Google Ads for UK tradespeople: Setup, costs and Local Services Ads
A well-built Google Ads account sends enquiries to you alone. A badly built one pays for clicks from people looking for jobs and DIY videos.
Google Ads lets a UK tradesperson appear at the top of the results for the jobs and areas they choose, and pay only when someone clicks. It works best when it is set up carefully and checked every week.
Search ads and Local Services Ads
Search ads are text ads that appear for the searches you choose. You set the keywords, budget, schedule and areas. Local Services Ads appear above them for some searches, show a verification badge and charge per lead. In the UK they are only available for certain service categories, so check eligibility for your trade and area first. See our Local Services Ads guide and how the two compare.
Structure by job type
A plumber might run separate campaigns for emergency call-outs, boiler installation and bathroom fitting. Each has its own keywords, ads and page. This lets you spend more on profitable work and schedule urgent campaigns for when you can answer the phone. See Google Ads for plumbers for a detailed example.
Target the postcodes you cover
Set your locations to the towns or postcode districts you serve. In location settings, choose to show ads to people in or regularly in your areas, rather than people who have shown interest in them. Lower bids or remove areas where travel makes jobs unprofitable.
Block wasted searches
Add negative keywords before you launch: jobs, apprenticeship, course, salary, DIY, how to, B&Q, Screwfix, parts and free. Review the search terms report every week and add more. See negative keywords for service businesses.
Calls and tracking
Most trade enquiries arrive by phone. Add a call asset to every campaign, track calls from ads and your website, and record which calls became jobs. See call tracking and missed call text back.
Landing pages that build trust
Send each campaign to a page about that job, with your phone number at the top, photos of real work, reviews, the areas you cover and your accreditations, such as Gas Safe, NICEIC or TrustMark. See our landing page checklist.
Setting a budget in pounds
Illustrative example
These numbers are invented to show the method.
A roofer's average repair job is worth £450 and they win 1 in 3 enquiries. If clicks cost around £4 and 1 in 8 clicks becomes an enquiry, each enquiry costs about £32 and each job about £96. A £600 monthly budget would buy roughly 150 clicks, 19 enquiries and 6 jobs.
Start with a budget you can hold for three months, so the account has time to learn. See how much Google Ads costs for the method in more detail.
Common mistakes
- One campaign for every service and area.
- Sending ads to the home page.
- Broad match keywords without negatives.
- No call tracking, so nobody knows which ads bring jobs.
Where to start
Pick your most profitable job and your core postcodes. Build one campaign and one page for them, add call tracking and review search terms every week for a month.
Our Google Ads management works with UK trades. Read lead generation for UK tradespeople and how UK trade platforms compare, or request a free audit.
Questions owners ask
Is Google Ads worth it for tradesmen in the UK?
Usually, yes, when campaigns are split by job type, targeted to the postcodes you cover and protected with negative keywords. Enquiries come to you alone, not to a list of competitors.
How much should a tradesman spend on Google Ads?
Work backwards from your job value, win rate and click costs. Many trades start with a few hundred pounds a month on one job type and increase once they can see which clicks become jobs.
Are Local Services Ads available in the UK?
Yes, for certain service categories. Check eligibility for your trade and area in Google's Local Services Ads help centre.
Sources
Want us to look at your own numbers?
Get a free lead generation audit. We will review your ads, landing pages and tracking, and show you where enquiries are slipping away. If nothing is broken, we will tell you that too.
LeadWise MarketingAn owner-operated lead generation agency based in Cape Town, South Africa, working with service businesses across the United States and Europe. More about LeadWise.
