Across the Ottawa-region trades cohort we work with (HVAC, plumbing, roofing, electrical), Local Service Ads cost-per-lead has risen 31% YoY while booked-appointment rate per LSA lead has dropped from 38% to 26%. The channel is saturating. Here's how operators are responding.
Three things: (1) more LSA-eligible advertisers in every Ottawa zip code, (2) Google has tightened the verified-business pool less than expected, allowing weaker advertisers to compete on price, (3) seasonal demand has shifted earlier in the year, compressing the booking window.
The drop in booked-appointment rate isn't a Google problem — it's an intake problem. Most operators we audit have not updated their LSA bidding, qualification questions, or after-hours intake script in 18+ months. The competitive bar has moved.
(1) Re-write LSA descriptions to specify service area + differentiator (warranty terms, financing, response time). (2) Add intake qualification questions to filter low-intent leads. (3) Pair LSA with a stronger Local SEO + Map Pack program — the operators who hold top-3 Map Pack on top of LSA are seeing combined CPL drop 40-50% vs LSA-alone competitors.
Ottawa trades LSA CPL is up 31% YoY in early 2026.
Booked-appointment rate per LSA lead dropped from 38% to 26%.
Pairing LSA with a top-3 Map Pack position drops blended CPL 40-50%.
Updated intake qualification questions are the highest-leverage 30-min change.