Google Ads for Local Service Businesses: Tracking Calls and Bookings

Start with the actions that bring work in

For a local service, the valuable actions are usually a phone call, a form enquiry, and a booking. Write them down before you set up anything. Each one should become a conversion in Google Ads, with a clear name, such as "Call from ad" or "Booking confirmed".

Track calls from the ad and from the website

1. Turn on call reporting in Google Ads, so calls made from the ad are recorded.
2. Track calls on your website too, by using a call button that sends an event when tapped.
3. Set a minimum call length if your calls include many short wrong-number calls.

Count bookings once

When a customer books, the confirmation page may reload or be seen twice. Send the booking event once for each booking ID, so the same job is not counted twice. Check the count in Google Ads after a test booking.

Match ads to your service area

Local ads should show only where you can take work. Set your service area in Google Ads, then check the locations report. Spend in areas where no job can be booked is wasted, even when the clicks look good.

Judge the campaign by jobs, not clicks

Once the calls and bookings are tracked, compare the cost of each booked job with the value of that job. A campaign with a higher cost per click can still be profitable if its jobs are worth more.