A driver searches "brake repair near me". The first thing they see isn't the map or the best workshop. It's two ads, and one of them is a workshop ten minutes further away than yours. They tap it and call.
That customer was searching for exactly the job you're good at, at the moment they needed it.
Why it costs you jobs
Search ads are different from social ads. People searching on Google already have the problem and want it fixed now. That makes them some of the most ready-to-book customers there are.
If you're not there and a competitor is, they get the call by default. Not because they're better, but because they're first.
Work out what it's costing you
Pick the job you most want more of, such as brakes, air con or diagnostics. Then do the sum:
- Extra jobs of that type a month you could handle
- Times the average value of that job
- Minus what you'd spend on ads to get them
- What's left is what the ads are worth to you
Use your own numbers, not ours.
Three fixes, from free to done for you
- Free: search your best-paying jobs plus your suburb on your phone and note who's advertising. That's who you're up against, and the gap you could fill.
- Cheap: if you run ads yourself, target only your suburb and the ones around you, and only the jobs you want. Broad settings burn money fast.
- Done for you: Google search ads set up and managed for you, aimed at the jobs and areas you choose, with every call and enquiry followed up and booked in. You pay the ad spend straight to Google, so the account is yours.
What good looks like
Good looks like ads that bring in the jobs you actually want, at a cost per booked job that makes sense for your shop, measured in cars booked, not clicks.
If you want to see what Google ads could bring your shop, book a free strategy call and we'll look at your area together.