Case study · Doors & windows
A door and window installer whose Local Service Ads sat dark for six months behind Google verification.
The ads that show up above everything else for local searches had stopped running, because Google verification had stalled. We walked them through it, got Local Service Ads back on, and rebuilt search around it.
The situation
The best local placement, switched off.
Local Service Ads sit at the very top of Google for searches like door installation near me, and you only pay for leads, not clicks. For an installer they are often the cheapest source of real phone calls. This company had them, then lost them: from September 2025 through February 2026 they produced nothing, because Google verification had stalled.
Verification is where most contractors stall. The requirements are unclear, the support path is a maze, and every rejection resets the clock. Meanwhile competitors who finished it take the calls.
Stuck in Google verification?
We have walked owners through it. Book 15 minutes and we will tell you where yours is stuck.
The numbers
Leads by month, before and after Local Service Ads came back.
Tracked leads per month, by channel
October 2025 to September 2026. Local Service Ads came back online in March.
Cost per lead, same summer months
June to August 2026. Same company, same season, two channels.
What we changed
Verification first, then put the money where the calls are.
Got them verified
We walked the owner through every step of Google verification until it was approved, which is what turned Local Service Ads back on.
Scaled Local Service Ads carefully
Leads came back in March. June, July and August each produced more than 120 Local Service Ads leads.
Rebuilt search around it
Doors and windows now run as separate campaigns with separate budgets, plus a brand campaign so competitors cannot buy the company's own name out from under them.
Moved money to the cheaper channel
As Local Service Ads took over, search spend came down from about $4,600 a month to about $1,500, focused on the products Local Service Ads cannot cover.
Want Local Service Ads working for you?
15 minutes, an honest read on your account, no pitch deck.
Where the money went
Monthly averages, before and after.
| Per month | Search only (Oct to Feb) | LSA back (Jun to Aug) |
|---|---|---|
| Total ad spend | $4,621 | $5,660 |
| Search spend | $4,621 | $1,508 |
| Tracked leads | 81 | 158 |
| Cost per lead | $57 | $36 |
More than 120 Local Service Ads leads a month all summer at about $32 each, and 421 tracked leads across all channels in the last quarter at $34.50 blended.
Why this matters if you install, replace or repair
Verification is not paperwork, it is inventory. Until Google has confirmed who you are, the top of the page is simply unavailable to you, no matter how good your search campaigns are.
If you have been stuck in verification for months, that is the first thing to fix, and it is worth having somebody who has done it before walk you through it.
Client name withheld for confidentiality. Figures pulled from the live Google Ads account and Local Services lead report on October 1, 2026. Tracked leads means phone calls, form submissions and Local Service Ads leads. Button taps and map direction requests are not counted. Door and window demand is seasonal, so winter months run slower. Photos are representative of the industry, not this client's work.
Is Google verification holding your business back?
Fifteen minutes, no pitch deck. You will get an honest read on your account and what we would change first.