Google Ads for Tradespeople: A Beginner's Guide That Won't Waste Your Budget

By the Oski Marketing team · Updated 5 October 2026 · 6 min read

Google Ads work for tradespeople when you run a Search campaign only, target people who are actually in your area, bid on specific job searches, block irrelevant searches with negative keywords, show a call button only when you can answer, and track calls as conversions. Start with one service and a small daily budget, then judge results by booked jobs.

Which type of Google Ads campaign should a tradesperson use?

Start with a Search campaign, which shows text ads when someone types a search like "boiler repair Sutton". Searchers have a problem right now, which suits trades far better than banner ads on websites or videos.

When you create the campaign, check the network settings. Google's help page on the Search Network says search partners are included by default when you create a Search campaign. Untick "Include Google search partners" and "Include Google Display Network" for your first campaign, so every pound goes on Google Search itself. You can test partners later once you have tracking data.

How do you target only your service area?

Set your location targeting to the towns or a radius you actually cover, then change the location option to "Presence". Google's advanced location options explain that the default, "Presence or interest", reaches people in your area and also people who have shown interest in it. "Presence" limits ads to people who are likely to be in, or regularly in, the locations you chose.

For an emergency locksmith in Hackney, interest from someone in Leeds who once looked up Hackney is wasted money. Choose Presence, draw the area around where you can reach within your promised arrival time, and exclude areas you never travel to.

Which keywords should a tradesperson bid on?

Bid on searches that describe a job you want, in words customers use. Group them by service, one ad group each, so the ad matches the search:

Google's keyword matching options page describes three match types. Exact match shows ads on searches with the same meaning or intent as the keyword, phrase match on searches that include its meaning, and broad match on related searches that may not contain your words at all. For a small first campaign, start with phrase and exact match so you keep control, and only test broad match once conversion tracking is working, which is how Google itself recommends using it (with Smart Bidding).

What negative keywords should trades add?

Negative keywords stop your ads showing for searches you do not want. Add a starter list before you launch:

• Jobs and training: jobs, vacancies, salary, apprenticeship, course, training, qualification
• DIY: how to, diy, video, youtube, myself, parts, tools
• Wrong service or customer: wholesale, trade counter, supplier and DIY shop names, free
• Places you do not cover

Google's negative keywords help page has an important catch: negative keywords do not match close variants, so you need to add plurals and synonyms yourself ("course" and "courses", "job" and "jobs").

Then, every week, open the search terms report, which shows the real searches that triggered your ads, and add anything irrelevant as a negative. This one habit saves more money than any other setting.

How do you get calls, not just clicks?

Add a call asset so your phone number shows with the ad. Google's call assets page explains that on mobile a call button appears under the ad, a call from that button costs the same as a click on the headline, and you can schedule the number to show only during your business hours. Schedule it for the hours someone can genuinely pick up.

Use an ad schedule for the whole campaign as well, so ads run when you can respond. If nobody answers at 10pm, either turn ads off then or send them to a page with a form and a clear reply time. Our guide to missed calls explains why this matters.

Send website clicks to the page for that service, not your homepage. A boiler repair ad should land on a boiler repair page with the phone number at the top.

How do you track which ads bring in jobs?

Turn on phone call conversion tracking before spending anything meaningful. Google's call conversion tracking page lists several ways to count calls, including calls from ads (from call assets) and calls to a forwarding number shown on your website after someone clicks your ad. For both, you set a minimum call length, so short calls and wrong numbers do not count.

Pick a minimum length that matches a real enquiry for your trade, track form submissions too, and once a month compare conversions in Google Ads with the jobs in your diary. If you cannot tell which ads bring work, you cannot tell which to stop.

What should a first month look like?

1. Launch one Search campaign with one or two ad groups for your most profitable job.
2. Set Presence targeting, your hours, a call asset and call tracking.
3. Add the starter negative list.
4. Check the search terms report twice a week for the first month.
5. At the end of the month, count booked jobs and the cost of each.
6. Only then add services, raise the budget or test other match types.

If you would rather hand it over, Oski Marketing manages Google Ads from £600 a month plus your ad spend, which you pay to Google directly, on a rolling contract. Our guide to Google Ads management costs explains what you should get for that, and the common mistakes guide is worth reading either way.

What to do this week

• Write down your three most profitable job types and the area you can reach quickly.
• Draft a negative keyword list, including plurals.
• Check that each main service has its own page with the phone number at the top.
• Decide your genuine answering hours for the call asset schedule.
• If you already run ads, open the search terms report and add five negatives.