Write Google Ads Copy That Filters Out Time-Wasters
If you have ever paid for a click that turned into a 20 minute phone call going nowhere, or a form enquiry from someone who just wanted "a rough idea" with no intention of booking, you already know the problem. Your ad copy is either too vague or too generic, so it pulls in anyone searching your keywords rather than the people who actually want and can afford what you do. Here is how to fix that, line by line.
Why your current ads might be attracting the wrong people
Most local service ads read like a list of services with no filter attached. "Plumber in Leeds, fast and reliable, call today" tells Google to show your ad to anyone searching for a plumber, including the person hoping for a €40 tap washer change when your minimum job is €150. The ad did its job, it got a click, but the click was never going to convert into paying work.
Good ad copy does two jobs at once: it pulls in the right person and it quietly puts off the wrong one, before either of you wastes any time.
Know the format you're working with
Most of your ad copy will sit inside a Responsive Search Ad. You get up to 15 headlines (30 characters each) and 4 descriptions (90 characters each), and Google mixes and matches these to show different combinations to different searchers. This means one thing: you cannot rely on a single clever headline to do all your filtering. You need several headlines doing different filtering jobs, because you don't control which ones appear together.
Use price signals honestly
This is the single biggest filter available to you. If your average job is €800, say so in some form.
- "Jobs from €500" or "Packages start at €750" as a headline tells a bargain hunter immediately this isn't for them.
- "Not the cheapest, here's why" works well for trades where quality matters, like roofing or electrical work, because it pre-empts the "why are you more expensive" objection before the call.
- If you genuinely offer a free survey or consultation, say what happens after it. For example, "Free survey, fixed quote within 48 hours" makes clear the free bit is a step towards a paid job, not the whole service.
Mentioning price will reduce your click volume. That is the point. Fewer clicks at a higher conversion rate almost always beats more clicks that go nowhere.
Name your ideal customer and job type
Vague copy attracts vague enquiries. Specific copy attracts specific enquiries.
- A dentist advertising "Invisalign for adults, Manchester" rather than "Dental treatments available" will get fewer clicks but far more of them from people who already know what Invisalign costs.
- A physio could use "Sports injury clinic, Bristol" rather than "Physiotherapy services," filtering out people looking for a quick NHS-style appointment.
- An electrician might write "Full rewires, EV chargers" instead of "Electrician, all jobs considered," which tends to invite small, low-value call-outs.
Naming the job type also helps your Quality Score, Google's measure of how relevant your ad is to the search term. The closer your copy matches the search, the cheaper your clicks tend to be over time.
Build urgency and process into the description lines
Descriptions have more room (90 characters) so use them to explain the process, which naturally filters out people who are not ready.
- "Send photos, get a fixed quote back same day, no site visit needed for small jobs" tells the reader exactly what happens and filters out anyone wanting to haggle in person.
- "We take on 4 new kitchen projects a month, book your design call now" signals scarcity and seriousness, which tends to repel people who are "just looking."
- "Serving homeowners within 15 miles of Guildford only" stops people outside your service area wasting a click, and stops you wasting a lead.
Use negative keywords alongside your copy
Ad copy filters people after the click. Negative keywords filter them before the click, which is cheaper and more effective. If you are a private dentist, add "nhs" and "free" as negatives. If you only do full bathroom refits, add "repair" and "cheap" if those bring in small jobs you don't want. Check your Search Terms report monthly — it is the single most underused tool for keeping your traffic clean.
Match the landing page to the promise
None of this works if your ad says "jobs from €500" and your landing page has no pricing context and a generic "get in touch" form. The person who clicked because of your honest pricing needs to see that same honesty on the page, with a short explanation of what's included, roughly how long the work takes, and a form that asks one or two qualifying questions, such as budget range or postcode, before they submit.
A simple before and after
❌ Before
✓ After
The second version will almost certainly get fewer clicks. It will also get far fewer people asking for a tap washer fixed for €40.
What to test and how often
Write 3 to 4 headline variations that lead with price or scope, and 3 to 4 that lead with process or area. Let the campaign run for at least 2 to 3 weeks, or roughly 100 clicks per ad group, before judging results. Google needs data to learn which combinations work. Check conversion rate on form submissions, not just click volume, since that's the number that actually tells you whether you're attracting payers or time-wasters.
The goal isn't the most clicks. It's the right clicks. A campaign with half the volume that books twice as many jobs is a better campaign. Ad copy that filters by price, area and job type is the most underrated way to get there.
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