Trade searches carry unusually high intent. Someone searching for an emergency plumber is not researching, they are about to call somebody. That makes ads effective for trades, and it also makes them expensive, because every competitor knows the same thing.
What makes trade ads work
The fundamentals matter more than clever tactics in this category.
- Call extensions and call-only ads, because most trade enquiries are phone calls
- Tight geo-targeting to the areas you actually travel to
- Ad scheduling matched to when you can actually answer
- Negative keywords for DIY searches — “how to fix” traffic never converts
- Separate campaigns per service, since emergency and planned work behave differently
Emergency versus planned work
Emergency searches convert immediately and tolerate high click costs because the job is booked within the hour. Planned work — renovations, installations, upgrades — has a longer decision cycle and lower conversion, so it warrants different bids and different messaging. Running both in one campaign means the emergency traffic subsidises the planned traffic invisibly.
The DIY problem
A large share of trade search volume is people trying to fix it themselves. Without a solid negative keyword list you pay for all of it. “How to”, “DIY”, “yourself”, “tutorial” and similar should be excluded from day one.
When SEO is better value
If your work is planned rather than urgent, SEO usually delivers better economics over time. Ads suit emergency and high-urgency services where being first at the moment of need is what wins the job.
Frequently asked questions
Do Google Ads work for tradies?
Yes, particularly for emergency and urgent services where the searcher books immediately. Planned work often does better through SEO.
How much do trade Google Ads cost per click?
It varies by trade and city. Emergency plumbing and electrical sit at the higher end; planned services are cheaper.
Should I use call-only ads?
For emergency services, often yes. Most urgent trade enquiries are phone calls and removing the website step reduces drop-off.
What negative keywords should tradies use?
Anything indicating DIY intent — how to, DIY, yourself, tutorial, diagram — plus job seeker terms like apprentice, jobs and salary.
Related services
Worth reading: How to rank higher on Google Business Profile, What is a landing page?, What makes a good website?
Get in touch
Tell us what you sell and what a customer is worth to you. We will tell you honestly whether this is the right channel.