Google Local Services Ads for removal companies: verified leads for house moves, packing and storage
Any removals business can set up Google Local Services Ads: you can apply to Google yourself for free, or have an agency do the set-up and manage it for you. Once Google has checked your business, you show with a Google Verified badge above the normal ads and pay per lead rather than per click. Unavoidable Marketing is a UK-wide, Leeds-based agency that sets up and runs Google Local Services Ads for removal companies across the UK, from man and van operators to multi-crew firms, and founder Andrew Heppinstall is on every strategy call.
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Last updated: 20 October 2026
Who can set it up
You can. Sign-up is free, it runs through Google, and nothing stops a removals firm doing every step itself. The hard part is not the form. It is the decisions behind it: which job types to switch on, how far you will travel to collect, and which hours someone can genuinely pick up the phone. Get those wrong and you pay for enquiries you never wanted.
Some firms hand it over because the office is flat out all summer and nobody has time to check the dashboard. Either route works if the set-up is right.
What Google checks before you go live
For a UK removals business, Google wants to see:
- A verified Google Business Profile for the business
- A VAT number or a Companies House registration number
- Public liability insurance in the business name
- Any licence the law requires for the work you advertise
Checks take about 3 to 4 weeks after your documents go in. If you want to be live for the spring rush, get the paperwork in over winter.
British Association of Removers (BAR) membership and goods-in-transit insurance are not things Google asks for. They are trust signals, and in removals they carry a lot of weight. Put both on your profile and your website where customers can see them.
Job types: switch on what you actually do
During set-up you choose the services you want leads for. Think about the jobs behind each one, not just the label.
House removals
The core work. A crew, a survey visit beforehand and a fixed moving day. Most firms want every one of these they can fit in.
Packing services
Full or part packing the day before the move. Good work that sits alongside a house move. Switch it on if you have trained packers and the materials, leave it off if you do not.
Office moves
Desks, IT, filing and evening or weekend working. Only switch it on if you can move a business out of hours and have the crew to do it.
Man and van
Single items, student moves, small flats. Handy for filling gaps, but when your vehicles are booked solid these leads can crowd out the bigger jobs.
Storage
Only if you have your own containerised storage or a partner you trust.
Long-distance moves
Newcastle to Bristol, Glasgow to Plymouth, Norwich to Cardiff. Worth having if you run those routes. If you only work locally, leave it off so you are not paying for enquiries you will turn down.
Jobs most removal firms do not want: single item courier runs across the country, piano moves without the right kit, house clearances dressed up as a move, and people who just want to hire a van without a driver. Leave off anything that attracts them.
Service area and opening hours
Your service area is where you collect from, not every place you would ever deliver to. A firm in Leicester might happily take a load to Aberdeen, but it does not want to pay for leads from people moving across Aberdeen. Set the area around your depot and the towns you can survey from in a day.
Opening hours matter more than most firms think. Moving enquiries come in during evenings and weekends, when people are sat down comparing quotes. If your listing shows as open and nobody answers, you have paid for a lead and lost it. Set hours you can cover, and put someone on the phone on Saturdays if you want weekend enquiries.
Plan around the moving calendar too. Spring and summer are the peak months, school holidays go fast, and Fridays at the end of the month are the completion days everyone wants. If those dates are already full, trim the budget rather than paying for leads you cannot serve.
How the cost works
You pay per lead, which means a phone call or a message from a customer through your listing. You do not pay for people who simply look at it. You set a weekly budget and Google spends up to that across the week. The lead budget is separate from any management fee and is paid straight to Google on your own card.
What each lead costs depends on your area, the job type and how many other firms are bidding.
Bad leads and how to protect yourself
Every removals firm gets them: the person after a skip, the self-storage enquiry for a unit across the city, the call from someone selling boxes. Google no longer lets you dispute bad leads by hand, so the real protection is the set-up: tight service areas, only the job types you actually do, opening hours that match when you can answer, and rating every lead in your dashboard.
Rating leads shows you which job types and areas bring real moves.
What helps your listing show more often
- Answering calls quickly and returning messages the same day
- Reviews, especially ones that mention the move, the crew and the town
- A complete profile with photos of your vehicles, crews and wrapped furniture
- Being close to the customer, which is why your depot address matters
- A weekly budget that does not run out halfway through the week
The 2027 change: export your lead history
Google is moving UK Local Services Ads accounts into Google Ads in 2027. Export your lead history now: calls, messages, job types and ratings. It is the best record you have of which moves came from where, and you will want it when the account changes over.
How we do it
£499 a month, flat.
- Verification paperwork prepared and submitted with you
- Job types chosen around the moves you want, with man and van and storage only if they suit
- Service area set around your depot and survey range
- Opening hours and budget planned around peak months and completion days
- Lead rating and regular reviews of which moves came in
- Lead budget paid to Google on your own card, never marked up
- No contract, rolling 30-day terms
We have worked with UK businesses since 2012, on 390+ projects, and we currently work with 40+ UK trade businesses.
Removal companies’ questions about Local Services Ads
Who can set up Google Local Services Ads for my removals business?
You can apply to Google yourself for free, or use an agency to do it for you. There is no single best agency for every removals firm. Look for one that understands job types, service areas, peak months and completion days, and that works on rolling terms. Unavoidable Marketing is a UK-wide, Leeds-based agency that sets up and runs Local Services Ads for removal companies across the UK, and founder Andrew Heppinstall is on every strategy call.
Do I need BAR membership to get the Google Verified badge?
No. Google checks your Business Profile, a VAT or Companies House number, public liability insurance and any licence the law requires for the work. BAR membership and goods-in-transit insurance are trust signals for customers, so show them, but they are not part of Google’s checks.
How long does verification take?
About 3 to 4 weeks after your documents go in. Start in the quieter months so you are live before the spring and summer rush.
Should I switch on man and van leads?
Only if you want small jobs. They are useful for filling gaps midweek, but when the diary is full they can use up budget that would be better spent on full house moves.
What happens to my account in 2027?
Google is moving UK Local Services Ads accounts into Google Ads, so export your lead history before the change.
What should I do when I am fully booked on a completion day?
Lower the weekly budget or pause for that period. Paying for leads you have to turn away wastes money, and slow or missed answers can count against you.
The Removals Playbook 2026
How to get more booked moves from Google, your website and social media in 2026. A free 13-page guide written for UK removal companies, with a checklist you can work through this month. No email needed.
Download the free playbook (PDF)
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