The Plan · Get the Call · Step 15 of 30
Turn On Local Services Ads
When someone types "drain cleaning near me" or "hydro jetting company," the very first thing Google shows now is a row of Local Services Ads with a green checkmark badge. That badge sits above the map pack and above the regular text ads. If you're not in that row, you're already scrolling for scraps.
The best part for a drain company: you pay per lead, not per click. A tire-kicker who clicks and bounces costs you nothing. A homeowner with a backed-up main line who calls you counts as a lead. That pricing model fits emergency drain work better than almost any other channel.
Understand what an LSA actually is
Local Services Ads (LSAs) are a separate product from regular Google Ads. You don't write ad copy or pick keywords. You set your services and service area, Google verifies your business, and it shows your company name, star rating, review count, and the "Google Guaranteed" badge to people searching for your trade. Google decides who to show based on proximity, reviews, responsiveness, and hours.
A homeowner searches "sewer line clog." Your LSA shows: "Rooter Bros Drain & Sewer — 4.9 stars (212) — Google Guaranteed — Open now." They tap it, it dials your phone, and you get charged only because a real customer called about a service you offer.
Get the Google Guaranteed badge
The badge is what makes LSAs work. To earn it you pass Google's screening: business registration, license (plumbing or drain contractor license where required), and general liability insurance. Google runs a background check on the owner and sometimes technicians through its partner. It takes a week or two. Once approved, the badge means Google will reimburse the customer up to a coverage cap if they're unhappy, which is why it converts so well.
Complete profile: license number uploaded, COI current, all drain services checked (drain cleaning, hydro jetting, sewer camera, rooter, main line), 40+ reviews, phone answered live. Google ranks you high and feeds you leads.
Half-finished profile, expired insurance on file, calls going to voicemail. Google throttles your leads or suspends the badge, and you wonder why the phone went quiet.
Answer the phone, then dispute the junk
LSA ranking is driven partly by responsiveness. Miss calls and Google shows you less. Answer live and your lead flow grows. When a bad lead slips through (wrong service, spam, someone outside your area), dispute it in the LSA dashboard. Google credits legitimate disputes, so a few minutes a week keeps your cost-per-lead honest.
Know when to use LSAs vs regular Google Ads
LSAs get you the top slot and pay-per-lead simplicity, but you can't control messaging much. Regular Google Ads (Search) let you write specific copy, bid on high-value terms like "hydro jetting quote," and send traffic to a landing page. Most drain companies run LSAs first for the badge and cheap emergency leads, then layer in Search ads for the bigger commercial jetting jobs. They stack, they don't compete.
Google Local Services Ads — Google's own product page walks through the Google Guaranteed badge, the pay-per-lead model, and the verification steps home-services pros complete to appear above the map. Start your application here rather than through a reseller.
Do this: Go to Google's Local Services Ads sign-up today, enter your ZIP and "Plumber / Drain," and begin the verification by uploading your license and insurance so the badge process starts this week.
Don't want to do this yourself?
We'll set it up and run it for you — this step and the rest of the plan — so you can stay on the truck. Built for jetting and drain-line companies only.
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