If you are a UK tradesperson weighing up Local Services Ads vs Google Ads, the real answer is that they are good at different things, and many busy trades use both. Local Services Ads charge you per lead and put a Google badge next to your name. Search Ads charge per click and let you choose exactly which jobs, words and areas you pay for.
This guide compares them side by side so you can decide where your next £500 should go.
The short version
| Local Services Ads | Google Search Ads | |
|---|---|---|
| You pay for | Each lead (call or message) | Each click |
| Who can use it | Listed trades that pass Google's checks | Any business |
| Setup | Profile, checks, insurance, reviews | Keywords, ads, landing page, tracking |
| Control over job type | Low: you pick service types | High: you pick keywords and negatives |
| Where you appear | Top of the page, with a badge | Ad slots under the LSA panel |
| Needs a website | No | Yes, ideally a landing page |
| Best for | Urgent, local, phone-led jobs | Specific or high-value work, wider areas |
How you pay: per lead vs per click
With Local Services Ads, you are charged when a customer calls or messages you through the listing. Published 2026 UK estimates put typical leads at around £18 to £35 for an emergency plumber, £22 to £45 for boiler work, £20 to £40 for an electrician and £25 to £50 for a bathroom fitter (Trade2Base). You can dispute leads that are wrong numbers, duplicates or outside your area.
With Search Ads, you pay when someone clicks, whether or not they then call. Trade clicks in the UK commonly run £3 to £12, with emergency searches higher. Your cost per lead depends on how well your landing page and phone handling turn clicks into enquiries.
Pay-per-lead sounds safer, and for some trades it is. But a lead is not a job. A £35 LSA lead that wants a free quote for something you do not do is still £35.
Who is eligible for Local Services Ads in the UK
LSAs are only open to certain trades. When we last checked, Google's UK list included plumbers, heating engineers, electricians, locksmiths, roofers, pest control and several home service categories. Before you go live, Google typically asks for:
- Identity and background checks
- Proof of licences or registration where relevant (Gas Safe, NICEIC or NAPIT, for example)
- Public liability insurance
- A Google Business Profile with reviews
Verification can take a few weeks. Handymen, landscapers, flooring fitters and many other trades may not have a matching category, in which case Search Ads are the main route. Check the current list in your LSA account, as categories change.
Lead quality: which brings better jobs?
LSA leads are usually urgent and local, which is great for callouts. The downside is control. You choose broad service types, not individual searches, so you will get some small jobs, some price shoppers and some work at the edge of your area.
Search Ads take more work to set up but let you be precise: bid on "consumer unit replacement" and ignore "electrician jobs", show ads only within ten miles, run them only when you can answer, and send people to a page that pre-qualifies them. For higher-value or specialist work, that control is usually worth the extra effort.
Local visibility and reviews
LSA ranking leans heavily on reviews, response speed and how close you are to the searcher. A business with plenty of recent reviews that answers quickly will be shown more. Miss calls and your listing drops.
Search Ads rank on bid and ad quality, so a newer business with few reviews can still appear at the top for the jobs it chooses. That makes Search Ads the faster route for a business still building its reviews.
When to use both
For eligible trades, running both is often the strongest setup:
- Use Local Services Ads for urgent, high-volume callout work in your core area.
- Use Search Ads for the specific, higher-value jobs you want more of, and for areas or services LSA does not cover.
- Track both in the same call log, so you can compare cost per booked job rather than cost per lead.
If you only have budget for one: choose LSA if you are eligible, phone-led and well reviewed; choose Search Ads if you want specific jobs, cover a wider area or are not eligible.
What it costs per booked job
Cost per lead and cost per click are not comparable on their own. Converting both to cost per booked job puts them on the same footing. Using published 2026 UK estimates:
| Local Services Ads | Google Search Ads | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical price | £15 to £50 per lead | £3 to £15 per click |
| Conversion step | 40 to 60% of leads book | e.g. 30% of clicks enquire, 45% of enquiries book |
| Resulting cost per booked job | £25 to £125 | e.g. £7 click → £23 per enquiry → about £51 per job |
Source: Trade2Base 2026 guides (budget benchmarks and Checkatrade vs Google Ads worked example). Illustrative.
The ranges overlap. In practice the deciding factors are how quickly you answer LSA leads, which affects both ranking and booking rate, and how well your Search landing page converts.
Ranking: what moves you up in each
| Local Services Ads | Search Ads |
|---|---|
| Review score and number of reviews | Bid |
| Responsiveness to calls and messages | Expected click-through rate |
| Proximity to the customer | Ad relevance |
| Business hours | Landing page experience |
| Complaints and disputes | Assets such as call and location extensions |
This is why a new business with few reviews often does better on Search first, and why a well-reviewed business that answers quickly can win LSA leads without the highest budget.
A 90-day test plan
- Weeks 1 to 2: complete LSA verification; tidy your Google Business Profile and ask recent customers for reviews.
- Weeks 3 to 6: run LSAs and Search side by side, each with its own phone number. Log every lead and outcome.
- Weeks 7 to 10: dispute invalid LSA leads; add negatives and refine Search.
- Weeks 11 to 13: compare cost per booked job and average job value by channel; move budget accordingly.
Further reading
For a deeper look at how LSAs work and what they cost, read Google Local Services Ads UK. If you want to know what your trade's clicks cost first, see how much it costs to advertise on Google in the UK. And if you would like someone to set up or manage either, our PPC management team works with UK trades on both.
Frequently asked questions
Are Local Services Ads cheaper than Google Ads?
Not always. LSAs charge per lead (published 2026 UK estimates run from about £18 to £50 depending on trade), while Search Ads charge per click. Compare cost per booked job across both rather than the headline price.
Which UK trades can use Local Services Ads?
Google lists specific categories such as plumbers, heating engineers, electricians, locksmiths, roofers and pest control. Many trades, including handymen and flooring fitters, may not have a category. Check the current list in your account.
Can I run Local Services Ads and Google Search Ads together?
Yes, and many trades do. LSAs suit urgent local callouts; Search Ads give control over specific high-value jobs, areas and hours.
Sources
- Trade2Base, "Google Ads budget for tradespeople" (8 June 2026)
- Trade2Base, "Checkatrade vs Google Ads for tradespeople" (May 2026)
- Google Local Services Help: Getting started with Local Services Ads
- Peak Digital, Local Services Ads 2026 UK guide
Related guides
- Google Local Services Ads UK: What They Are and Cost
- Local Services Ads for Pest Control (UK Guide)
- Google Ads vs Meta Ads for Local Service Businesses
- Is Google Ads Worth It for a Small Business?
Next step
AdsFlair runs Google Ads for UK trades and local service businesses. Ask for a free Google Ads audit and we will show you where your budget is going and what to fix first. There is no cost and no obligation. See our page on Google Ads for plumbers and gas engineers for how we work. Prefer to talk first? Book a 30-minute call.