Let me say something upfront that might save you a lot of money: Google Ads is almost never why your junk removal campaign is failing.

It’s the setup.

I’ve been managing Google Ads for local service businesses for over 8 years now, and junk removal is one of the niches that can scale fast — when the account structure is right. When it isn’t? Owners burn through their monthly budget in the first week, get two or three junk leads (none of which close), and then blame the platform.

I get it. But the platform isn’t the problem.

Here are the three fixes I’d make in a junk removal account today — in the exact order I’d make them.

1. Start with Local Services Ads, Not Search

If I had to pick one move for a junk removal business running Google Ads, this would be it.

Local Services Ads (LSAs) are a different animal from your standard Search campaign. Instead of paying per click, you pay per lead — meaning Google only charges you when someone actually reaches out. For a local service like junk removal, where intent is usually high and margins matter, that’s a much cleaner economic model.

The kicker? LSAs typically appear above traditional search ads. You’re looking at the very top of a Google search result, with a Google Guaranteed badge, your star rating, and your service area right there.

What you’ll need to get verified:

• A valid business license
• General liability insurance
• A background check (depending on your region)
• A clearly defined service area

Yes, it takes a bit more setup than a normal Search campaign. But once you’re live, you’re playing a different game than your competitors who are still fighting over cost-per-click.

2. Tighten Your Targeting and Actually Use Negative Keywords

This is where I see the most money quietly disappear.

A lot of junk removal accounts target the entire city — or worse, the entire metro area. That’s a budget-killer. You don’t want impressions; you want bookings in the neighborhoods your truck can actually get to.

Here’s what I’d do instead:

Tighten location targeting to your real service area. Not “Phoenix.” Maybe a specific radius around your base, or a handful of zip codes you know you can serve profitably.

Use phrase match, not broad. Terms like “junk removal near me” or “same day junk removal” catch the searches that convert. Broad match casts way too wide a net when the product is urgent and local.

Build a real negative keyword list. This is the step most owners skip, and it’s the single easiest way to save money:

• free (they’re not looking to pay)
• DIY (they’re removing it themselves)
• dumpster rental (different service entirely)
• scrap metal prices (they’re trying to sell junk, not remove it)
• how to (research, not ready-to-buy)

In a lot of local campaigns, just adding that list cuts a meaningful chunk of wasted spend. I’ve watched accounts drop their cost-per-lead significantly in a week from this change alone.

3. Stop Counting Every Call as a Conversion

This one’s a little nerdy, but it might be the single biggest mistake in junk removal accounts.

A lot of owners set up call tracking and mark every call as a conversion. Makes sense on the surface — a call is a lead, right?

Not really.

Here’s what actually happens: Someone clicks your ad, calls to ask if you haul mattresses (you do), gets your price, and hangs up in 20 seconds. Google counts that as a conversion. Then it goes and finds more people just like that — price-shoppers, tire kickers, questions-only callers. Your campaign “looks” great on paper while your actual job bookings stay flat.

The fix is simple: Only count calls over 60 seconds as a conversion.

Why 60 seconds? Because that’s roughly the threshold where a call stops being a price-shop and starts being a real conversation. Somebody asking for an estimate, scheduling a visit, working out a time. Those calls are where the money is.

Once you change your conversion action to track 60-second-plus calls, Google’s AI starts optimizing toward the traffic that actually closes. That one change rewires the whole algorithm in your favor.

The Real Takeaway

If your junk removal Google Ads campaign is leaking budget, I’d bet money one of these three is the culprit. LSAs aren’t turned on. Targeting is too wide. Or Google is being fed garbage conversion data and optimizing toward the wrong people.

Fix those three, and the same budget that was bleeding last month can start filling your calendar next month.

Want someone to actually do all this for your junk removal account?

I offer free Google Ads audits and full campaign management for local service businesses. If your setup needs a rebuild — LSAs, Search, negatives, call tracking — I can get it running the way it should be.

👉 Book a free audit on my Upwork profile