Local Services Ads for carpet cleaners: setup to first booked job

Can a carpet cleaning company run Local Services Ads?

Carpet cleaning is a supported category, but Local Services Ads aren't open in every area. Google says LSA is "available only for certain service categories" and asks businesses to check eligibility for their area. Google's US screening requirements list a Carpet & Upholstery cleaning category for businesses that "specializes in the cleaning and maintenance of carpet, flooring, and furniture upholstery."

With LSA, you pay Google for each valid lead, meaning a call, message or booking request, rather than for clicks. Our complete guide to carpet cleaning paid ads covers how LSA compares with Search ads and what leads cost. This post covers setup, step by step, up to your first booked job. Before you sign up, have these ready:

• Your current insurance certificate
• Your business registration details, including a D-U-N-S number if you have one
• Time from each owner to complete a background check
• The towns or ZIP codes you want to work in
• The job types you want to book, and the ones you don't

Local Services Ads verification and background checks for carpet cleaners

Google says "all businesses must pass Google's screening and verification process." The checks "may include background, business registration, insurance, and license checks, and minimum review requirements," depending on your category and location. Here is what Google's US page lists for carpet cleaning.

That page doesn't define "Select users only," so treat the checklist in your own account as the final word. It doesn't list insurance amounts either. Google's screening and verification page says "The minimum insurance amount required depends on the category and location."

Who needs a background check?

Google's screening page says "All owners of the business must complete a criminal background check." In categories where it applies, every worker who serves customers must be checked too, but office staff who don't serve customers directly are not. The carpet cleaning entry doesn't list a separate technician check, so follow what your account asks for. Google says "Businesses aren't charged for the background check."

How long does verification take?

Google doesn't give one timeframe. Some advertisers qualify for accelerated verification and get the Google Verified badge quickly, and Google says "They then have 14 days to complete additional verification steps to keep their ad serving." A D-U-N-S number is a business ID from Dun & Bradstreet. If you need one, Google says "The application process can take up to 30 days."

Set your job types, service area and ad hours

Job types, service area, hours and photos all sit under one menu. Google's steps to edit them are:

1. Sign in to your Local Services Ads lead inbox.
2. Open the menu in the top left.
3. Select Profile & Budget.
4. Pick what to change, such as business hours, service area, job types or photos.
5. Enter the new information and click Save.

Google says "It may take a few hours before changes go live," and that "updating your job types or service areas will update the types of searches that can trigger your ads."

Job types

Job types let you "Choose what types of leads to receive." Turn on the work you want to book and turn off anything you don't do, so you don't pay for leads you'll turn away.

Service area

Service area lets you "Choose what cities or ZIP codes your ad will show." Include the towns you want to drive to, and leave out the edges where drive time eats the profit on a small job. Google says to contact it if you want to extend coverage outside your home state.

Ad hours and photos

Google lets you choose "when you want your ads to show (business hours, all day, or custom)." Set those hours to when a person will answer the phone, not when the trucks run. Google also says "Higher quality profiles, including those with images, may rank higher and may also pay lower costs per lead." Upload real job photos, like your truck-mount and finished rooms.

Choose an LSA bid mode and weekly budget

Google's LSA bidding page offers three bid modes. The budget is weekly, and Google says "The higher your weekly budget, the more leads you could get."

Worked math for a starting budget

Google says "It is recommended to set a minimum budget of 10 leads per week for optimal results." To turn that into dollars, you need a lead price. In two LSA accounts we run, leads have cost about $28 to $32 on average. Your price may differ, because Google says lead prices "may vary depending on your location, the job type, the type of lead, or your bidding mode."

• 10 leads × $28 = $280 a week
• 10 leads × $32 = $320 a week
• At about 4.3 weeks a month, that's roughly $1,200 to $1,380 a month

Our paid ads guide covers when to add Search ads on top of LSA.

How reviews and response time affect your LSA ranking

Google ranks LSA partly on how likely your ad is to produce a lead. Its ad ranking page lists factors you control:

• "Your responsiveness to customer inquiries and requests." Google adds that "Missed calls may negatively affect your responsiveness."
• Profile quality, including "Your rating, number of reviews, average response time, use of high-quality images"
• "the verification checks you have completed"
• Your bid, which Google calls "the maximum amount you're willing to pay for a lead"

Google also says "Star ratings and number of reviews affect how your business is ranked within Local Services Ads." Your reviews are "managed through Google Business Profile Manager, not your Local Service Ads account." Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the Google listing for your company. See our Google Business Profile guide and our reviews guide.

Where to find your review link

Google says "You have quick access to the review link under 'Business Verifications' then 'Google Business Profile' tab." It also says "Customers are more likely to leave a review if the request comes from you directly." Send the link yourself the day you finish the job.

Answer leads fast and mark your first booked job

Leads arrive as calls, messages and booking requests. Google says "Booking leads are only available in the United States and Canada." Message and booking leads give "more ways for customers to reach you," so turn them on if someone checks the inbox during the day.

A first-call script

1. Answer with your company name and your own name.
2. Ask what needs cleaning: rooms, stairs, upholstery or rugs.
3. Ask about pets, stains and any move-out deadline.
4. Give a price range and your minimum charge.
5. Offer two open times and book one before you hang up.
6. Text a confirmation with the date and arrival window.

How to mark a lead as booked

Google's steps on the web are:

1. Open the Local Services Ads inbox.
2. Choose a lead from the inbox.
3. Select Mark Booked in the upper right corner.
4. Select the date if the job is in the future, or indicate if it's already completed.
5. Select Add details for tracking to add the job type and customer name.
6. Select Save.

Google says this feature is "currently only available in the U.S. and Canada." The details you add are "only visible to you," and you can use "the filters on the Reports page to find these leads." If a lead is junk, Google says "you can let us know in the Feedback Survey for that lead." The paid ads guide covers disputing bad leads.

After a month, divide your LSA spend by the jobs you booked from LSA to get your cost per booked job. In the accounts we run, ads and Local Services Ads usually start producing leads in 30–45 days. That's our guidance, not a promise.

What changes when Local Services Ads move into Google Ads?

Google says "Google Local Services Ads is transitioning to a more integrated, self-service experience inside the Google Ads platform." LSA becomes Performance Max campaigns with pay-per-lead goals. Here is what Google's transition page says:

• Timing: Google's supported verticals list puts Carpet Cleaning under "Vertical Migration Phase 1," dated "August 2026 (Phase 1)." The transition page says late 2026 adds "service-area businesses without physical storefronts," so watch your account for Google's notice.
• Pricing model: "You still only pay for valid leads (such as phone calls and messages) rather than ad clicks."
• Bidding: "Manual bidding (such as setting a maximum cost-per-lead) is no longer supported in Google Ads." Google says your historical average weekly budget is divided by 7 to set your daily average budget.
• Reports: "Your Local Services Ads performance reports will not transition to Google Ads."
• New accounts: Pay-per-lead campaigns can't be created in Google Ads yet, and Google says to "continue to visit g.co/localservices" to start one.

If you'd rather have someone run this for you, see our paid ads service.