chilliwack and the Fraser Valley out to the Lower Mainland, see how our Google Ads management for BC contractors works. Marketing that works as hard as you do.