The Complete Google Ads Guide for Cleaning Companies (Step-by-step)

If you run a cleaning business — residential or commercial — Google Ads is one of the fastest ways to get high-intent leads: people actively searching for a cleaner, not just scrolling their feed. This guide walks you through a repeatable system to set up, track, and scale profitable Google Ads for cleaning companies. It’s practical, no-fluff, and written for owners and local marketers who want predictable results.

Why Google Ads for Cleaning Works (and when to use it)

People searching “house cleaners near me” or “move-out cleaning [city]” are ready to hire. That search intent turns clicks into calls and booked jobs much faster than social ads.

Use Google Ads when you want:

Immediate lead volume you can measure and attribute.
Control over geographies, services, and budgets.
Predictable testing (keyword → ad → landing page → conversion).

Also consider running Local Services Ads (LSAs) where available — they can deliver cheap leads but often have inconsistent volume. Many cleaning businesses run LSAs + Search Ads side-by-side and shift budget between them based on lead cost and quality.

The 3-Pillar Google Ad System

Campaigns & Tracking — build tight campaign structure and accurate conversion tracking.
Landing Pages — high-intent pages that convert visitors into calls or form submissions.
Follow-up / Funnel — fast, reliable lead handling so leads turn into booked jobs.

You must optimize all three. Ads drive traffic, but conversions and business processes win customers.

1 — Campaigns & Account Structure (how to organize)

Keep campaigns simple and tightly themed.

Suggested structure:

Campaign: Residential Cleaning — Search — [City / Radius]
- Ad Group: Move-Out Cleaning
- Ad Group: Regular House Cleaning
- Ad Group: Deep Cleaning
- Ad Group: Apartment / Condo Cleaning
Campaign: Commercial Cleaning — Search — [City / Radius]
- Ad Group: Office Cleaning
- Ad Group: Post-construction Cleaning

Why this structure? When keywords, ads, and landing pages are aligned, you get higher Quality Scores, better CTRs, and lower CPCs.

Targeting & networks:

Network: Search only (exclude Display / Search Partners for most local cleaning businesses).
Locations: use radius or city targeting around your service area. Use the “people in or regularly in your targeted locations” option so you avoid distant searchers.
Ad schedule: run ads during business hours (when you can answer calls fast).

2 — Keywords & Match Types (what to bid on)

Keyword buckets:

Service: “house cleaning,” “move out cleaning,” “deep house cleaning”
Service + Location: “move out cleaning Boston,” “house cleaner near me”
Commercial / Niche: “airbnb cleaning service,” “post construction cleaning”

Match types strategy:

Phrase + Broad (with smart negatives) early on to gather volume and discover high-intent search terms.
After 4–8 weeks, tighten to exact/phrase for high-value keywords you want to scale.

Starter negative keywords (examples):
DIY, how to, jobs, careers, materials, free, competitor names (if not bidding on competitor conquest), vacuum, cleaning supplies, cleaning tips

Maintain and expand your negative list from the Search terms report — this is where performance improves over weeks.

3 — Bidding & Budget (practical approach)

Begin with a data-collection phase:

Month 1: Max Clicks (or Maximize Clicks) to gather search behavior, volumes, and top performing terms.
Months 2–3: Move to conversion-focused bidding (Max Conversions, Target CPA) once you have consistent conversion data.

Budget rule of thumb:

Recommended minimum: ~$30/day (or roughly $900–$1,000/month). Smaller budgets often don’t give Google enough consistent data to optimize throughout the day.

Why: larger, steady budgets allow the campaign to run during more hours and collect meaningful conversion signals.

4 — Conversion Tracking (the non-negotiable part)

If you don’t track leads correctly, you can’t optimize.

Track at minimum:

Form submissions (via Thank You page or event snippet) — count each unique lead once.
Phone calls:
- Calls from the website (use call-tracking) and calls from call extensions/ad click-to-call.
- Count only qualified/meaningful calls (optionally set a minimum duration threshold — e.g., 60 seconds — to filter spam).

How to set up:

Install the global site tag / Google Tag (or via Google Tag Manager) on all pages.
Put the event snippet on the Thank You page to capture form fills.
Enable call tracking: use Google forwarding numbers (or a provider like CallRail / WhatConverts) so calls can be attributed to ads and keywords.

Tip: Mark “Primary” conversions (form submit, booked appointment, qualified calls) separately from secondary actions (button clicks). Use primary conversions for bidding.

5 — Landing Pages that Convert (40% of results)

Your landing page influences a large portion of outcomes. Build focused pages for each ad group / service + location.

Landing page checklist:

Clear headline with service + location (e.g., “Move-Out Cleaners in Seattle”).
Above-the-fold phone number + click-to-call button (mobile first).
Short benefit-driven subhead (insured, vetted staff, satisfaction guarantee).
Multi-step form (ask a couple of quick qualifying questions first → then contact details).
Social proof: local reviews, badges, short testimonials.
Visual trust: before/after photos, team photo, insurance/DBS badges.
Single CTA (Call Now / Get Free Quote).
Fast page speed and mobile optimized.

Multi-step forms increase perceived ease and improve lead quality — ask the basic question first (service type, property size) then contact details on next step.

6 — Ad Copy & Extensions (what to write)

Ad structure:

Use Responsive Search Ads: include up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions. Let Google mix & match.
Include keywords in headlines (service + location).
Callouts / Structured Snippets: “Insured staff,” “Same-day availability,” “Airbnb specialists,” “Satisfaction guarantee.”
Use a call extension so phone calls are one tap away on mobile.

Sample headline ideas:

“Move-Out Cleaning in [City] — Free Quote”
“Top Rated House Cleaners Near You”
“Same-Day Deep Cleaning — Book Today”

Descriptions should include a short value proposition and a clear CTA: “Get a free quote” / “Book a same-day clean.”

7 — Search Terms Report & Negative Keywords (weekly habits)

Check the Search terms report weekly (daily at campaign launch) and:

Add irrelevant terms to negatives.
Identify new high-intent phrases to add as exact/phrase keywords.
Look for competitor names and DIY queries to exclude.

This manual cleanup is where performance improves most quickly.

8 — Lead Follow-Up & Funnel (closing the loop)

Ads get leads — your process closes them.

Best practices:

Answer calls within the first minute; faster response = higher booking rate.
Use a CRM or WhatConverts / CallRail to log leads, source, and notes.
Confirm bookings with SMS / email and a reminder the day before.
Track show rate and close rate so you can calculate true CPL and LTV.

If your follow-up is slow or inconsistent, no amount of ad optimization will scale profitably.

9 — KPIs to Watch

Clicks / CPC — how much each click costs.
Conversion Rate (click → lead) — aim for ~20% or higher on well-targeted service + location traffic. (Lower rates indicate poor keyword alignment or landing page issues.)
Cost per Lead (CPL) — how much you pay per lead. Benchmark varies by market and service.
Lead-to-Booked Job % — determine your true cost per booked job.
ROAS or Profit per Job — calculate whether ad spend produces profitable jobs after labor and overhead.

Track both Google Ads metrics and downstream business outcomes.