Tool
Google LSA budget planner
By Umair Nawaz, founder of Lirevon Updated How we test tools
Google Local Services Ads (LSA) are the ads at the top of Google that let a customer call or message you straight away. You pay per lead, not per click. This planner turns a weekly budget into an estimate of booked jobs, revenue, cost per job and return on ad spend, using your own numbers.
Leads a month
–
Estimates booked
–
Jobs won
–
Revenue a month
–
Net spend a month
–
Cost per job
–
Return on ad spend
–
Leads lost to no answer
–
Estimate only. Google sets lead prices and decides which disputes to credit. Weekly budget is turned into a month at 52 ÷ 12 weeks. Revenue is before crew, fuel and disposal costs.
The formula
- Monthly budget = weekly budget × 52 ÷ 12
- Leads = monthly budget ÷ cost per lead
- Valid leads = leads × (1 − credited share)
- Net spend = monthly budget × (1 − credited share)
- Estimates booked = valid leads × answer rate × booking rate
- Jobs won = estimates booked × close rate
- Revenue = jobs × job value; cost per job = net spend ÷ jobs; ROAS = revenue ÷ net spend
LSA and the Google badge, in plain words
Local Services Ads sit above the normal ads for searches like "tree removal near me" in many areas. A customer sees your name, rating and hours, then taps to call or message. You are charged per lead.
To run them, Google checks your business first. For many home-service categories this leads to a "Google Guaranteed" or similar badge. Depending on your category and state, the checks can include background, license and insurance checks. Google changes the rules, so read the current steps inside your account before you plan.
Reviews and how fast you respond can affect how often your ad shows. Answering every lead quickly matters more than the budget.
Questions owners ask
What are Google Local Services Ads?
They are ads that can show at the very top of Google search results for local services, often with a badge and your review rating. Customers call or message you straight from the ad. You pay for leads, not for clicks.
What is the Google Guaranteed badge?
It is a badge Google shows on Local Services Ads for many home-service categories after the business passes Google's checks. These can include background, license and insurance checks, depending on the category and area. Google decides the rules and changes them, so check the current list inside your Local Services Ads account.
What cost per lead should I use?
Use the number Google shows you in your Local Services Ads account, or from past invoices. Google sets the price, and it changes by market, job type and season. The default in the tool is only an example.
What does the disputed or credited share mean?
Some leads are not real jobs: spam, wrong numbers or work you do not do. You can ask Google to credit them. The planner treats that share as leads that bring no work and money you get back. If Google does not credit them, your real cost goes up.
Why does answer rate matter so much for LSA?
A Local Services lead is often a phone call. If nobody answers, you may still pay for it and the customer calls the next ad. Raising the answer rate is often the cheapest way to get more jobs from the same budget.
What is ROAS?
Return on ad spend. It is revenue from the ads divided by what you spent. A ROAS of 5x means $5 of revenue for every $1 of ad spend. It does not include your crew, fuel or disposal costs.
Does Lirevon run Local Services Ads?
Ad spend. Google Local Services Ads and Google Ads management is a separate plan, from $1,750 a month plus ad spend. We set up the text-back and follow-up first, so paid leads are not wasted.
Is anything I type sent to Lirevon?
No. The planner runs in your browser. Your inputs are remembered on this device only. Nothing is sent to us.
How do I plan a Local Services Ads budget?
Start with what you can spend a week and your cost per lead. Divide to get leads, then apply the share you answer, book and win, and your average job value. Use your own numbers, not averages, and check the results against real jobs after a few weeks.
Are the planner results guaranteed?
No. They are estimates built only from the numbers you type. Lead costs, seasons and your answer rate change real results, so treat the output as a planning guide.
Learn more: Google Local Services Ads, cost per lead and answer rate. Ads only pay if you answer, so see the Booked Jobs Engine and Lirevon for growing tree companies.
Related tools and pages
- Marketing budget calculator: work back from the jobs you want.
- Competitor review gap: reviews help your LSA and Maps listing.
- All free tools, our services, pricing, free audit and the 30-second check.