Google Ads is one of the most effective lead generation channels for tradespeople, and the reason is simple: intent. When someone types "emergency plumber near me" or "electrician in Croydon" into Google, they are not browsing. They have a problem and they need it fixed now. That is the kind of customer you want, and Google Ads puts you directly in front of them at the exact moment they are looking.
The problem is that most tradespeople either avoid Google Ads because they think it is too expensive, or they try it once, waste a few hundred pounds, and give up. Neither of those outcomes is necessary. With the right setup, you can consistently generate leads for under £20 each. Here is how.
Why Google Ads Works for Trades
Unlike social media advertising where you are interrupting people whilst they scroll through photos and videos, Google Ads captures people at the point of intent. Someone searching "boiler repair South London" needs a boiler engineer today. Someone searching "garden fence installation near me" wants a quote this week.
This is why the conversion rates for trades-related Google Ads are significantly higher than social media ads. A well-run Google Ads campaign for a tradesperson typically converts between 5% and 15% of clicks into enquiries. Compare that to Facebook Ads, where 1-3% is considered good. The cost per click is higher on Google, but the cost per actual lead is usually lower because the people clicking are ready to hire.
Campaign Structure: One Campaign Per Service
The biggest mistake tradespeople make with Google Ads is lumping everything into one campaign. If you are a plumber who does boiler installations, bathroom fitting, and emergency repairs, those are three very different services with different customer intent and different price points. They need separate campaigns.
Here is a simple structure that works:
- Campaign 1: Boiler Installation- Keywords like "boiler installation [area]," "new boiler quote," "boiler replacement cost." These leads are high value because the average boiler installation is £2,000-4,000.
- Campaign 2: Emergency Plumbing- Keywords like "emergency plumber near me," "burst pipe plumber," "24 hour plumber [area]." These leads are urgent and convert fast, but the job value is lower.
- Campaign 3: Bathroom Fitting- Keywords like "bathroom fitter [area]," "bathroom renovation quote," "bathroom installation cost." High-value project work.
This structure lets you control your budget per service, write ads that match the specific search intent, and see which services are generating the best return.
Location Targeting: Your Service Radius
As a tradesperson, you do not want your ads showing to people 50 miles away. Set your location targeting to only show ads within the areas you actually serve. Google lets you target by:
- Radius around a postcode (e.g., 15 miles from your base)
- Specific towns or cities
- Postcode areas
Important: change the location setting from "Presence or interest" to "Presence only." The default setting shows your ads to people who are "interested in" your area, which means someone in Manchester researching plumbers in London could see your ad. You only want people who are physically in your service area.
Call-Only Ads: Perfect for Trades
Call-only ads are designed specifically for mobile users. Instead of sending people to a website, clicking the ad dials your phone number directly. For tradespeople, this is often the most effective ad format because:
- Most trade searches happen on mobile
- Customers with urgent problems want to speak to someone immediately
- You skip the website entirely, which means no lost leads from slow pages or confusing navigation
- You can answer the phone, qualify the lead, and book the job in one conversation
Run call-only ads alongside your regular search ads. For emergency services especially, call-only ads consistently outperform standard text ads in terms of cost per lead.
Ad Scheduling: When People Search for Trades
You do not need your ads running 24/7. Most trade-related searches happen during specific windows:
- Early morning (6am-9am): People discover problems before work. A broken boiler, a leaking tap, a power cut.
- Lunchtime (12pm-2pm): People search during their break for non-emergency services like quotes and estimates.
- Evening (5pm-9pm): The biggest window. People get home, notice problems, and start searching.
- Weekends: High volume for home improvement searches. Landscaping, decorating, and renovation queries spike on Saturday mornings.
Use ad scheduling to increase your bids during peak hours and reduce them during quiet periods. If you are a one-person operation and cannot answer the phone during the day because you are on a job, schedule your ads for evenings and weekends only. There is no point paying for calls you cannot answer.
Negative Keywords: Stop Wasting Money
Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant searches. Without them, you will waste a significant portion of your budget on clicks that will never convert. For tradespeople, add these negative keywords immediately:
- DIY: "how to fix a boiler DIY," "DIY plumbing," "fix it yourself"
- Jobs: "plumber jobs," "electrician vacancy," "tradesman apprenticeship"
- Free: "free plumber," "free quote" (unless you want to attract quote seekers)
- Salary: "plumber salary," "how much do electricians earn"
- Course/training: "plumbing course," "electrician training"
- Complaints: "plumber complaint," "trading standards"
Check your search terms report weekly for the first month and add new negative keywords as you spot irrelevant searches. This single habit can reduce your wasted spend by 20-40%.
Landing Pages: One Page Per Service
Do not send all your ad traffic to your homepage. If someone searches "boiler installation Bromley" and clicks your ad, they should land on a page specifically about boiler installation in the Bromley area. The page should include:
- A clear headline matching the search: "Boiler Installation in Bromley"
- Your phone number prominently displayed with a click-to-call button
- A simple contact form (name, phone, brief description)
- Photos of your work
- Your Google review rating and count
- Key information: areas covered, response times, qualifications
Google rewards relevance. A landing page that closely matches the search term gets a higher Quality Score, which means you pay less per click and your ads appear in better positions. A dedicated landing page for each service campaign is one of the easiest ways to reduce your cost per lead.
Measuring Cost Per Lead
You need to track two things: phone calls and form submissions. Set up conversion tracking in Google Ads for both. Google provides a call tracking number that you place on your landing page, which records when someone calls from an ad. Form submissions should fire a conversion event when someone completes your contact form.
Once tracking is in place, your cost per lead is simple: total ad spend divided by total conversions. For most trades, a healthy cost per lead is:
- Emergency services: £8-15 per lead
- Maintenance and repairs: £10-20 per lead
- High-value projects (kitchens, bathrooms, extensions): £15-30 per lead
If a boiler installation is worth £3,000 and you convert one in four leads into a job, you can afford to spend £75 acquiring those four leads. At £20 per lead, that is £80 in ad spend for a £3,000 job. The maths works.
Budget: £300-800 Per Month
For most tradespeople, a monthly Google Ads budget of £300-800 is the sweet spot. Here is how to think about it:
- £300/month: Good starting point. Enough to test one or two campaigns, gather data, and start generating leads. You might get 15-30 leads per month at this level.
- £500/month: The comfortable middle ground. Enough to run three or four campaigns, cover your main service areas, and maintain consistent visibility. Expect 25-50 leads per month.
- £800/month: For tradespeople who are scaling. Multiple campaigns across services and locations, competitive bidding, and strong lead flow. 40-80+ leads per month.
Start at the lower end. Run for four to six weeks, measure your cost per lead, and scale up the campaigns that are performing well. Cut the ones that are not. Google Ads is not a set-and-forget platform. You need to review performance weekly for the first two months, then fortnightly once things stabilise.
Google Local Services Ads: The Alternative
If managing campaigns feels like too much, Google Local Services Ads (LSAs) are a simpler alternative. You pay per lead instead of per click, your ad sits at the very top of search results with a green "Google Guaranteed" badge, and Google handles most of the targeting for you.
LSAs cost £15-40 per lead depending on your trade and location. You can set a weekly budget and dispute leads that were spam or irrelevant. The setup requires background checks and insurance verification, but once approved, it is one of the easiest ways to get trade leads from Google.
Many tradespeople run both LSAs and regular Google Ads. LSAs capture the top-of-page position, while regular search ads capture everyone else. Together, they can dominate the entire first page for your target keywords.
Your Google Ads Checklist
- Create separate campaigns for each service you offer.
- Set location targeting to your service area only, using "Presence only."
- Set up call-only ads alongside your regular search ads.
- Add your negative keywords list before launching.
- Schedule ads for the hours you can actually answer the phone.
- Build a dedicated landing page for each campaign.
- Set up conversion tracking for calls and form submissions.
- Start with £300/month and review weekly for the first six weeks.
- Check your search terms report every week and add new negative keywords.
- Consider applying for Google Local Services Ads for the Google Guaranteed badge.
Ready to build your own lead pipeline?
Our Trades Marketing course covers Google Ads, local SEO, social media, and review management in one structured curriculum. Start for free.
Explore Trades Marketing Course