Google Ads for Cambridge trades, capped at what a lead is worth to you

What we do differently: start at the ceiling

We start with what a lead is worth to you, then build the campaign to stay under it. Most failed ad accounts we audit were set up the other way round: pick a daily budget, add a few keywords, and hope.

A worked example makes the method clear:

• Your average water-heater replacement brings in $2,400.
• After equipment, labour and overhead, about 25% is profit: $600.
• You close 40% of the quotes you give.
• You're willing to spend up to a third of the profit to win a job: $200 per job won.
• At a 40% close rate, that means you can pay up to $80 per lead.

That $80 figure becomes the ceiling. Every keyword, area and ad schedule is judged against it, and anything that can't produce leads below it gets cut.

Who this is for

Paid search suits Cambridge businesses with spare crew capacity and jobs worth enough to absorb competitive click prices. It works well for urgent work, such as no-heat calls, leaks and electrical faults, and for high-value planned work like roof replacements and basement renovations.

It is a poor fit if your calendar is already full, or if your average job is small and your close rate is low. In that case local SEO and a better website usually pay back more.

What's included

Each campaign is built and managed by the same senior person who planned it.

1. Account set-up or audit, in an account you own, with conversion tracking for calls, texts and email clicks.
2. Search campaigns organised by service, so a furnace repair search and a new-furnace search see different ads and land on different pages.
3. Geographic targeting drawn around the parts of Cambridge and the neighbouring areas you actually want, with bids lowered or removed for drives you'd rather not make.
4. Negative keywords to block searches for jobs, parts, DIY help and services you don't offer.
5. Local Services Ads, where your trade is eligible, run alongside regular search ads and judged against the same ceiling.
6. Monthly review of every lead against the ceiling, with changes made and explained.

Timeline

A new campaign can produce calls within days, but it takes about a month of data to tune it properly.

• Week 1: tracking, account structure and first campaigns built.
• Weeks 2–4: campaigns live; search terms checked several times a week and waste removed.
• Months 2–3: bids, areas and ad schedules adjusted to the lead costs actually being achieved.
• After month 3: steady management, plus seasonal changes ahead of winter and spring peaks.

How results are measured

We measure cost per lead and cost per booked job against the ceiling you set. Clicks and impressions are reported, but they don't pay your crew.

Each month you see total spend, number of calls and texts, cost per lead, and, if you tell us which leads became jobs, cost per job won. If a part of the account sits above the ceiling for two months running, we change it or cut it.

Mistakes to avoid

• Targeting all of Waterloo Region by default. If you're based in Galt, a lead from north Waterloo may cost the same but be worth less once the drive is counted.
• Sending every ad to the home page. Someone searching for sump-pump replacement should land on a page about sump pumps.
• Letting Google's automatic suggestions run unchecked. Broad matching can spend your money on searches you'd never choose.
• Judging the account on one week. Results swing week to week; decide on monthly numbers.

Our lead budget guide walks through the ceiling arithmetic in more detail. Ad management is included in every plan on the pricing page; the ad spend itself is extra.