With the amount of options when it comes to advertising online, spend can easily spiral. But if you’re looking for a surefire way to stay within budget and attract local customers without advertising to people who won’t be interested in your business, Local Services Ads is the platform for you. With Local Services Ads, you choose how much you spend.

With Local Services Ads, businesses only pay for leads, as opposed to per click. A lead is when a customer gets in touch directly from your ad, making your budget stretch further and the money you spend more likely to have a tangible business benefit. Whether you’re a two-brush painter and decorator or a large lawn care company with big plans, the size of your operation isn’t a factor: easily amenable budgeting and insights into how your ads are performing mean that any business can run efficient and effective online advertising.

Google’s automated ad system makes sure your adverts are reaching people on a local level, allowing you to define the geographical area where your ads will appear. Once you’ve signed up, you’ll benefit from a host of tools in your personalised account. On your profile, potential customers will be able to contact you directly — and you’ll be able to track ad performance and control of bookings within the account. Your account makes it easy to amend budgets, so you can flex your ad spend up and down in line with your business needs.

What should I base my budget on?

With Local Services Ads, budgeting isn’t a guessing game — just set your average weekly budget based on the average number of leads you want to receive. You may sometimes spend more on leads than your average weekly budget in a given week, but you’ll never spend more than your monthly max. That’s your average weekly budget multiplied by the average number of weeks in a month.

How much does a lead cost?

All you need to do is decide the upper threshold of your budget. Using your account (or the app), you simply set what you’re willing to pay for a lead, then monitor your results as they come in.

How can I measure results?

Your personalised account, available online or in the app, allows you to track the progress of your ads in real time. But this isn’t just an impressions game — where Local Services Ads stands out is in charging businesses only for leads. That’s customers calling you directly from your ad.

How am I charged?

You’re charged for each lead you receive through your Local Services Ads. While you’ve already set your maximum budget, the actual price of a lead might vary depending on your location, the type of job and the type of lead – but you can guarantee that each lead received will count towards your budget and won’t go over it. You can view how much you’ve been charged for your leads by going to the Billing menu in your leads inbox.

Can I pause my ads or change my budget?

Once you’ve hit your monthly maximum budget, you won’t pay any more. Instead, your ad will no longer appear for the remainder of the month, unless you adjust your budget. You can easily do this, pause your ads, or make other changes to your ad strategy by heading to the relevant section in your account or on the app.