Get called
Google Ads measured by calls and booked jobs, not clicks.
Kojo Growth runs Google Search ads for local service businesses and measures them by calls and booked jobs rather than clicks. We test the tracking before any money is spent, Google bills the ad spend to your own account, and a cost-per-lead report arrives every month. We manage the campaigns; you set the budget.
- Call and form tracking, tested with a real call and a real form before launch
- A budget and test plan in writing before anything is built
- Campaigns built or cleaned up around your services and your towns
- Ads and landing pages that say the same thing, written for each job type
By the Kojo Growth teamPublished Last updated
Free audit: see what's working and what isn't.
- Your Google Maps ranking across town
- Your reviews against the top three
- Your website on a phone
- Who you're up against
- How many people search for what you do
- The three fixes that matter first
Why it matters
Most Google Ads accounts pay for clicks that were never going to call.
Google Search is where people type exactly what they need: “water heater repair near me”, “emergency electrician”, “garage door won't open”. That makes it a fast way to get calls and an easy place to waste money. The typical account pays for clicks from people hunting for jobs, DIY videos and free quotes, runs out of budget by lunchtime, and can't say which clicks became customers. What fixes that is tracking, a tight keyword list and someone checking the account every month.
- 1
Paying for the wrong searches
“Plumber” also matches “plumber salary”, “plumber jobs” and “how to fix a leaking faucet”. Without a growing list of negative keywords, the searches you tell Google to skip, a share of your budget goes to people who will never hire you.
- 2
Nobody can prove what worked
If calls from the ads aren't tracked, the only number you have is clicks. Clicks don't pay for the truck. We set up call and form tracking first, so you can see cost per lead, not cost per click.
- 3
The click lands on the wrong page
An ad for drain cleaning that lands on your home page makes people hunt for the right service, and a mismatch like that can raise what Google charges you. Every set of ads needs a page that says the same thing the ad does.
An example
What a Kojo search ad looks like
A Search ad for one service in one area: the headline repeats the search, the description answers what people check before they call, and the extra links under the ad go to the quote form and the service-area page. The call is tracked back to the keyword.
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What's included
What you get with Google Ads.
Everything below is written into the plan before any work starts, and reported on every month.
Tracking before spend
Google Ads set up to count calls and form submissions as leads, call tracking through Google forwarding numbers, and Google's free tracking tools (Analytics and Tag Manager) wired to match. We test it with a real call and a real form before a single ad runs.
A budget and test plan
A written plan for which services and towns to start with, how the budget splits between them, and what we'll test first. You see it before anything is built and you set the spend.
Campaign build or restructure
A new account built around your services and service area, or your existing account cleaned up with what already works kept. One campaign per service line, a separate set of ads for each job type, locations set to the towns you actually drive to.
Keywords and negatives, to start
A starting keyword list built from the searches that tend to call, and a negative keyword list started on day one with the obvious waste, such as job seekers, DIY and free quotes.
Ad copy and extras
Ads written for each job type in plain English, with the proof people look for: licensed, insured, same-day, upfront pricing if that's true for you. We fill in the extra links, highlights and call button so the ad takes up more of the screen.
Landing pages that match
Each set of ads lands on a page about that service, with a call button on screen and a short form. If you don't have those pages yet, they're part of the plan.
How we do it
How we do it.
Three steps to get going, then the work and a report every month.
- Step 1
Audit the account and the tracking
If you already run ads, we read the last few months of search terms, conversions and spend before changing anything. If you don't, we check what people search for your services in your towns and what the clicks are likely to cost.
- What already works is kept
- Tracking gaps listed first
- Demand checked town by town
- Step 2
Plan, build, test the tracking
A written budget and test plan, then the build: campaigns, keywords, negative keywords, ads and landing pages. Before launch we place a test call and send a test form and confirm both show up as leads in the tracking.
- You approve every ad
- Account in your name, billing to your card
- Launch only after a tracked test lead
- Step 3
Launch and keep working it
The first weeks are about search terms and bids: cutting what doesn't call, feeding what does. After that comes testing of ads, pages and budget splits, reported every month.
- Search terms and negatives kept clean
- Ads and pages tested in turn
- Cost per lead in every report
What you get each month
Search terms and negatives
A pass through the list of what people actually typed before clicking: new negatives added, new winners given their own ads, bids adjusted on the keywords that call.
Budget and pacing
Spend checked against the plan and moved toward what's working, so the budget lasts the month. You decide the total; we decide where it goes and tell you why.
Ad and page tests
One test running at a time: a new headline, a different offer, a tighter landing page. Winners stay, losers go, and the result goes in the report.
Cost per lead every month
Calls, forms, cost per lead and, where you share job data, cost per booked job, by campaign, against day one. Plus what we changed and what we'll test next.
Search demand
What competitors pay for the same customer.
The average cost of one click on a Google ad for these searches, across the US. It's what businesses already advertising pay to reach the person you want, which is why the setup and the follow-up have to be right before you spend a dollar.
What one click costs on Google Ads
Real search data- “emergency plumber near me”110,000 searches a month in the US$77about, a click
- “ac repair near me”201,000 searches a month in the US$47about, a click
- “water damage restoration near me”135,000 searches a month in the US$46about, a click
- “basement waterproofing near me”27,100 searches a month in the US$41about, a click
- “roof repair near me”90,500 searches a month in the US$39about, a click
Numbers for several trades and towns are on the industries pages.
Works with
Part of one system.
Every service runs on the same plan, by the same team, in the same monthly report.
- Get found
Google Maps & local SEO
Be easier to find on Google Maps across your area
See the service - Get called
Meta ads
Reach homeowners on Facebook and Instagram
See the service - Get found
Websites
SEO- and AI-ready sites, on their own or with marketing
See the service - Build & measure
Monthly reporting
What we did, what changed, what's next
See the service
Industries
Trades where this matters most.
Every trade gets found a little differently. These are the ones where this service tends to do the most.
- PlumbingA burst pipe at 2 a.m. goes to the plumber who looks open, close by and trusted.
- HVACNo heat in January means a quick search and a call to the first business that looks trustworthy.
- Garage doorsA stuck door is urgent. The listing that says “open now” with a call button gets the call.
- RestorationWater in the basement means a search on a phone and a call to the first company that picks up.
Three promises
No surprises, in writing.
The same three promises on every plan, for every client.
The audit is free, no strings
You get the findings and the three fixes either way. If we're not the right fit, the audit is still yours.
You own your accounts
Your domain, content, Google Business Profile, analytics and accounts are always yours and stay in your name. If we part ways, any site we built is handed over or bought out on terms set in writing.
Terms in writing first
The plan, the price and the term are written down before any work starts. Term length depends on the work, and it's always on paper.
FAQ
Straight answers, up front.
What owners ask about Google Ads before they start.
How much does it cost to hire a Google Ads agency?
There are two costs: the ad spend, which you pay to Google from your own account, and the agency's work. Agencies charge for the work either as a flat amount or as a percentage of your spend. Ours is written into the plan after the free audit and isn't tied to how much you spend, so there's never a reason for us to push your budget up.
Is ten dollars a day enough for Google Ads?
Sometimes, for one service in one town. The question is what a click costs for your searches. If clicks are a few dollars, a small daily budget can buy enough to learn from. If they cost more than that, a small budget can be used up by two clicks before lunch and tells you nothing. The audit shows what your searches are likely to cost, and the plan sets a budget that can actually be measured.
Do you pay for the ads, or do I?
You do, directly to Google, with your card on the account. We never hold or mark up ad budget. What you pay us for managing the account is separate, and it is written down before we start.
Can you take over my existing Google Ads account?
Yes. You add us as a manager and the account stays in your name. We read the history before changing anything, keep the keywords and ads that already bring calls, and fix the rest. Your domain, content, Google Business Profile, analytics and accounts are always yours and stay in your name, so if we part ways you remove our access and the account is still yours.
How long before Google Ads brings in leads?
Ads can start showing as soon as Google approves them, so the first calls can arrive in the first couple of weeks. The first month is mostly learning: finding which searches call and blocking the ones that don't. We don't promise a number of leads; we show you cost per lead every month and change what isn't working.
How do you track which calls came from the ads?
Google swaps your number for a forwarding number on the ad and on your site when someone arrives from an ad, so each call is matched back to the keyword that brought it. Forms are tracked the same way. If you want call recordings and local numbers as well, that needs a call-tracking tool in your name, which we set up but don't provide.
Do you also run Google's automated campaign types?
When they fit. Google sells automated campaign types that spread your budget across Search, Maps and other places, with less control over where the money goes. Search is where a service business starts, because it catches people who need you now. Once Search is tracked and working, we suggest other campaign types in writing if your numbers say they're worth testing.
The free audit
See where you stand. Then decide.
Tell us your business name or website and the main city you serve. We'll look at what's working and what isn't, and send you the three fixes that matter first.
- Your Google Maps ranking across town
- Your reviews against the top three
- Your website on a phone
- Who you're up against
- How many people search for what you do
- The three fixes that matter first