The short version
Most small trade and service businesses spend between $150 and $2,500 a month. The range is that wide because it covers two completely different things: keeping a business findable, and actively going out to win work.
What each tier actually buys
| Monthly | What it usually covers | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| $150–400 | Listing management, review requests, scheduled posts, basic reporting | A business that’s already busy and just needs to stay visible |
| $400–1,200 | The above plus a maintained website, photography, and written content | A business that wants to grow but isn’t running ads |
| $1,200–2,500 | The above plus managed ad spend and a real strategy cycle | A business with capacity to fill and a number it needs to hit |
| $2,500+ | Usually multi-location, or an agency with overhead you’re paying for | Bigger than most trade businesses need |
Ad spend sits on top of all of these and goes to Google or Meta, not to the agency.
Three questions worth asking before you sign
“What’s the first thing you’d fix?” If the answer is ads and your Google listing is wrong, they didn’t look. The free things — hours, service area, categories, a working phone number — move the needle more than a small ad budget, and they cost nothing.
“Whose name is on the accounts?” Your domain, your website, your Google profile, your reviews. If any of those live in the agency’s account, you’re renting your own business back from them.
“What happens in month one versus month six?” A good answer describes a front-loaded fix and then a rhythm. A vague one usually means there isn’t a plan yet.
What we charge
You get our price on the first call, before it ends, not in a proposal three days later. There are two plans. One is all of your marketing: the website, your Google listing, reviews, social posts, blog posts and emails, with branding and photo days on your jobs included. The other is all of that with your ads run for you.
Ad money is never part of our price. It goes from your card straight to Google or Facebook, and we add nothing on top.
Whether ads make sense for you yet is something we will tell you on that call too. It is free whether or not there’s a territory open for you.