Let's TalkLet's TalkHandyman searches mix homeowners with a list of jobs, people wanting one tiny task for the lowest price, DIYers looking for instructions and people looking for handyman work. Google Ads for a handyman business has to pay for the first group, close to home - and only for work it is allowed to advertise.
We go through the search terms you paid for, the visits they produced and what they were worth, and show how much went on DIY, task-app, job and out-of-area searches, which keywords advertise work your licence status may not allow, and what to change first. You get a recorded walkthrough; there is no call to sit through.
Four failures we see repeatedly in this vertical, and what each one actually costs.
'How to fix a leaking tap', 'how to patch drywall', 'handyman jobs near me' and 'become a handyman' come from people fixing things themselves or looking for work. Without careful exclusions, these searches can take a real share of the budget before a homeowner with a list of jobs has seen your ad.
Broad keywords match searches for electrical rewiring, plumbing installations and remodels. Depending on your state and licence status, advertising that work may not be allowed - California, for example, requires unlicensed advertisers to state that they are not licensed and limits them to work under $1,000. Campaigns need keyword lists that match what you can legally offer.
A broad radius brings calls from across the metro, and small jobs far away rarely cover the travel. Accounts that target whole cities or counties pay for clicks that become unprofitable visits. Targeting needs to follow the neighbourhoods where you want more work and where routes are tight.
A call to hang one picture and a booking for a full day of repairs count the same in most accounts. Bidding that cannot tell them apart chases whatever converts cheapest, which is usually the smallest job.
Business outcomes rather than dashboard metrics. None of these is a guaranteed number - where we do guarantee something, it is written into the offer above.
The real deliverables, not a list written to make a proposal look thicker.
Not the general agency pitch. The reasons that only apply to this kind of business.
Handyman keywords attract DIYers, app users and job seekers alongside homeowners who want help. We build exclusion lists from the search terms you actually pay for, keep them current and send the budget to searches that end in a booking for real work.
We review every keyword and ad against what you are allowed to advertise where you work, add required disclosures - such as California's statement for unlicensed advertisers - and exclude searches for licensed-trade work you cannot do. Your account stays clean and your customers get honest expectations.
We import the value of each visit, so bidding learns which searches lead to half-day and full-day jobs rather than single tasks. Combined with tight local targeting, the account fills your days with work that pays.
Recent searches sorted into jobs, DIY, apps and employment.
Negative lists built and reviewed monthly.
Keywords and ads reviewed against licensing rules.
Targeting by drive time and route density.
Landing pages with minimum charges and full-list booking.
Visit values fed back for bidding.
The parts of this that come from having run it in this industry before rather than from running it well in general.
Google's current US list of Local Services Ads categories includes handyman. Where available they charge per lead rather than per click and show a Google Verified badge. Compare them with search campaigns on value per visit.
Searches for a specific job - mounting a TV, fixing a door - often come from homeowners with other jobs waiting. Landing pages that invite them to add the rest of their list turn small searches into bigger visits.
Searches for pre-sale repairs and inspection repair lists come with closing dates. A campaign aimed at those searches, and at agents, brings well-sized work that arrives ready to schedule.
The cheapest conversions in handyman work are usually the smallest jobs. Importing visit values teaches bidding which searches lead to the visits that pay.
None of our case studies is a handyman business. The nearest Google Ads engagement is an auto dealership, where tightly targeted search campaigns produced 1.22M clicks at a 0.90% click-through rate, 627% ROAS and $617K in revenue. The transferable lesson is targeting discipline - paying only for searches from people ready to buy, which for a handyman means filtering out DIY and job traffic and keeping the area tight.
Read the full case studyYes, when DIY, app and job searches are excluded, targeting stays close to home, keywords match the work you can legally advertise and bidding values bigger visits. Measured on value per visit rather than calls, search ads can fill a handyman's calendar with work that pays.
How-to and DIY searches, task-app and marketplace names, handyman job and career searches, and searches for licensed-trade work you cannot legally do. Review the search terms report monthly, because new variations keep appearing.
In some states, yes. California, for example, allows an unlicensed person to advertise construction work under $1,000 only if the advertisement states that the person is not licensed. Check the rules where you work, include any required disclosure in ads and on landing pages, and keep keywords within the work you can legally offer.
By drive time and the neighbourhoods you want to fill, rather than whole cities or counties. Small jobs far away rarely cover the travel. Bid down or exclude outlying areas, or explain a travel charge for them up front.
Google's current US list includes handyman, so many businesses can, though availability varies by area. They charge per lead rather than per click, and invalid leads are not charged. Compare them with search campaigns on value per visit, not lead price alone.
The kinds of jobs you do, how you charge and any minimum, the areas you cover, insurance and any licensing details or disclosures that apply, genuine reviews and a booking form that asks for the full list of jobs, photos and preferred timing.
Import visit values so bidding learns which searches lead to bigger visits, explain your minimum charge on the landing page and ask for the full list in the booking form. Small jobs will still come, but they will be grouped into visits that pay.
Enough to fill the days you have available in the areas you want to grow. Start small and local, judge it on value per visit over a few weeks, then expand into what works. A small, well-targeted account can keep a handyman business busy.
Selectively. Tasks you do well and that often lead to bigger lists - door repairs, drywall patches, fixture installs within your limits - can be worth targeting with pages that invite customers to add more jobs. Tasks that need a licensed trade where you work should be excluded.
Handyman decisions are quick, so excluding wasted searches and tightening targeting can improve results within weeks. Judge changes on value per visit over a month or two, and watch for seasonal patterns such as spring and pre-holiday lists.
Written for owners weighing this up, whether or not they work with us.
This is one part of a bigger service. Here is the whole of it, and the closest neighbours.
No pitch deck, no discovery call you have to sit through. Tell us the situation and we will tell you whether we can help.