What Google Ads actually are for a contractor
Google Ads let you pay to show up at the very top of the search results when someone types something like "electrician near me" or "roof leak repair [city]". You bid on those searches, and you pay each time someone clicks your ad. Done right, it puts you in front of homeowners at the exact moment they need the work done.
There is also a separate program called Local Services Ads (the "Google Guaranteed" badge at the top of many trade searches). Those charge per lead instead of per click and require a license and insurance check. Both can work. This guide focuses on regular Search Ads, which most contractors reach for first.
What do Google Ads cost contractors?
The honest answer is it depends on your trade and your market. In competitive metro areas and emergency trades, a single click can cost $20, $30, or more. In quieter areas or less competitive niches it can be a few dollars. Because it usually takes several clicks to produce one genuine phone call, most contractors end up somewhere between $30 and $150 for each real lead.
Two things decide whether that math works:
- Your average job value. If a typical job is worth $2,000, paying $100 for a lead that closes one in three times is fine. If your average job is $150, the same lead cost eats the whole margin.
- Where the click lands. A paid click that hits a slow or confusing page is money set on fire. The page has to convert.
The good news: you set a daily budget, so you can never spend more than you decide. Start small, watch what a lead actually costs you, and scale only what pays.
Google Ads vs Angi, Thumbtack and HomeAdvisor
This is the comparison most contractors care about. With lead-gen platforms like Angi, Thumbtack and HomeAdvisor, you often buy a shared lead. The same homeowner request gets sold to several contractors at once, so you are racing to reply first and frequently undercutting each other on price.
With your own Google Ads, the lead contacts you directly. It is not resold to three competitors, you own the customer relationship, and you control the budget and targeting. Many contractors find their own ads, paired with a strong Google Business Profile, work out cheaper per booked job than paying a platform for shared leads. We break the platform side down further in is Angi worth it for contractors and your own website vs Angi and Thumbtack.
You need a page that converts before you spend a dollar
This is the part contractors skip, and it is the part that decides everything. When someone clicks your ad, they land on a page. If that page loads slowly, buries your phone number, or does not make clear what you do and where you work, you have paid for the visit and lost the job.
A good landing page for a paid click is simple: it names your trade and city in the first line, shows you are licensed and insured, has a couple of real photos and reviews, and puts a tap-to-call and contact button right where the thumb lands. That is exactly what a clean one page site does. See what makes a good contractor website and what to put on a one page contractor website for the specifics.
Running ads without a page that converts is the most common way contractors conclude "Google Ads do not work". Usually the ads were fine. The page was the leak.
Do the free basics first
Before you pay for a single click, make sure the free stuff is working, because it keeps producing jobs after you stop spending:
- A complete Google Business Profile. This gets you into the local map pack for free. Full walkthrough: set up a Google Business Profile for your contracting business.
- A steady stream of reviews. Reviews help you rank and reassure the homeowner who just clicked your paid ad.
- A simple website you own. It doubles as your ad landing page and works for organic "near me" searches too. See how to rank for near me searches.
Get those three going and a lot of contractors find they do not need ads at all, or only need them to top up work in a slow season.
When Google Ads are genuinely worth it
Ads make the most sense when: your average job value is high enough to absorb $50 to $150 per lead, you already have a page that converts, and you want more work faster than free channels bring it in. They are especially useful for high-ticket trades and for filling a quiet stretch. If you are a roofer chasing storm-damage work or an electrician after panel upgrades, a well-run ad in front of the right search can pay for itself many times over.
They make the least sense when your jobs are small, your margins are thin, or you have no proper website yet. In that case, the money is better spent building the foundation first.
The short version
Google Ads are a tool for buying extra work on top of a solid foundation, not a shortcut around building one. Fix your Google Business Profile, get reviews flowing, and put up a fast website you own. Then, if the numbers work for your trade, ads can be a reliable way to buy more jobs. Skip the foundation and you will just pay to send strangers to a page that cannot close them.
Frequently asked questions
How much do Google Ads cost for contractors?
It varies a lot by trade and city, but most contractors pay somewhere between $5 and $50 per click, and it usually takes several clicks to get one real lead. That can put your cost per lead anywhere from $30 to well over $150. Emergency trades and competitive metro areas cost the most. You control the ceiling with a daily budget, so you never spend more than you set.
Are Google Ads better than Angi or Thumbtack for contractors?
They are different. With Angi and Thumbtack you often buy a shared lead that goes to several contractors at once, so you are competing on speed and price the moment it lands. With Google Ads the lead contacts you directly and is not resold, and you keep full control of your budget and targeting. Many contractors find their own ads plus a Google Business Profile work out cheaper per booked job than lead-gen platforms.
Do I need a website to run Google Ads?
Yes, in practice you do. Google Ads sends paid clicks to a landing page, and if that page is slow, confusing, or missing a clear way to contact you, you pay for the click and lose the lead. A fast one page website that says what you do, where you work, and has an obvious call or contact button turns far more of those paid clicks into booked jobs.
Should a new contractor start with Google Ads?
Usually not first. Start with the free wins: a complete Google Business Profile, steady reviews, and a simple website you own. Those keep working after you stop paying. Once those basics bring in jobs and you have a page that converts, Google Ads is a reasonable way to buy extra work on top, especially in a slow season.
Want a page that turns clicks into calls?
We build clean, fast one page websites for US contractors that make it effortless for local customers to contact you, and they double as a landing page for your ads. $329 one-time, no monthly fees. Hosting and a free subdomain included, and we connect your own domain free if you buy one.
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