Google Ads (PPC) in San Diego
San Diego Google Ads management, judged by cost per lead
Google Ads is pay-per-click (PPC) advertising: you pay Google each time someone clicks your ad. Done right, it’s the fastest way to get calls this month. We build and run your campaigns for San Diego searches that buy, and we report what every lead cost you.
Your ad budget is gone by lunch. Where did it go?
Spend on clicks that never call
Ads showing for the wrong searches
Reports on clicks, not leads
Budget wasted outside your area
Google Ads, in plain English
Google Ads lets you show up at the top of search results for the searches you choose. You set a budget, pick the keywords and the areas, and pay when someone clicks. Stop paying and the ads stop. That makes it fast, but it also makes waste expensive.
Most wasted spend comes from a few habits: broad keywords that match searches like “plumber salary” or “how to fix it myself”, ads that show across the whole county when you only serve a few zip codes, and campaigns that count a click as a win. A click isn’t a lead. A call or a form fill is.
We set up conversion tracking first, so Google knows which clicks became calls and forms. Then we trim the search terms every week, point each ad at a page built for that service, and send budget to what produces leads at a cost you’re happy with. If a landing page is the problem, we fix it through our website design work.
Ads pair well with SEO. Ads bring calls now, and your search data shows which keywords are worth winning for free over time.
| Google Ads done by most agencies | Google Ads the way we do it | |
|---|---|---|
| What gets reported | Clicks, impressions and click-through rate | Calls, forms, booked jobs and cost per lead |
| Search terms | Broad match, checked now and then | Reviewed every week, with negatives added |
| Landing pages | Every ad sent to the homepage | Each service gets its own page with the phone number up top |
The Lead-First Method
How we run Google Ads for leads
- Track the leads firstBefore a dollar goes out, we set up call tracking and form tracking and connect them to Google Ads, so every campaign is judged by leads, not clicks.
- Build tight campaignsWe group keywords by service, limit ads to the areas you actually serve, schedule them for the hours you can answer and write ads that match each search.
- Send clicks to pages that convertEach ad goes to a page about that exact service, with your phone number and a short form up top, not to your homepage.
- Cut waste and report monthlyWe review search terms and spend every week and move budget to what works. Your monthly report shows spend, leads and cost per lead by campaign.
What you see every month
Ad spend next to calls, forms and booked jobs, with cost per lead for each campaign.
What’s included in Google Ads
- Account audit or fresh setup
- Conversion and call tracking
- Search campaigns by service
- Weekly search term cleanup
- Landing page recommendations
- Monthly cost-per-lead report
Month-to-month
•
30 days notice
Google Ads questions, straight answers
How much should I spend on Google Ads?
It depends on what a click costs in your trade and how many leads you want. Legal and home-service searches in San Diego cost more per click than many retail searches. We look at real cost data for your keywords and give you a starting budget in your free audit, then adjust it once we see actual cost per lead.
What is a good cost per lead?
There’s no single number. A good cost per lead depends on what a booked job is worth to you and how many leads turn into jobs. We work backward from your average job value and close rate, agree on a target with you and report against it every month.
How fast will Google Ads bring calls?
Ads can start showing the day they’re approved, so calls often start in the first week. The first month is mostly about learning: finding the search terms that waste money and the ones that convert. Cost per lead usually improves as we cut the waste.
Is my current agency wasting my ad budget?
Pull your search terms report and look at what people actually typed before they clicked. If you see job seekers, DIY questions or towns you don’t serve, money is leaking. We can review your account as part of the free lead audit and show you what we’d cut.
Should I run Google Ads or SEO?
Ads are faster and stop when you stop paying. SEO is slower but keeps working. If you need calls this month, start with ads. If you can wait, SEO lowers your cost per lead over time. Many owners run both and shift the budget as organic leads grow.
How do you charge for Google Ads management?
You get a written monthly price for managing your ads, shown separately from your ad budget, so you always know what goes to Google and what goes to us. Month-to-month, with 30 days notice. See pricing and terms for how it works.