Trades and home services
Google Ads for trades: calls from the right postcodes at a price the job can carry
Google Ads for trades is about one thing: phone calls and enquiries from people in your area who need the job doing. We run search campaigns and Google Local Services Ads for plumbers, electricians, roofers, builders and other home services, with location set to where you work, calls tracked by length, and budget moved to the jobs and months that pay best.
In short
- Calls first, forms second
- Local Services Ads where eligible
- Budgets that follow the season
Not sure where to start? We review your account, tracking and landing pages first, in writing.
Emergency and planned work are different campaigns
| Emergency (burst pipe, no power, roof leak) | Planned (new bathroom, rewire, re-roof) | |
|---|---|---|
| Search behaviour | Now, on a phone, "near me" | Research over days or weeks, comparing quotes |
| What wins | Call ads, Local Services Ads, answering the phone | Detailed service pages, reviews, photos of past work |
| Schedule | Only when someone can take the call | All day, with forms and callbacks |
| Value | Smaller job, high conversion rate | Larger job, longer path to a sale |
Mixing the two in one campaign lets the cheaper, quicker conversions hide the cost of the others. We separate them so each has its own budget and target.
Local Services Ads for trades
Plumbing, electrical work, roofing and many other home services are eligible for Google Local Services Ads in the UK. They sit at the top of the page with a Google Verified badge once you pass screening, and you pay per lead. For most trades they are worth running beside search ads, as long as someone answers quickly: response time affects how often they are shown.
The details that waste the most money
- Location set to people interested in your area rather than in it, buying clicks from far outside where you work.
- Ads running overnight with nobody to answer the phone.
- Search terms for jobs you do not do, DIY advice, trade supplies and jobs and apprenticeships.
- Every call counted as a lead, including wrong numbers and suppliers.
Seasons
Demand for most trades moves with the weather and the calendar: boiler work in autumn and winter, roofing after storms, outdoor work in spring and summer. Budgets and ads move with it, and seasonal pages are ready before the rush rather than during it.
Related
Where this connects
Google Local Services Ads
The Google Verified listings above the ads, paid per lead rather than per click.
Local PPC and lead generation
Call and lead campaigns for businesses that serve a postcode, not a country.
Landing pages and CRO
The page the ad lands on, rebuilt and tested until more visitors become leads.
Bristol and the South West
Where we work, and how we work with businesses across the region.
Questions people ask us
Do Google Ads work for plumbers?
Yes, when the area and schedule are set properly and someone answers the phone. Emergency plumbing is one of the clearest cases for paid search because people search and call within minutes.
Should a tradesperson use Local Services Ads?
If your trade is eligible in your area, usually yes, alongside search ads. You pay per lead rather than per click, and the listings appear at the top of the page.
How do I stop paying for calls I cannot take?
Schedule ads for the hours someone can answer, use call-only or call-focused ads for emergencies, and count only calls over a set length as conversions.
How much should a trade spend on Google Ads?
Enough to get a readable number of clicks for your main jobs in your area each month. The cost per click varies widely by trade and town, so the audit estimates it from Keyword Planner and your own data first.
Stop guessing. Start scaling.
Find out where your paid advertising is losing money and where the next profitable campaign is hiding. The audit is free and you keep it whatever you decide.