Google Local Service Ads (LSA) for plumbers connect plumbing companies with nearby consumers through paid advertisements on Google search results.
These LSA ads appear above traditional Google Ads and the Google Map 3-Pack for local queries.
Unlike standard Google Ads, Google Local Service Ads utilize a pay-per-lead model rather than pay-per-click.
Research shows that Google LSA ads deliver a 3x higher return on ad spend (ROAS) than Google Search ads.
As the founder and CEO of Plumbing Webmasters, I’ve worked with thousands of plumbing companies on LSA management.
I’ve found that LSA is the most profitable paid advertising investment for local plumbing companies.
What Are Plumbing Contractor Local Services Ads?
Local service ads are digital, paid ads that appear when someone does a local search for a particular type of service.
A perfect example of a search that would qualify for a local service ad would be something like Plumber in St. Petersburg, FL.
If you are a plumber in St. Petersburg with a live local service ad, your ad would appear to the searcher.
However, local service ads differ from standard PPC ads. Instead of paying every time someone clicks on your ad, you pay when the searcher calls your company.
This way, you can eliminate the need to pay for people who errantly click on your ad or don’t move further along the sales funnel. With local service ads, you only pay for warm leads.
Setting Up Local Service Ads for Plumbers
Setting up your Local Service Ads is a relatively straightforward process, especially if you already have a Google Ads account and a verified Google Business Profile.
If you do not currently have a Google Business Profile, read my article about GBP for plumbers.
Below, I’ll outline the steps to setting up your Local Service Ads account in 2025:
Step 1: Create a Google Ads Account
Plumbers who do not already have an existing Google Ads account must create one to run LSA campaigns. In addition, only plumbers with a verified Google Business Profile can run Local Service Ads.
Step 2: Complete LSA-Specific Verificaton
Plumbing contractors must submit their business license and insurance documents and pass a background check to qualify for Local Service Ads.
Make sure references to your business in your LSA submissions exactly match the corresponding information on your Google Business Profile; otherwise, you may not be approved.
Note: The verification approval process can take up to 4 weeks after submission.
Step 3: Set Up Your LSA Campaign
- Under campaign type, select “Local Service Ads.
- Enter your service area (be as precise as possible)
- Set your campaign budget.
- Choose plumbing services and subservices from the expanded list.
Step 4: Launch Your LSA Campaign
- Double-check the accuracy of your ads.
- Preview your ad.
- Activate your campaign.
Remember that as of November 21, 2024, Google will only allow plumbers with verified Google Business Profiles to launch their LSA campaign.
Becoming Google Guaranteed
Once you pass through the LSA-specific verification process, including a background check, you will earn a Google Guaranteed badge on your LSA profile.
Google’s faith in your business is reflected in its reimbursement policy, which can amount to $2,000 for dissatisfied customers.
Earning a Google Guaranteed badge can also help build credibility beyond the LSA landscape and influence traditional organic Google MAps clicks.
Google LSA Tips for Plumbing Companies in 2025
Below, I will outline nine tips and techniques to help your plumbing company succeed with Google LSA:
1) Optimizе Your Google Business Profile
As of November 21, 2024, Google requires a verified Google Business Profile for any plumbing business running Local Service Ads.
Considering this, optimizing your company’s Google Business Profile is essential to maximizing LSA performance.
Add your services and service areas, update your business hours, and upload unique and high-quality photos of your staff and company.
A properly optimized Google Business Profile helps plumbers earn the Google Guaranteed badge, which increases LSA interaction.
Furthermore, customer reviews for LSAs are now managed through the Google Business Profile interface.
2) Request Google Reveiws
Every plumber running LSA should have at least 5 Google reviews, as ads may not show with less than that.
Customer reviews submitted on your Google Business Profile can be linked and displayed on your LSA account.
Automating Google review requests is a good practice for all your local marketing endeavors, as it helps build trust with local homeowners.
You can use a review request tool like DataPins to streamline this process and integrate it with your business website.
3) Optimize Your Budget
Plumbing companies can automatically optimize their budget by selecting “Maximize Leads” instead of “Max Per Lead.”
This selection allows Google’s algorithm to determine the optimal bid for the most plumbing leads.
If you decide to choose “Max Per Lead,” you will be prompted to manually set your own bid limit, which creates inefficiency in your budget.
The third option is “Target Cost Per Lead,” which allows plumbers to set “around the average” they want to spend for a lead.
4) Enable All Contact Features
Enable all contact features such as call buttons, message options, and direct booking to maximize performance.
Homeowners’ contact preferences vary by person, not by region or city so that you will have diverse preferences among your target customers.
As a result, restricting one of the contact methods risks losing some of your customers and lowering your response rate.
Consider using a tool like Calandy for your booking link, which you can integrate with your plumbing CRM software.
5) Quickly Respond to Leads
“Speed to lead” is a buzzphrase created by some arrogant people in the digital marketing industry; however, speed is objectively critical to lead conversion for plumbers.
This extends to local service ads (LSA), which perform 21x better when the plumber responds within five minutes of the inquiry.
You can use call tracking software and enable push notifications to alert your team of an incoming plumbing lead.
Response times also strengthen your ad ranking within the LSA platform, leading to more submissions.
6) Insert Local Keywords in Ad Copy
Local indicators help improve your ad’s performance, so include them in your ad copy.
Consider using a phrase like “emergency plumber in Tampa, FL” directly within your ad to attract more local homeowners.
Google acknowledges the relevance of your ads on the local level so that these terms will contribute to better viability.
Furthermore, it ensures your ad appears only in relevant searches and does not reach consumers it can’t service.
7) Optimize Response Rates
You might not think of “too many plumbing leads” as bad, but it can be with LSA if it impacts your response rates.
Failure to respond to leads because of overwhelming your resources can negatively impact your ad ranking.
As a result, it’s better to pause your Local Service Ads once you can no longer handle new prospects.
This measure will preserve your ad rating and allow you to pick up where you left off after expanding resources or finishing all your plumbing jobs.
8) Consistently Update Lead Status
Part of Google’s considerations in ranking your ads is how efficiently you manage leads.
For example, marking your plumbing leads as declined, booked, and completed signals to Google that you are engaged with the LSA platform.
If you consistently mark your leads, Google will boost your ad rating, and you will reach more consumers.
Conversely, your ad may be shown less often if you neglect your lead management.
9) Expand Your Job Types
To maximize ad performance, you must go beyond plumbing and plumbing services to subindustries like water heater repair and drain cleaning.
The more jobs you list on your LSA profile, the more prospects you’ll attract in your service area.
Restricting yourself to only broad service terms inspires your would-be customers to choose competitors with more specific and relevant ads.
As you add more jobs to your LSA profile, update your GBP to align with those changes.
Bonus Tip: Control Your LSA Assets
If you are working with an advertising agency or an in-house marketer, make sure you control your Local Service Ads account.
Getting locked out of your account can restrict your access to leads and result in overspending on ads.
Never give your account information to someone you don’t trust 100% with your business assets.
Final Thoughts on Local Services Ads for Plumbers
I’ve been assisting plumbers with paid advertising for more than 14 years, so I’ve seen firsthand the positive impact of Local Service Ads for plumbers.
Unlike Google Search Ads, which rely on a pay-per-click model and can quickly drain your budget, the LSA pay-per-lead model works efficiently and produces quality local leads.
In addition, LSA integrates with Google Business Profile, an essential component of your broader digital marketing strategy.
Your existing local SEO campaign encourages Google Reviews and GMB optimization, which helps the performance of your LSA campaigns and vice versa.
Consider launching your plumbing Local Service Ads campaign to start generating local leads.
