Paid search is the quickest way to get a Richmond trade's phone ringing, and the quickest way to waste money if nobody sets limits. We start with your numbers: average ticket, margin, and how many calls turn into booked jobs. From those we set a ceiling on cost per booked job, and every campaign decision is measured against it.
We plan and manage the ads. We are not a contractor and we never take the jobs ourselves or pass them to anyone else.
Who it's for
Paid search works best for jobs where the customer calls the first credible business they find:
- burst pipes, leaks and no-hot-water calls
- power outages, panel trips and EV charger installs for new owners
- roof leaks and gutter overflows during heavy rain
- blocked drains and sump problems in low-lying areas
- high-value planned work like repiping, panel upgrades, re-roofing and full bathroom renovations
It suits crews that can answer the phone during ad hours, or that have a reliable text-back process. Paying for a click and then sending the caller to voicemail is the single most expensive habit we see. Our sister site calltext.chat covers missed-call text-back in depth if that's your gap.
The cost ceiling, worked through
Here's the method with numbers you can swap for your own.
| Input | Example (Richmond electrician) |
|---|---|
| Average ticket | $900 |
| Gross margin | 50% |
| Share you'll spend to win the job | 25% |
| Ceiling per booked job | $112 |
| Calls that become booked jobs | 40% |
| Ceiling per call | $45 |
| Clicks that become calls | 12% |
| Ceiling per click | about $5.40 |
If clicks in your category cost more than $5.40 on average, one of three things has to change: the conversion rate of your landing page, the close rate on the phone, or the type of job you advertise. We test them in that order. The cost per booked job guide explains each input in more detail.
What's included
- Account audit or setup in your name, with conversion tracking for calls, texts and email clicks.
- Keyword plan built around job types, not trade names. "Toilet replacement Richmond" is a better bet than "plumber".
- Negative keywords to filter out job seekers, DIY questions, parts shoppers and areas you don't serve.
- Schedule and geography: ads limited to the hours you answer and the parts of Richmond and nearby cities you'll drive to.
- Landing pages for each campaign, with one clear call-to-action and real proof.
- Weekly checks on search terms and budget pacing, plus a monthly report against the ceiling.
- Local Services Ads set-up support where your category is offered, through Google's Local Services Ads program.
Timeline
Week one is tracking and set-up. Calls usually start in week two. By the end of the second month there's enough data to know which jobs and areas pay and which don't. From month three the work is mostly refinement: shifting budget toward the jobs that book, and cutting the ones that only generate tyre-kickers.
How results are measured
We report on booked jobs and cost per booked job, matched to your invoice list or job board. Clicks, impressions and click-through rates are in the report for context, but they aren't the goal. If cost per booked job stays above the ceiling for two months after testing, we recommend pausing that campaign.
Mistakes to avoid
- Letting Google pick your search terms. Broad matching without negatives will happily show your roofing ad to people looking for roofing jobs.
- Advertising across Metro Vancouver from a Richmond base. The cheapest clicks are often the farthest away, and a 90-minute round trip for a $200 call loses money.
- One ad group for everything. Emergency, planned and strata work need different ads and pages.
- Judging by cost per lead. A cheap lead that never books is not cheap.
- Ignoring language. Some Richmond searches happen in Chinese; our Cantonese and Mandarin service handles that side.
Paid search pairs naturally with local search, which lowers your long-run cost per job. Plan fees are on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I spend on clicks?
Enough to get meaningful data in a month, which for most Richmond trades means a few hundred dollars at minimum and often more. The click budget is separate from the plan fee and is paid directly to Google from your own account.
Whose name is on the Google Ads account?
Yours. We set it up or work inside your existing account with manager access. If you leave, the account, history and billing stay with you.
Should I run Local Services Ads too?
If your trade category is offered in your area and you can pass Google's screening, they're worth testing alongside search ads. We compare both on cost per booked job, not on cost per lead.
Why do my current ads get calls that don't book?
Usually broad search terms, ads running when nobody answers, or a landing page that attracts price shoppers. Those are the first three things we check.
Sources
- Google: Local Services Ads (2026-10-23)