How much should a Marietta contractor spend on Google Ads?
A straight answer on local Google Ads budgets — how to start, what a healthy cost-per-call looks like, and why your ad spend is never our markup.
The honest answer: it depends on your cost-per-call and how many jobs you can handle. But here's a real framework instead of a shrug.
Start small and calibrate
For a single-location service business in the Marietta/Kennesaw area, start around $800–$1,200/month for the first two to three weeks. The goal at this stage isn't volume — it's learning your cost-per-call: how much you pay, on average, for a real phone call from a ready-to-buy customer.
Then scale what works
Once the cost-per-call lands in a profitable range, scale up — often $1,500–$3,000/month gets a local trade a real, steady stream of calls. You scale the campaigns and keywords that convert, and cut the ones that don't. Every week.
Know your math
If your average job is worth $1,500 and you're paying $40 a call, and one in three calls books, that's ~$120 in ad spend per $1,500 job. That works. If a call costs $120 and only one in ten books, it doesn't — and someone should be watching closely enough to catch that fast.
The new-advertiser credit
New Google Ads accounts often qualify for a spend-match credit (commonly up to ~$500). Spend within the window and the credit applies to future costs. We set the account up so you can actually use it.
Your spend is yours
This matters: the ad budget goes straight to Google on your own card. We never touch it and never mark it up. Our fee covers the work of managing the account — bids, keywords, tracking, optimization — not a cut of your spend. You can also start with no ads at all and run purely on organic local SEO.
Ads buy you calls this week while the organic work compounds underneath. Used together, they're far stronger than either alone.
Want a recommended starting budget for your business? Get a free audit and we'll model it with you.