How to Get Your First Customers as a New Local Service Business (2026)

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Summary: To get customers for a new service business, set up a verified Google Business Profile, a phone that always gets answered and a simple website in week one, and start Google Local Services Ads verification straight away, since Google says it takes 3–4 weeks on average after you submit documents. While you wait, win work through referrals, focused Google Search ads and, as a stopgap, shared lead marketplaces. Ask every real customer for an honest review, and track cost per lead, close rate and average job from the first call.

A new business has no reviews, no repeat customers and no history on Google. The fix is to start the slow parts, verification and reviews, on day one and fill the gap with faster ones.

Week one: the foundations

A verified Google Business Profile. Verifying gives you ownership of your profile, and Google says Business Profile verification reviews take up to 5 business days. Local Services Ads require a public, verified profile, so do this first. Add real photos of your work, list your services and set your service area. If customers don't come to your address, Google says to remove it and enter only your service area. Not showing up? See why a Google Business Profile doesn't show up.

A phone that always gets answered. Use one number everywhere, and when you're on a job, forward calls to someone who can take details and book.

A simple website. One page can do it: what you do, the towns you cover, a phone number at the top, license and insurance details, real photos and a short form. Here's what a contractor website needs to convert.

Start Local Services Ads verification early

Local Services Ads sit at the very top of Google for searches such as "plumber near me," and you pay per lead, not per click. Apply as soon as your profile is verified. Google says verification takes 3–4 weeks on average after you submit your documents, and depending on trade and state, checks can include background checks, business registration, insurance, licenses and a minimum number of reviews. Match your business name exactly across license, insurance and profile, because mismatches cause delays.

Reviews are the part you can't rush. Google recommends 5 or more, and depending on your business type, your business may need 5 reviews to show. So don't wait for reviews to apply; collect them while Google checks your documents. The verification checklist lists what to gather.

Getting your first honest reviews

Every review should come from a real customer about a real job. Don't buy reviews, reward them with discounts or ask friends, family or employees. Google's content policy doesn't allow paid reviews, incentives in exchange for reviews, or reviews based on a conflict of interest, which it says can include family relationships and current or former employment.

How to get them honestly:

• Ask every customer when the job is done. Say you've just started and an honest review would help. Don't only ask the happiest ones: Google's policy rules out selectively asking for positive reviews.
• Send the link the same day. Google lets you ask customers to review you through a link or a QR code. Our call scripts and text templates include a review request.
• Reply to reviews. Google's tips say replies show customers their feedback matters, so make each one specific.

To keep them coming after launch, see how to get more Google reviews.

What to do while verification runs

Referrals from people you've worked with. Start with people who have seen your work: builders, property managers and other trades you've worked alongside, suppliers, and people you've done jobs for. Tell them you've opened your own business, what work you want and where, and give them your details in a form that's easy to pass on.

Google Search ads. With cost-per-click bidding you pay for each click, whether or not the visitor calls. So send clicks to a page built for calls, stick to the two or three jobs you most want in the towns you serve, and cut keywords that bring clicks but no calls. Check Google's ad policies for your trade before you start.

Shared marketplaces, as a stopgap. Angi, HomeAdvisor and Thumbtack can fill gaps while you wait, but their leads are shared. Shared leads usually close less often than leads from channels you own, so measure both. At a 10% close rate, for example, you need ten leads for one job; at 25%, four. Compare cost per booked job, and stop once your own channels bring in work. More on how owned channels compare with Thumbtack.

Answer every call, and track three numbers from day one

Answer every call. With Local Services Ads, Google weighs responsiveness when ranking, and missed calls may count against you. From October 1, 2026, a missed call during business hours is also charged as a lead if the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds, with some exceptions. The free guide tells owners to reply within 60 seconds.

From the first lead, note where each one came from and whether it booked, then work out three numbers per channel:

• Cost per lead: spend on the channel divided by the leads it sent.
• Close rate: jobs booked divided by leads.
• Average job: revenue from those jobs divided by the number of jobs.

Cost per lead divided by close rate gives your ad cost per booked job.

A simple way to think about your first month's budget

The free guide, How a local service business can spend $1,000 and make $60,000 in a month, works through one example: at $30 a call, $1,000 buys 33 calls. Three in five book, making 20 jobs, and at $3,000 a job that's $60,000. That's the guide's worked math, not a promise. The method is what matters, so swap in your own numbers:

The second column is a warning sign: each $400 job carries $200 of ad cost before labor and materials, so that business should improve its close rate, job size or cost per lead before spending more. For a starting reference, leads across the accounts Opus Group runs have averaged $63 over the last twelve months.

Pick a first-month budget you can keep running all month, because stopping after a slow first week leaves you without real numbers.

FAQ

How do I get customers for a new service business?

Set up a verified Google Business Profile, an answered phone and a simple website, and start Local Services Ads verification in week one. Win early jobs through referrals while you collect honest reviews.

How long does Local Services Ads verification take?

Google says 3–4 weeks on average after you submit your documents.

How many reviews does a new business need for Local Services Ads?

Google recommends 5 or more, and depending on your business type, you may need 5 reviews to show.

Can I ask family or employees to review my business?

No. Google's content policy doesn't allow reviews based on a conflict of interest, which it says can include family relationships and current or former employment. Ask real customers instead.

Should a new business use Angi, HomeAdvisor or Thumbtack?

Only as a stopgap. Shared marketplace leads usually close less often than exclusive ones, so compare them on cost per booked job.

How much should I spend in my first month?

An amount you can keep running all month. Estimate leads, jobs and revenue from your own numbers, as the free guide's worked example does.

Opus Group runs Google Ads, Local Services Ads and high-converting landing pages for local service businesses. See how it works.

Opus Group is a marketing agency for HVAC, plumbing, roofing, electrical, landscaping, tree service and pest control companies.

Theo Prada is the founder of Opus Group, which runs Google Local Services Ads and Google Ads for local service businesses.