Google channels diverged on paying customers, average ticket in Q1: Analysis

Google’s primary lead generation channels, from Business Profiles to Local Services Ads, in the first quarter of this year told different stories, according to an analysis of HVAC, plumbing, and electrical contractor data shared with Homepros. 

What’s happening: The data, provided by analytics firm SearchLight, compares two metrics — the average number of paying customers per contractor and average ticket size — to Q1 2025, across samples ranging from roughly 860 to just over 1,000 U.S. contractors, by channel.

Local Services Ads (LSA)

• The standout channel on volume.

Google Ads (PPC)

• Steady volume gain, negligible ticket change.

Google Business Profile (GBP)

• The only channel that gained on average ticket.

Organic Search

• The only channel that declined on both metrics.

The big picture: Google Business Profiles (GBP) lost volume effectiveness compared to last year, but delivered customers who spent more; meanwhile, LSAs and Google Ads delivered more paying customer volume but at roughly flat to slightly lower tickets. No channel improved on both metrics, year-over-year, according to the data. 

• Of note: The “average paying customers per contractor” figure — which reflects those who paid during the period — was calculated to account for the annual growth in contractor samples SearchLight observed. 

What we’re watching: AI search channels, including ChatGPT, were also part of the data. 

• The average number of paying customers per contractor from ChatGPT grew by over 250 percent year-over-year during the quarter; however, raw volume remains just a fraction of Google’s. (AI search attribution also remains imperfect.)
• Despite ChatGPT’s rise in popularity, 556 contractors had a total of 247 paying customers from ChatGPT, compared to 864 contractors with 78,400 paying customers from LSAs.