Local Services Ads are worth it for the pool jobs where one booked lead pays back the lead cost many times over, and not for the rest. Work out your maximum cost per lead for each job type before you set a budget. The worksheet below shows you how.
Google now bills missed calls during your Google Business Profile hours when the caller stays on the line more than 20 seconds, including calls that go to voicemail or a greeting, whether or not they leave a message. Google’s notice to advertisers dated the change October 1, 2026. Count those calls in your math. (Google, How leads work.)
The One Number That Decides It
You pay Google for each valid lead, not for clicks. So the question is never “is LSA good?” It is “what is the most I can pay for one lead on this job and still make money?” That number is your maximum cost per lead:
Job value is what the job brings in. For weekly service, use what a new account pays you in its first year, not one visit. Lead-to-booked rate is how many charged leads turn into a booked job, out of every lead you pay for. Share you will spend is the slice of that job value you are willing to give up to get it. Only you know your margins, so that last number is your call, not ours.
Worksheet: Your Max Cost per Lead by Job Type
Fill in one row per job type you could turn on. Use your own numbers from your field software or invoices. The brackets are where they go.
| Job type | Job value | Lead-to-booked rate | Share you will spend | Max cost per lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly service (first-year value) | [$ first-year revenue] | [% of charged leads booked] | [%] | [value × rate × share] |
| Green-pool cleanup | [$ average ticket] | [%] | [%] | [value × rate × share] |
| Equipment repair (pump, filter, heater) | [$ average ticket] | [%] | [%] | [value × rate × share] |
| Resurfacing or remodel | [$ average contract] | [%] | [%] | [value × rate × share] |
A worked row, using made-up inputs. These are an example to show the arithmetic, not a benchmark and not what any market pays.
Job value: $1,000. Lead-to-booked rate: 40%. Share of job value spent to win it: 10%.
$1,000 × 0.40 × 0.10 = $40 maximum cost per lead.
If your leads for this job cost less than $40, it pays. If they cost more, it loses money even when the phone rings.
Run every row. The rows will not match, and that is the point. A job with a big ticket can carry a high lead cost. A small one-off job often cannot.
What Changes the Math in 2026
Three rules from Google’s own help pages move your lead-to-booked rate, so check them before you trust the worksheet:
- Missed calls can be charged. A call you miss during your business hours counts as a valid lead if the caller stays on more than 20 seconds, voicemail included. Business hours are the hours on your Google Business Profile. Every one of those that never books lowers your rate. (How leads work)
- Low-quality leads are credited for you. There is no dispute to file. Google reviews leads and credits ones it finds invalid or low quality on its own, in most cases within 30 days. You can rate a lead in the feedback survey, but that is not a refund request. (About automated lead credits)
- Wrong job type and out-of-area leads are not credited. Google no longer credits leads for job types or areas you do not service. If you leave a job type on, you pay for its leads. (About automated lead credits)
Put plainly: when the phones are not answered, your real lead-to-booked rate is lower than you think, and so is your max cost per lead. Work out the rate from charged leads, not just the calls you picked up.
Which Jobs to Turn On, Which to Leave Off
Once the worksheet is filled in, the decision rule is simple:
- Turn on the job types where what you actually pay per lead sits under your max.
- Leave off the job types where it sits over your max, and any job you would not take. Those leads will not be credited, so leaving them on is paying for calls you will turn down.
- Re-check after a month with real charged-lead numbers in place of your estimates, and update the rows.
Google’s help page says narrowing service areas and service types can cut unwanted leads, though it may also cut volume. That trade is fine when the leads you lose were never going to pay. For the week-to-week work of running it once you say yes, see our weekly LSA routine for pool companies.
When the Math Says No
Sometimes the honest answer is not yet. Hold off when:
- Nobody can answer the phone in season. Missed calls during your listed hours can still be charged, so an unanswered line drains the budget.
- Your service area is wider than you will really drive. Out-of-area leads are not credited.
- Most rows come out over your max. If only one small job pays, the channel may not be worth the setup yet.
If LSA does not fit, search ads may. We compare the two in LSA vs Google Ads for pool companies.
Want Us to Fill In the Worksheet With Your Numbers?
Send us your job types and rough numbers, and we will work out your max cost per lead for each one and tell you which to turn on. We are a Google Partner agency with a money-back guarantee.
Book a Strategy CallSources, checked October 11, 2026: Google Local Services Help, How leads work and About automated Local Services Ads lead credits. The October 1, 2026 start date for missed-call billing comes from Google’s notice to advertisers.