Local Services Ads vs Google Ads: Which Should Contractors Run?
The difference between Google Local Services Ads and standard Google Ads for contractors — and when to run each.
Google offers two very different ad products that both put contractors in front of searchers. They work differently and serve different goals. Here's the breakdown.
| Local Services Ads | Standard Google Ads | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Pay per lead — a call or message, not just a click. | Pay per click, whether or not the click becomes a lead. |
| Placement | Top of the page with a 'Google Guaranteed' badge. | Top of the page above organic, marked as an ad. |
| Setup | Requires license and insurance verification with Google. | Faster to launch; no Google screening process. |
| Trust signal | The Google Guaranteed badge builds instant credibility. | Standard ad — credibility comes from your copy and landing page. |
| Control | Less control over targeting and messaging. | Full control over keywords, copy, targeting, and landing pages. |
The bottom line
For most home-service contractors who qualify, Local Services Ads are worth setting up — you pay per lead and get the trust badge. But they're limited in control and not available for every trade. Standard Google Ads give you full control and reach searches LSAs don't cover. The strongest approach for many contractors is running both: LSAs for badged, pay-per-lead visibility and standard Ads for everything else.
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