Google Ads for UK Trades: The Complete Guide

Google Ads puts your business at the very top of Google when someone searches for what you do. Unlike SEO or Google Maps, which take months to build up, ads can start bringing in calls from day one. That's the appeal. But it's not quite as simple as throwing money at Google and watching the phone ring.

The way it works is straightforward enough. Someone in your area searches "emergency plumber near me" or "electrician in Manchester." Google shows your ad above the organic results. If they click, you pay. If they don't, you don't. You only pay when someone actually visits your site or calls you from the ad. The cost per click varies by trade and area — a plumber in London might pay £15-25 per click, while a landscaper in a smaller town might pay £3-5. We've broken down the numbers by trade and region in several of the articles below.

What makes Google Ads particularly effective for trades is intent. Someone searching "boiler repair near me" isn't browsing — they need someone now. That's fundamentally different from a Facebook ad that interrupts someone scrolling through photos of their mate's holiday. With Google Ads, you're catching people at the exact moment they need your service. That's why conversion rates for trade searches tend to be significantly higher than other forms of advertising.

The biggest mistake we see tradespeople make is setting up a campaign without the right foundations. Your landing page matters enormously. If someone clicks your ad and lands on a slow, cluttered website with no phone number visible, you've just paid for a click that went nowhere. Your Google Business Profile matters too — ads and Maps listings work together, and having strong reviews builds the trust that turns a click into a call.

Budget is the question everyone asks first. For most trades in the UK, you can run a meaningful campaign for £300-600 a month. Some trades in competitive areas might need more. The key isn't how much you spend — it's how efficiently you spend it. A well-managed campaign at £400 a month will outperform a poorly managed one at £1,000 a month, every time. We've seen tradespeople get their cost per lead down to £15-20 with proper setup, while others burn through £50+ per lead because nobody's watching the account.

Negative keywords are one of the most important and most overlooked parts of running ads for trades. Without them, you'll pay for clicks from people searching for jobs, DIY tutorials, or services you don't offer. A heating engineer who doesn't add "jobs" as a negative keyword will pay for every recruitment search that triggers their ad. We've written specifically about this because it's where most of the wasted spend happens.

The articles below cover everything from deciding whether ads are right for your business, to setting up your first campaign, to advanced strategies for getting more from what you're already spending. They're written for tradespeople, not marketing professionals — no jargon, just practical advice you can actually use.

One thing worth being upfront about: Google Ads isn't magic. It works brilliantly when done properly, but it requires ongoing attention. Search terms change, competitors adjust their bids, and Google regularly tweaks how ads work. A "set and forget" approach will cost you money. That said, for most trades, a well-run Google Ads campaign is the fastest way to get more calls and enquiries from people who are actively looking for what you do.