Search campaigns are still the bread and butter for most local service businesses. Queries with high intent, qualified traffic, and predictable cost per lead. If you only run one campaign type, run search.
The campaign types that matter
Performance Max (PMax) is Google's automated campaign type that runs across every surface. It can be powerful for e-commerce and certain local services, but it's also where many small business budgets quietly die. PMax requires good asset variety, accurate conversion tracking, and exclusion lists. Without those, it spends fast and converts poorly.
Demand Gen replaced Discovery campaigns in late 2024 and is now the workhorse for awareness at the top of the funnel on YouTube, Discover, and Gmail. Strong fit for product brands and service businesses with longer consideration cycles.
Local Services Ads (LSA) sit above the Map Pack for service businesses and charge you per lead. If you're a plumber, electrician, lawyer, or one of the other supported categories, LSA should be running.
What we run for a typical Chicago client
Most local service clients we onboard get a structure with three campaigns: brand search (cheap, defensive, captures people already searching for your name), unbranded search on tight match types (the campaign that actually makes money), and either LSA or Demand Gen depending on category.
PMax goes in only after the account has clean conversion data, audience signals, and asset variety to feed it.
Google Ads management is part of our Paid Media practice. Standalone or stacked.
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