Why We Ditched Google Ads (and What Works Better for Air Duct Cleaning Businesses)

Once Upon a Time, Google Ads Were a Goldmine…

When we first started running Google Local Services Ads (LSAs) in 2020, it felt like we had hit the jackpot.

✅ $30 per phone call
✅ High conversion rates
✅ A flood of new business

At the time, it seemed like all we needed to do was keep feeding Google money, and we’d keep growing. Easy, right?

Well… fast forward to 2025, and that “golden ticket” turned into a bottomless money pit.

What Happened?

By 2023, the cost per lead doubled to $60 per call. By 2025, when we finally pulled the plug on LSAs, we were paying $95 per call—and the leads were getting worse.

🔴 Instead of motivated homeowners needing air duct cleaning, we were flooded with people looking for cheap dryer vent cleanings (which barely cover the cost of doing business).

🔴 Instead of grateful customers, we were dealing with some of the angriest callers we’ve ever experienced—people yelling at our CSRs, accusing us of being "highway robbers" over our fair pricing.

🔴 Even if we converted every single dryer vent lead, the math didn’t make sense anymore. It was a losing game.

Back to the Basics: What Actually Works?

This challenge forced us to get back to what has always worked best: real business development and strong referral marketing.

📌 Building relationships with other local businesses
📌 Connecting with contractors, property managers, and home service pros
📌 Creating a structured, repeatable referral system

Before Google Ads got out of control, we were networking, but not in a systemized way. This challenge forced us to fix that.

How We Systemized Referrals for Massive Growth

Instead of paying Google $95 per call, we invested in our referral network:

• $50 off for referred customers

• $50 referral bonus for the person who sent them to us

🚀 The result? A 4X increase in referrals! 🚀

Suddenly, instead of chasing bad leads, we had motivated buyers again:
✅ People with real air duct problems (not just price shoppers)
✅ Homeowners who trust the person who referred them
✅ Happy customers who appreciate our service (instead of complaining about price)

What Bee’s Growth Partners Can Do for You

At Bee’s Growth Partners, we’ve taken what worked for us and turned it into a repeatable system for air duct cleaning businesses like yours.

We know referral marketing works—but setting up those relationships takes time. That’s where we come in.

💡 Your Growth Partner will set targeted meetings for you every week.
💡 You remain the face of the business—no cold calling required.
💡 We make the process reliable, repeatable, and scalable.

📢 Tired of expensive, low-quality leads? Let’s talk about how referral marketing can 4X your business!