Opening-season ads are a bridge. A new business has no reviews, no search history and no ranking, so for the first months people searching for what you sell will mostly see someone else. Search ads put you in front of them while your profile and website earn their place. We run them with a hard ceiling and a plan to shrink them.
What it is
It's a small Google Ads account, set up in your name, that shows text ads to people searching for your service near your location. The work has three parts:
- Fencing. Ads only show for the streets and neighbourhoods you can serve. For a storefront near Lougheed, that may be a radius a short walk or drive around the station. For a trade, it's the service area you actually cover across Coquitlam and Burnaby.
- The ceiling. Before any money is spent, we agree on the most you will pay for one enquiry. This number comes from your job or sale value, your margin and your closing rate.
- The exit. The account is reviewed monthly against that ceiling and against the enquiries coming in without ads. Spend drops as the free channels mature.
Who it's for
These ads suit businesses where a single customer is worth enough to pay for, and where people search before buying: plumbers, electricians, cleaners, movers, renovation trades, physiotherapy and wellness clinics, tutoring centres, repair shops. They are a weaker fit for low-ticket walk-in businesses, such as a café, where the margin on one visit can't carry a click. Those businesses usually do better with a strong profile and local word of mouth.
Setting the ceiling: a worked example
Take a cleaning company opening a base near Burquitlam station.
- Average first job: $280. Margin after labour and supplies: 35%, so about $98.
- One in three enquiries books. Each enquiry is worth about $33 on the first job.
- A third of new customers rebook within a year, which lifts the value of each enquiry. Even so, we would set the starting ceiling near $30 per enquiry and test.
If early clicks cost $5 and one click in eight becomes an enquiry, that's $40 per enquiry, above the ceiling. The fixes, in order, are better landing pages, tighter keywords and a smaller area, before anyone talks about raising the budget.
What's included
- Account setup in your name, with billing on your card.
- Keyword lists built from how local people actually describe the service.
- Location fencing and schedule settings that match your hours.
- Ads that state your opening date or "now open" accurately.
- Conversion tracking for calls, texts and emails from the site.
- A monthly review with cost per enquiry, enquiries by source, and a recommendation: keep, trim or stop.
Timeline
Setup takes about a week once the site and tracking are live. We usually start ads in the final two to three weeks before opening if there is something useful to book in advance, and otherwise on opening day. The first month is a test. By month three there is normally enough data to decide whether ads deserve a lasting place.
How results are measured
One number matters most: cost per enquiry against the agreed ceiling. We also watch the share of enquiries that come from ads compared with the profile and organic search. A healthy launch shows that share falling over time. If ads still supply most enquiries at month six, it usually means the profile or site needs work, not more ad money.
Mistakes to avoid
- Starting ads before tracking works. You can't judge what you can't count.
- Drawing a huge radius. A new storefront near Lougheed rarely wins customers from Langley; fence tightly.
- Bidding on competitors' names. It is expensive and often annoys the people you'll later want referrals from.
- Leaving broad match running unchecked. Review search terms weekly in the first month.
- Keeping ads running out of habit. If the free channels deliver, reduce spend.
Next steps
Ads are managed within the Trades.Agency plans on our pricing page. The full budgeting method is in our guide to launch budget arithmetic. To talk through your numbers, contact us by call, text or email.
We manage marketing only. Ads are the whole job here; we are not a contractor and do no installs, repairs or servicing.
Frequently asked questions
Is the ad budget included in the plan price?
No. Ad spend is paid to Google separately, on your own account and card. The plan covers our planning, setup and management. Any other terms are confirmed in writing in your proposal.
How much should I spend on ads at launch?
Work from the numbers, not a round figure. We calculate the most you can pay per enquiry and still profit, then set a monthly ceiling a little below what that allows. For some businesses that ceiling is too small to bother, and we say so.
Should I run social media ads instead?
For some storefronts, such as food or fitness, social ads can help with awareness around opening. For most trades and service businesses, search ads come first because they reach people who are already looking.
When do the ads stop?
When the cost per enquiry rises above the ceiling, or when organic search and the profile are bringing enough enquiries on their own. We review this monthly and recommend cutting back as early as the numbers allow.