Paid ads. Reviewed October 29, 2026
PPC
Also called: Pay per click, Google Ads, Search ads
PPC, pay per click, is advertising where the business pays only when someone clicks the ad, and Google Ads search campaigns are the main form of it for contractors.
In practice
The ad shows for searches the advertiser chooses, in the order the auction decides, and the click costs whatever the auction set that moment. Done well it is the fastest way to get calls from a new area or service. Done badly it spends the budget on people searching for jobs and how-to videos.
Start with exact match on the money terms and negative keywords on day one. Add call tracking and a landing page that matches the ad.
Related terms
- Cost per clickCost per click is what an advertiser pays each time someone clicks an ad, set by an auction, so it varies by trade, by city and by how many competitors are bidding on the same term.
- Cost per leadCost per lead is total marketing spend on a channel divided by the number of calls, forms or chats it produced, and it is the number to judge a campaign on rather than cost per click.
- Negative keywordsNegative keywords are search terms an advertiser tells Google Ads never to show ads for, such as jobs, salary, DIY, free or school, so the budget is not spent on people who will never hire.
- Quality ScoreQuality Score is Google Ads' 1 to 10 rating of how well a keyword, its ad and its landing page match each other, and a higher score lowers the price paid per click.
- Local Services AdsLocal Services Ads are the pay-per-lead ads at the very top of Google for home service searches, shown with a Google Verified or Google Screened badge after a background, license and insurance check.
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