Tell me how many jobs you want next month, and this calculator reverse-engineers the exact weekly Local Services Ads budget to type into Google — instead of just quoting you a cost per lead.
Local Services Ads budget calculator
Start with your goal, not Google’s suggested spend. All defaults are editable estimates.
Picking an industry pre-fills the estimates below. Edit any of them.
Est. by industry — how many booked leads become paying jobs.
Wrong numbers, spam, out-of-area calls. You can dispute these for credit, but budget for them.
Set this weekly budget in Google LSA
$0
Google’s LSA interface asks for a weekly budget — this is the number you type in.
LSA vs regular Google Ads — cost per lead (est.)
Benchmark cost per lead by industry (all est.)
| Industry | LSA CPL (est.) | Google Ads CPL (est.) | Typical close rate (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC | $85 | $110 | 50% |
| Plumbing | $65 | $90 | 50% |
| Electrician | $55 | $75 | 50% |
| Roofing | $120 | $250 | 40% |
| Garage door | $45 | $60 | 55% |
| Locksmith | $30 | $40 | 60% |
| House cleaning | $25 | $35 | 55% |
| Pest control | $40 | $55 | 55% |
| Lawyer (by practice area) | $150–$350 | $220–$500 | 25–40% |
| Dentist | $60 | $90 | 45% |
| Med spa / salon / beauty | $50 | $80 | 40% |
| Chiropractor | $45 | $65 | 45% |
Industry estimates compiled from published LSA pricing ranges; your market, season, and review profile will move these numbers. Treat every figure as a starting point, not a quote.
Three things to know before you set that budget
- Verification takes time. Google Screened (professional services) and Google Guaranteed (home services) require background checks, license checks, and insurance verification — typically est. 1–5 weeks before your ads go live. Start the paperwork before you need the leads.
- Dispute your bad leads. Google credits leads that are spam, wrong-service, or outside your area — but only if you dispute them in the Leads tab, usually within 30 days. Most businesses I audit have never filed a single dispute and quietly eat est. 10%+ of their spend.
- Reviews decide your rank. LSA ranking weighs review count and rating heavily — often more than budget. If a competitor has 200 reviews and you have 20, they’ll take the top slot even if you outspend them. Check where you stand with my review gap calculator.
How this Local Services Ads budget calculator works
Most LSA cost calculators answer the wrong question. They tell you what a lead costs — which you can look up — and leave you to guess the number Google actually asks for: your weekly budget. I built this tool to work backwards from the only number that matters, which is how many paying jobs you want next month.
The math runs in four steps. First, it takes your job goal and divides by your close rate to find how many billable leads you need — if you close half your leads and want 10 jobs, you need 20 leads. Second, it pads that for invalid and disputed leads (est. 10% is my default — wrong numbers, spam, out-of-area callers). Third, it multiplies the raw lead count by your industry’s estimated cost per lead. Fourth, it divides the monthly total by 4.33 to give you the weekly figure Google’s interface wants. Alongside the budget you get projected revenue, revenue per dollar spent, and your true cost per acquired job — the numbers I’d want before approving any ad spend.
One thing I did differently: I included verticals most LSA calculators skip. Med spas, salons, dentists, and chiropractors are all eligible for Local Services Ads in most US markets now, and the economics are often better than home services because customer lifetime value is higher. If you run a med spa, the budget math here pairs well with my med spa marketing guide — and once the leads start calling, my missed call calculator will show you what every unanswered ring costs, since LSA charges you for the call whether or not you pick up. Appointment-based businesses should also run the no-show cost calculator, because a lead you paid $50 for and then lost to a no-show is paid for twice.
Every default in this tool is an estimate and clearly labeled as one. Your market, season, and review profile will move the real numbers — use this to set a starting budget, then adjust from your own LSA reporting after 30 days.
Frequently asked questions
How much do Google Local Services Ads cost per lead?
It varies by industry and metro. Estimated ranges: $25–$45 for cleaning, garage door, locksmith, pest control, and chiropractic; $55–$85 for electricians, plumbing, dentists, and HVAC; $120+ for roofing; and $150–$350 for lawyers depending on practice area (personal injury sits at the top). Dense metros run higher than the estimates in this tool; smaller markets often run lower.
Why does the calculator give me a weekly budget instead of monthly?
Because that’s what Google asks for. The LSA dashboard sets budgets weekly, and Google can spend up to your weekly maximum in busy weeks. I convert your monthly target using 4.33 weeks per month so the number you see here is the number you type into the interface.
Do I get money back for fake or spam leads?
Often, yes. Google credits leads that are spam, solicitations, wrong service types, or outside your service area — but you must dispute them from the Leads tab, generally within 30 days. In my experience most business owners never dispute anything, which is why I build an estimated 10% invalid-lead buffer into the budget. Dispute consistently and you can lower that input.
How long does Google Screened or Google Guaranteed verification take?
Plan for an estimated one to five weeks. Home services go through Google Guaranteed (background checks, license, and insurance verification); professional services like lawyers go through Google Screened (license checks plus background checks on the owner). Your ads cannot run until verification clears, so start it well before you need the lead flow.
Will a bigger budget put me at the top of Local Services Ads?
Not by itself. LSA ranking leans heavily on review count, review rating, responsiveness, and proximity — budget mainly determines how often you’re eligible to show, not whether you beat a better-reviewed competitor. If your review count trails your market, fixing that usually moves your ranking more than raising spend. Structuring your business profile so AI assistants recommend you helps too — that’s the focus of my answer engine optimization service.
Want me to run these numbers with you? Book a free strategy call or call/text me at +91 97297 12388.
