Set up the basics first

• Confirm your category and job types match what you actually sell. Trim anything that leads to bad inquiries.
• Define your service area tightly. Start smaller, then expand once lead quality is proven.
• Set business hours to match when you can answer. LSA rewards responsiveness.
• Turn on call recording and message leads so nothing slips through the cracks.

Get verified and eligible

• Complete the background checks and license/insurance verification if required for your vertical.
• Use the legal business name that appears on your paperwork. Mismatches delay approvals.
• Upload clear docs and keep them current. Expired paperwork tanks delivery until it’s fixed.

Build a profile that converts

• Write a simple value line: who you help, the work you do, and where you do it.
• Add real photos: staff, trucks, storefront, before/after. Skip stock where possible.
• List covered job types and starting prices if that helps filter poor-fit calls.
• Pin your top review snippets and make sure they mention services and locations.

How you win placement

• Proximity & availability: close to the searcher and open now.
• Reviews: average rating, count, and recency all matter.
• Responsiveness: how fast you answer and follow up.
• Budget & bidding: enough headroom to stay visible in peak hours.
• Disputes & quality: fewer bad-lead refunds and consistent job acceptance.

Budgets and bidding that make sense

• Start with a daily budget that can buy at least 3–5 leads per day during peak season.
• Use max per-lead bidding to control cost. Raise bids only on profitable job types/hours.
• Daypart: push spend into hours when you can answer on the first ring.
• Watch your “Estimated leads” meter; increase slowly to avoid a flood of weak calls.

Handle leads like revenue, not notifications

Speed matters. Answer in under 20 seconds when possible. If you miss a call, call back in two minutes or less and send a quick message through LSA so the system logs your response.

Phone script

“Thanks for calling [Business]. I can help with [service]. Are you looking for help today or scheduling ahead? What’s the address and best callback number?”

• Tag the job type in your CRM so ROI isn’t guesswork.
• Offer two appointment options before the caller shops your competitors.

Reviews power your LSA

• Ask after every completed job. Link customers straight to your LSA review flow.
• Reply to all reviews within a few days. Mention service and area when natural.
• Keep recency up. A steady trickle beats a single big spike.

Dispute bad leads and protect ROI

• Flag spam, wrong numbers, out-of-area jobs, and services you don’t offer.
• Submit disputes promptly with clear notes; track refund rate monthly.
• If a job type drives too many refunds, remove it and focus on winners.

What to track weekly

• Leads, valid-lead rate, cost per valid lead
• Call answer rate and median response time
• Bookings, close rate, revenue per lead
• Review count and average rating in the last 30/90 days
• Refunds submitted vs. approved and the reasons

30-day rollout

• Week 1: verification, categories, job types, service area, hours, profile content.
• Week 2: budgets/bids, call recording, message templates, review ask process.
• Week 3: go live; monitor search terms, pause weak job types, daypart the budget.
• Week 4: dispute bad leads, raise bids on profitable hours, publish 5 fresh reviews.

Common pitfalls

• Huge service areas that attract low-quality leads.
• Answering inconsistently and expecting stable volume.
• Letting verification or insurance expire.
• Running every job type when only a few drive profit.