Play 11 of 14: More Jobs Without Paying for Ads

11 When you want to pay for customers

One day the free machine fills up and you may want to buy growth. Two honest paragraphs so nobody robs you.

What you do

If you ever want to pay for customers, pay per real call (the Google ads that charge per call). Never buy leads that get sold to several people at once.

What it brings

Across 888 contractors, 44% of Google per call leads booked: that works out to about $233 per paying customer. The sites that sell leads resell them to several contractors; HomeAdvisor was fined up to 7.2 million for false promises.Source: SearchLight 2026; FTC 2023

Time it takes

None for now.

Today

Nothing. Save this page for the day you have work to spare and you want to grow.

The good option: the Google ads that charge per lead (Local Services Ads). You pay for a real call from a real homeowner, not for a click: about $39 per lead in electrical, $51 in HVAC, $57 in plumbing. In a study of 888 contractors, 44% of those leads book: that comes out to about $233 per paying customer, with an average ticket of $1,826. Note: Google requires a state license, $1 million in insurance and a background check, and it is moving this product into its big console right now. Before you get into it, ask us: setting the profile up right is what decides which leads you get charged for.

A new change, since October 1, 2026: Google announced that a missed call over 20 seconds, inside the hours you declared, can be billed to you as a lead in Local Services Ads. In other words: Google charges you for not answering. Your automatic missed call text answers in seconds, so this change hits you far less than it hits your competition.

The bad option: buying leads from marketplaces (Thumbtack, Angi, HomeAdvisor). The same lead gets sold to several people at once: you are paying to enter a race. Contractors this month: "they charge really high prices for less than mediocre leads". On refunds: "You have better odds getting your money back from an addict in Reno". A short bridge in a dead month, sure. The base of your business, never.