Google Ads management for DC, Maryland and Virginia businesses
Capital Growth Studio sets up and manages Google Ads for service businesses in DC, Maryland and Virginia, including search ads and Local Services Ads. The ad account is in your name and billed to your card, so you see every dollar Google charges. You work directly with the founder, and management runs month to month.
Turn clicks into customers.
Which Google Ads campaigns do we run?
Search ads
Text ads that appear when someone searches for what you do, such as "water heater repair Arlington", and you pay per click. Most local service businesses should start here, and we add a call button so people on phones can call in one tap.
Local Services Ads
Ads that can appear above the regular results for many trades, marked with a Google Verified badge. You pay per lead (a call or message from the ad), not per click, and we track which leads become jobs. Google checks your license and insurance first, which takes 3 to 4 weeks on average, and we handle the setup and paperwork with you.
Remarketing
Ads shown to people who visited your website but did not call. They are useful once a site has steady traffic, but a small account should usually not start here.
When they fit your business, we also run Facebook and Instagram ads, in an account in your name. We do not run YouTube, Display or Performance Max campaigns.
What does Google Ads management include?
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An audit of your current account, if you have one, before anything changes.
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Keyword research for the services and towns you want, plus a list of searches to block, such as "jobs", "DIY" or "free".
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Ad copy written for your business, which you approve before it runs.
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Conversion tracking for calls, forms and bookings, so the account is optimized for leads, not only clicks.
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Location targeting by ZIP code or town, with separate campaigns for DC, Maryland and Virginia if you want to see the cost of each.
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A review every two weeks of the searches you paid for, budget pacing and ad tests.
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A monthly report, and a call to review it if you want one.
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Direct contact with the founder, who runs your account.
Who owns the Google Ads account?
You do. We set up the account in your business's name with your card on file, or connect to the account you already have, and work in it as a manager. If you stop working with us, you remove our access and keep the account with its full history.
What's the difference between ad spend and the management fee?
Google Ads involves two separate costs.
Ad spend is what Google charges for clicks, or for leads with Local Services Ads. It goes from your card directly to Google, and you set the budget and can change it at any time (Google Ads Help).
Our management fee is what you pay us to run the account. We quote it after a free 15-minute call, and it appears as a separate line on every invoice.
We never mark up your ad spend or combine the two costs.
How much should I spend on Google Ads?
Google has no minimum, so the budget is yours to set. A budget that buys only a few clicks a month cannot show whether ads work for your business.
Your costs depend on your trade, the towns you target and the other businesses that bid. Before you spend anything, we use Google's Keyword Planner to estimate click costs for your services and ZIP codes, then set a starting budget with you.
What happens in the first 30 days?
This is our plan for a new account, and your written plan gives the dates.
Week 1: Setup and research
After a kickoff call, we get access to your accounts, set up conversion tracking for calls and forms, and research keywords and competitors.
Week 2: Build and approval
We build the campaigns and write the ad copy, and you approve everything before it goes live.
Week 3: Launch
We launch the campaigns and check them daily while the first data comes in.
Week 4: First changes and report
We make the first round of changes and send your first report.
Local Services Ads run on Google's verification timeline, so they often go live after your search ads.
What's in the monthly Google Ads report?
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What Google charged, to the cent, separate from our fee.
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Clicks, impressions, calls and form leads, by campaign.
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Cost per lead, and its trend.
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Searches we blocked because they wasted budget.
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What we changed this month and what we will test next.
We also ask which leads became customers, because that number matters most and only you know it.
What decides how well Google Ads works for you?
Search ads reach people who are searching now. Whether those calls turn into profit depends as much on factors outside the ad account as inside it:
- click costs for your trade and towns, and the budget you can commit;
- the page people land on, and whether it makes calling easy;
- how quickly you answer, because a missed call from an ad is wasted spend;
- your offer, reviews and prices compared with the other businesses in the results;
- the season, because demand for many trades changes through the year.
If the numbers do not work for your business, we will tell you.
Google Ads questions
Can you take over a Google Ads account someone else set up?
Yes. We start with an audit: what you pay for, which searches trigger your ads, and whether calls and forms are tracked. If the account is in your name, we join as a manager. If a previous agency controls it, Google requires them to give you your account's customer ID when you ask, and we will help you get access or set up a new account that you own.
Should I run Local Services Ads or regular search ads?
If your trade is eligible, often both. Local Services Ads charge per lead and carry a Google Verified badge, but you choose job types and service areas rather than keywords or ad text. Search ads charge per click and let you choose the keywords, towns and wording. A common setup is Local Services Ads for steady leads, with search ads covering the services and areas they miss.
Is there a minimum budget?
Google does not set one; you choose the budget and can change it at any time. We recommend a starting budget based on click costs for your trade and area, large enough to bring in enough leads to judge within the first couple of months. If that budget does not suit your business yet, we will tell you, and local SEO may be the better place to start.
Book a free 15-minute call
Tell us on the form if you already run ads. We will discuss whether ads suit your trade and towns.
Book a free 15-minute call