Google Ads · Trades Google Ads for tradies.
Local Google Ads for trade businesses, built around the jobs you want and the areas you service.
Local Google Ads for trade businesses, built around the jobs you want and the areas you service.
Most trade enquiries start with a local search.
Someone needs a plumber, electrician, roofer, air conditioning technician or builder and searches for a business nearby. For some jobs, they need someone today. For others, they're collecting quotes and comparing businesses over several weeks.
Google Ads can put your business in front of those searches, but getting the click is only part of the job.
The campaign needs to reach the suburbs you service, for the jobs you want, whether that’s emergency call-outs, routine work or larger quoted jobs. It also needs to account for when you can answer the phone and whether a lead is worth sending to the business.
We build trade campaigns around those practical details, for trade businesses across Australia.
Local ads, sensible targeting and tracking that connects enquiries back to the advertising.
A trade campaign shouldn't be measured only by clicks or form submissions.
For many businesses, the most valuable conversion is a phone call from someone who needs the service, is within the service area and is ready to book or request a quote.
We look at:
The aim is enquiries the business can service, rather than more calls.
Different trades have very different search behaviour.
An emergency plumber has a very different customer journey from a builder quoting a renovation, and a solar installer has different seasonal demand from a pest control business.
Plumbers, electricians and locksmiths can receive highly time-sensitive searches.
Terms such as “emergency”, “after hours” and “24 hour” can indicate someone who is ready to call immediately.
Those searches are valuable when the business can answer and attend. There's little benefit in paying for an emergency enquiry at 2am if nobody is available to take it.
Builders, renovators and larger trade businesses often deal with longer sales cycles.
A potential customer may contact several businesses, request quotes and take weeks or months to decide.
The campaign therefore needs to focus on the types of projects the business wants to quote rather than generating as many enquiries as possible.
Roofing, gutters, painting and exterior restoration can have strong weather-driven demand.
Storms can produce a sudden increase in searches and enquiries, while demand can be more consistent during the rest of the year.
Campaigns can be adjusted around capacity and the types of work the business wants to take on.
Air conditioning searches can become highly seasonal, particularly when demand increases during periods of extreme weather.
Solar demand can also change with electricity prices, incentives and other market conditions.
The campaign needs to account for those changes rather than assuming search volume stays consistent throughout the year.
Landscaping, concreting, fencing and outdoor construction often have strong seasonal patterns.
A landscaping business may want more substantial design and construction projects rather than small maintenance jobs.
Campaign structure can reflect the type and value of work the business is set up to deliver.
Cleaning and pest control can generate repeat business, making customer value different from a one-off service call.
Where repeat bookings are important to the business, they should be considered when assessing what a new customer is worth.
When someone searches “plumber near me” or “electrician in Parramatta”, Google often gives the local map results as much room as the ads.
Your Business Profile stays with you. What matters for the ads is that the profile, your website and the campaigns agree on phone number, hours and service area, so nobody calls the wrong number or a business that doesn't cover their suburb.
For many tradies, the phone is the most important conversion.
Google Ads allows campaigns to be scheduled around the hours you want to receive calls. Call assets can also be used to make it easier for people to call directly from an ad when that option is available.
This can be particularly useful for businesses that:
There is one important distinction.
A phone number that is permanently displayed on your website is still visible regardless of your Google Ads schedule.
The right setup depends on how the business handles enquiries.
Some trade and building work is subject to licensing and advertising requirements.
For example, businesses carrying out licensed building work in NSW need to make sure their advertising represents the relevant licence information correctly.
The relevant requirements are considered when setting up ads and landing pages.
The business remains responsible for its licensing and regulatory obligations, including ensuring that any licence information used in advertising is accurate and current.
Local search results can contain businesses that don't operate in quite the way a customer expects.
Some websites and lead-generation businesses collect enquiries and pass them on to tradespeople rather than carrying out the work themselves. That can make the search results confusing for someone simply trying to find a local tradie.
A real trade business doesn't necessarily need the most polished website in the market. It does need to make the basics clear:
Google Ads can then put that business in front of people already searching for those services. Landing pages →
Getting more calls isn't necessarily getting better leads.
A plumber might receive calls for jobs outside the service area. A builder might get enquiries for projects far below the type of work they take on. An electrician might pay for searches from people looking for DIY information.
Search terms, negative keywords, location targeting, ad copy and landing pages all play a role in filtering those enquiries.
A campaign can perform well on paper while wasting money outside the hours the business can handle enquiries.
Call scheduling and conversion tracking should reflect the real operating hours of the business.
We work with tradies and home service businesses that have a defined service area, clear services and a way to handle the enquiries generated by advertising.
This can include:
It depends on the trade, the area and the competition. Ad spend is paid to Google, and management is a flat monthly fee agreed upfront.
Yes. Campaigns can be set up around the suburbs, postcodes or areas you service, and leave out the areas you don't.
Ad copy and landing pages can also make your service area clear, so people outside it are less likely to call.
You can, but only if someone answers. For real emergency work, after-hours ads can make sense. If calls wait until morning, a 2am click is wasted.
ReadFrom Kitchens to PoolsCan AI run Google Ads? A kitchen renovation campaign, built in minutes, that ends in pool installation.Read the post
Nothing changes in your account without your say. You get the findings, and you decide what happens next.
Platapode specialises in Google Ads.
Based in Sydney, NSW, working with businesses across Australia and overseas.
