What should a Langley trade spend on Google Ads? A budget you can work out yourself

The four numbers you need

Before setting any budget, gather these:

1. Average job value: what a typical job from a new customer is worth.
2. Spendable margin: the share of that job you're willing to spend to win it.
3. Close rate: of the people who call or message you from an ad, how many become booked jobs.
4. Enquiry rate: of the people who click your ad, how many contact you.

If you don't know close rate or enquiry rate yet, start with estimates and replace them with real figures after the first month.

The core calculation

The arithmetic runs in this order:

• Most you can pay per job = job value × spendable margin
• Most you can pay per enquiry = most per job × close rate
• Most you can pay per click = most per enquiry × enquiry rate
• Monthly ad budget = jobs wanted × most per job

If the actual cost of a click in Langley for your service is above your maximum, the campaign won't pay as currently set up. That's not a reason to give up; it's a signal to change one of the four numbers.

Example 1: a plumbing company in the City of Langley

Assume:

• average job value: $600
• spendable margin: 20%, so $120 per job
• close rate: 50%
• enquiry rate: 12%

Then:

• most per enquiry: $120 × 0.5 = $60
• most per click: $60 × 0.12 = $7.20

If you want 15 extra jobs a month, the ad budget is 15 × $120 = $1,800.

If real clicks cost $9, you're over the limit. The fastest fixes are usually raising the close rate by calling back within minutes, or focusing ads on higher-value work like water heater replacements, where the job value is higher.

Example 2: a roofing company in Brookswood

Assume:

• average job value: $14,000 for a re-roof
• spendable margin: 5%, so $700 per job
• close rate: 25%, because homeowners get several quotes
• enquiry rate: 8%

Then:

• most per enquiry: $700 × 0.25 = $175
• most per click: $175 × 0.08 = $14

Two extra re-roofs a month needs an ad budget of about $1,400. Roofing clicks are expensive, but the job value is high enough to absorb them. The bigger risk is the close rate: if you only win one in eight quotes, the most you can pay per enquiry halves.

Example 3: a landscaper serving Willoughby and Murrayville

Assume:

• average first job value: $2,500
• spendable margin: 10%, so $250
• close rate: 35%
• enquiry rate: 10%

Then:

• most per enquiry: $250 × 0.35 = $87.50
• most per click: $87.50 × 0.10 = $8.75

Ten extra jobs a month means about $2,500 in ad spend. But landscaping is seasonal: spring demand is strong and winter is quiet. Rather than spreading $2,500 evenly, a landscaper might spend more from March to June and much less from November to February.

Factor in repeat value

If a first landscaping job typically leads to maintenance work worth another $2,000 a year, you might accept a higher cost for the first job. Be careful, though: only count repeat value you actually see in your records.

The levers that change the answer

When the numbers don't work, change one of these.

Narrow the geography

Clicks from the far side of the Township often have lower close rates because you can't respond quickly or price competitively after travel. Use location targeting to focus on communities near your base. A Walnut Grove company may close far more jobs from Walnut Grove and nearby Surrey than from Aldergrove.

Tighten the searches

Review the search terms report weekly at first. Block searches that waste money: job seekers ("plumber jobs Langley"), do-it-yourself searches ("how to fix leaky tap"), and services you don't offer.

Schedule ads for when you answer

Use ad scheduling to run ads only when someone can pick up. An ad call that goes to voicemail is usually lost.

Improve the landing page

Send each ad to a page about the service searched for, with a visible phone number and real local proof. A better page raises the enquiry rate, which raises what you can afford per click.

Raise the close rate

This is often the biggest lever and has nothing to do with ads. Answer quickly, call back missed calls within minutes, quote promptly and follow up once. Moving close rate from one in three to one in two lifts your affordable cost per click by half.

A checklist before you spend a dollar

• ☐ Know your average job value for the service you're advertising
• ☐ Decide your spendable margin per job
• ☐ Estimate close rate and enquiry rate
• ☐ Calculate your maximum cost per click and per job
• ☐ Set location targeting to the communities you serve
• ☐ Add obvious negative keywords: jobs, careers, free, DIY
• ☐ Schedule ads for hours you'll answer
• ☐ Set up call tracking so you know which ads produce calls
• ☐ Make sure the landing page has the phone number visible on a phone
• ☐ Plan to review search terms weekly for the first month

Common budget mistakes

1. Picking a budget first. Work out the cost per job first, then the budget follows.
2. Spreading budget evenly through the year. Match spend to your seasonal demand.
3. Counting clicks as results. Only booked jobs count.
4. Leaving location targeting on defaults. Default settings can include people outside your area.
5. Never checking search terms. Waste builds up quietly.
6. Judging after one week. Give campaigns enough time and volume to produce reliable data.

Where to go from here

If the arithmetic suggests ads can pay for your trade, our Google Ads service builds and manages campaigns on exactly this basis. If it suggests ads will struggle, local search is often the better first investment. Pricing shows how ad spend fits alongside plan fees, and the other guides cover local search setup and reaching new-home owners.