Google Ads vs LSA — how is everyone actually using these?

LSA is easy to track because it uses a Google forwarding number, and you can clearly see which customers came from those leads directly in your dashboard.

For Google Ads vs. your website, you need to set up proper tracking. On my end, I still use Jobber forms to collect leads, but now Jobber gives you options to better identify where each lead is coming from.

One option is to create multiple forms so you can tell the difference based on which form was submitted. Another option is to track the source of the form submission so it gets added to your lead source automatically.

In my case, I modify the URL using UTM parameters, like:

?utm_source=web&source=website

?utm_source=yelp&source=referral

You can customize these however you want—Google Ads, Yelp, Facebook, etc. That way, when a client submits the form, Jobber already shows you exactly where the lead came from.

Also, keep in mind that form performance depends on the source. Simpler forms usually convert better—especially on platforms like Facebook, where people don’t want to fill out long forms.

If you feel like your forms url are too long, you can create simple forwarding links like yourdomain.com/yelp that redirect to the correct tracked URL. You can do the same for every source you want to track.

I hired a marketing company that tracks all this for me and we review a report every few months. Keyword searches are another thing to pay attention to. These can be changed or new words added as needed to make sure people are finding you when they are looking for their service. The key that I found was to make yourself stand out somehow, set your standards higher and make sure you can communicate that well. 

I didn't know anything about Google ads before this and I am admittedly still very unsure what it all means but I do know that some leads have come in that I have closed. I have a good situation where 1 lead can easily turn into $600-1000 so paying $150-300 a month, even to get 2-3 leads is really good for me.

I'm with you on this in that I'm not a google ads expert, yet I do pay for advertising there. I just assume I need to be paying for ads to keep my team busy and to stay at the top of the list when customers are out there seaching.

Sorry I don't have much advice for you. Mainly commenting to follow this post :) 

Honestly, this is super common—running both without clear tracking just burns money, so I’d start by properly separating and tracking each lead source, then pause whichever isn’t producing real jobs, and if you want, I can help you clean up the setup so you actually know what’s working and what’s not.

We hired a company to do this for us as it seems like a black hole to me. I rather outsource it so I can focus on other things that I am good at.  I don't have time to educate myself on every change that Google makes :) We run both as well.  

You don’t have a Google Ads vs LSA problem, you have a tracking and attribution problem. Right now you’re guessing, and guessing equals wasted spend. Before you even think about shutting anything off, understand that killing LSA or Google Ads without data is like firing a sales rep because you feel like they’re not closing. You need proof, not opinions. At a minimum, you should have unique tracking numbers for your Google Ads, Google Local Services Ads, and your website (organic), along with a call tracking system and proper tagging inside Jobber so every lead is accounted for.

The reality is LSA only works if you answer calls live, book quickly, and consistently generate reviews. If you’re missing calls, letting them go to voicemail, or slow to respond, Google will simply stop sending you leads. On the Google Ads side, the fact that you said you’re getting leads but don’t know whether they’re coming from ads or your website is a major red flag. What’s likely happening is your SEO and Google Business Profile are doing the heavy lifting, while your ads are either cannibalizing traffic you would have gotten anyway or quietly underperforming.

Until you start tracking key metrics like leads per channel, cost per lead, close rate, and revenue per lead, you’re flying blind. Once you have that visibility, it becomes very clear what’s actually working, what needs to be cut, and where you should be doubling down.

Really valuable thread, glad I'm not the only one trying to make sense of this.

I've been running something similar for a few months now. Separate landing pages per city, each with its own form, and every submission gets tagged automatically with the source. So I can tell pretty clearly what's coming from where.

And honestly… almost nothing comes through the paid landing pages. Meanwhile the main organic page converts regularly, with no campaigns behind it.

I'm not 100% sure what to make of it yet. Could be the landing pages, could be the offer, could be something about how cleaning customers actually behave when they find you through an ad versus finding you on their own.

But it's got me wondering if the form is even the right ask for paid traffic in this type of service. Maybe they want to call. Maybe they go find you on Maps instead.

Has anyone actually cracked form conversions from search campaigns in residential cleaning specifically? Or have most of you moved toward LSA for that reason?

Genuinely trying to figure out the next move here.