TLDR;
- Targeting "Los Angeles" isn't enough; you must target the specific, urgent problems your customers are searching for solutions to. This is about intent, not just location.
- Your website is probably your biggest problem. If it doesn’t build trust and have a clear call-to-action, you're just wasting ad spend, no matter how good your targeting is.
- Forget guessing your budget. Use the interactive calculators in this letter to figure out your customer lifetime value (LTV) and what you can actually afford to pay for a lead.
- The structure of your Google Ads account is vital. You need seperate campaigns for different services to control budget and messaging effectively.
- Your ad copy needs to speak directly to the customer's pain. Stop listing features and start selling a solution to their immediate frustration.
Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out!
Happy to give you some initial thoughts on advertising on Google in a specific market like Los Angeles. It's a common question, and honestly, most people get it wrong by focusing too much on the 'where' and not enough on the 'who' and 'why'. It's less about blanketing the whole of LA and more about being surgically precise with who you're trying to reach and what problem you're solving for them.
Let's get into it. I'll walk you through how I'd approach this, from strategy right down to the numbers.
Your Customer Isn't a Pincode, They're a Problem
Right, first thing's first. The biggest mistake I see people make is thinking that setting their campaign location to "Los Angeles" is the main part of the job. It's not. That's the easy bit. The hard part, and the bit that actually makes you money, is getting inside the head of your ideal customer.
Forget demographics for a minute. "Men, 35-55, in West Hollywood" tells you almost nothing useful. Instead, you need to define your customer by their specific, urgent, expensive nightmare. What is the pain that drives them to Google in the first place?
Think about it:
- -> A homeowner in the Valley doesn't search for "HVAC services." They search for "air conditioning repair near me" at 10 PM on a scorching July night when their AC unit starts making a horrible noise. Their nightmare is a sleepless, sweaty night.
- -> A startup founder in Santa Monica isn't looking for "accountants." They're frantically searching for "how to file R&D tax credits before deadline" because they're terrified of leaving money on the table. Their nightmare is a cash flow crisis.
- -> A parent in Pasadena isn't browsing for "childcare options." They're searching for "emergency daycare for sick child" because they have a massive presentation at work and their regular sitter just cancelled. Their nightmare is career jeopardy.
Your entire strategy has to be built around that moment of pain. Your job isn't to advertise to Los Angeles; it's to be the immediate, obvious answer to a very specific problem that happens to occur within Los Angeles. Once you've figured out that problem, finding the right keywords becomes much, much easier.
We'll need to look at Keyword Intent...
This brings us to keywords. Keywords are the language of intent. They tell you exactly what someone wants. You need to focus your budget on keywords that show someone is ready to buy, not just browsing. I call these "high commercial intent" keywords.
They usually include words like:
- -> "near me", "service", "company", "quote", "cost", "emergency", "repair"
- -> Specific product or service names (e.g., "tankless water heater installation" is much better than "plumbing help")
- -> Location modifiers (e.g., "electrician in Culver City")
You want to avoid broad, informational keywords like "how does electrical wiring work" or "types of air conditioners." People searching for that stuff are in research mode, not buying mode. You'll just spend money on clicks that never convert.
Here’s a simple way to visualise the difference in traffic quality you get from different types of keywords. You want to be at the bottom of this funnel, where the money is.
I'd say you need to structure your campaigns properly
Once you have your keywords, don't just dump them all into one campaign. That's another common and costly mistake. You need to structure your account logically. The best way is to create seperate campaigns for each distinct service you offer.
Why? Because it gives you control.
- -> Budget Control: Your most profitable service should get the most budget. If "Emergency Repairs" makes you more money than "Routine Maintenance," you want to be able to give it more fuel. You can't do that if they're lumped together.
- -> Message Control: The ad for someone searching "emergency electrician" needs to be different from an ad for "install new light fixtures." The first needs to scream "24/7 Service, Fast Response!" The second can talk about design and quality. A specific ad that matches the search query gets a higher click-through rate, which Google rewards with a better Quality Score and lower costs.
A simple structure could look like this:
Campaign 1: Emergency Services
Ad Group: Emergency Plumbing
Keywords: "emergency plumber near me", "24 hour plumber LA", "burst pipe repair los angeles"
Ad: "24/7 Emergency Plumber in LA. Burst Pipe? We're 30 Mins Away. Call Now!"
Ad Group: Emergency Electrical
Keywords: "emergency electrician los angeles", "power outage help la", "sparking outlet fix"
Ad: "LA Emergency Electrician. Power Out? Call Us Now for Immediate Help. Licensed & Insured."
Campaign 2: Installation Services
Ad Group: Water Heater Installation
Keywords: "water heater installation cost", "new water heater los angeles", "tankless water heater company"
Ad: "Expert Water Heater Installation in LA. Get a Free Quote Today. Energy Efficient Models."
This level of organisation is non-negotiable for a serious campaign. It's more work to set up, but it's the difference between a profitable account and a money pit.
You probably should understand the maths behind it all
Okay, let's talk numbers. How much should you spend, and what should you expect to pay for a lead? The honest answer is: it depends. Los Angeles is a very competitive market, so costs will be higher than in a small town.
From our experience running campaigns for service businesses, a lead (a phone call or a form submission) can cost anywhere from $10 to over $60. We've run ads for childcare services where the CPL was around $10 per signup. But for an HVAC company we're working with in a competitive area, they're seeing costs of around $60/lead. A home cleaning company we managed got down to a £5 CPL, which was fantastic.
So for LA, I'd suggest you mentally prepare for a Cost Per Lead (CPL) in the $25-$75 range to be safe, especially when you're starting out. This is where so many businesses give up. They see a $50 lead and panic, thinking it's too expensive. But is it? That depends entirely on your Customer Lifetime Value (LTV).
The real question isn't "how low can my CPL go?" but "how high a CPL can I afford to acquire a great customer?" This is the single most important calculation in paid advertising. Let's work it out.
As you can see, a $50 CPL suddenly doesn't look so bad if your max CPL is $160, does it? It looks like a bargain. This is the maths that unlocks aggressive, intelligent growth. Without knowing these numbers, you're flying blind.
You'll need to fix your landing page first
Now, let's assume you've got your targeting perfect and your budget sorted. You could still fail spectacularly if the place you send people to—your website or landing page—is no good. Your website is your 24/7 salesperson. If it's slow, confusing, or untrustworthy, people will leave in seconds, and you'll have paid for the click for nothing.
I haven't seen your site, but here's what most service business websites get wrong:
- -> No Clear Call to Action (CTA): What is the ONE thing you want someone to do? Call you? Fill out a form? It should be big, obvious, and repeated. The "Request a Quote" or "Call Now for a Free Estimate" button should be impossible to miss. Delete vague CTAs like "Learn More." People in pain don't want to learn, they want a solution.
- -> Lack of Trust Signals: People are handing over their money and letting you into their homes or businesses. They need to trust you. You need to prominently display trust signals like: customer reviews and testimonials (with photos if possible), logos of any local associations you're part of (e.g., Better Business Bureau), guarantees ("100% Satisfaction Guaranteed"), and your physical address and local phone number.
- -> Poor Mobile Experience: Most people searching for local services are doing it on their phone. If your website is a mess on mobile, you're losing customers. Text should be easy to read, and buttons should be easy to tap. Your phone number must be 'click-to-call'.
- -> Too Much Jargon: Speak like a human. Don't say "We leverage synergistic methodologies to optimise household thermal efficiency." Say "We'll fix your AC fast so your family stays cool."
Your landing page has one job: convince the visitor you are the best, most trustworthy solution to their immediate problem and make it incredibly easy for them to contact you. That's it.
I'd suggest this is the main advice I have for you:
Alright, that was a lot of information. To make it easier, I've put the main recommendations into a table for you. This is the process I would follow if I were starting a Google Ads campaign in Los Angeles from scratch for a service business.
| Step | Action | Why It's Important |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Define the "Nightmare" | Identify the specific, urgent problems your ideal customers face. What pain drives them to search on Google? | This forms the foundation of your entire strategy. It dictates your keywords, ad copy, and targeting. Generic marketing fails. |
| 2. Keyword Research | Use Google's Keyword Planner to find high commercial intent keywords. Focus on terms with "near me," "cost," "service," "emergency," etc. | Ensures you spend your budget on people who are ready to buy, not just doing research. Maximises your return on ad spend. |
| 3. Structure Account | Create seperate campaigns for each distinct service you offer. Then, create tightly-themed Ad Groups within each campaign. | Gives you precise control over budgets and allows you to write highly relevant ads that match the search query, improving performance. |
| 4. Calculate Your Numbers | Use the LTV calculator to determine what you can afford to pay for a customer and, therefore, a lead. Set a realistic starting budget. | Prevents you from panicking at high CPLs and allows you to make data-driven decisions about ad spend instead of emotional ones. |
| 5. Optimise Landing Page | Ensure your site has a clear Call to Action, is mobile-friendly, loads quickly, and is packed with trust signals (reviews, guarantees). | A poor landing page will destroy your conversion rate. This step is non-negotiable for turning clicks into actual customers. |
| 6. Write Compelling Ads | Write ad copy that speaks directly to the searcher's problem. Include your main keywords, a benefit, and a strong call to action. | Your ad is the first impression. It needs to stand out from competitors and convince the user that you are the right choice to click. |
Getting this right is a lot of work, and it requires constant monitoring and tweaking. It's not a 'set and forget' channel. In a market as tough as Los Angeles, small mistakes can be very costly, and often the difference between success and failure is experience.
An expert can help you avoid common pitfalls, speed up the optimisation process, and ultimately get you a better return on your investment, faster. We do this day in, day out for businesses, and that experience helps us identify opportunities and solve problems much quicker than someone learning as they go.
If you'd like to chat through your specific situation in more detail, we offer a free, no-obligation initial consultation where we can look at your business and give you a more tailored strategy. It could be a really helpful next step for you.
Hope this helps!
Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh
