Google Ads for Tradies: Costs, Tracking and What Works

Google Ads can put a tradie at the top of the page for someone searching "emergency plumber" right now. It can also burn a monthly budget on clicks that never call. The difference is rarely the ad itself: it is whether you track calls and forms, target the right suburbs, block the wrong searches and answer the phone. This guide covers how it works, what sources say it costs, the tracking to set up first, and why unanswered calls are the most expensive mistake.

1. Search ads or Local Services Ads?

• Search ads: text ads on Google when someone searches a term such as "electrician near me". You pay per click, whether or not they call.
• Local Services Ads: a pay-per-lead format shown at the top of results, where you pay when someone contacts you, after passing Google's verification. They are presented as lower risk for tradies. I could not confirm availability for every trade and area in Australia, so check Google Ads directly for yours.

2. What it costs (sources disagree)

Almost every figure I found comes from marketing agencies and lead-generation vendors, and none is from Google, so treat these as ranges to test against your own account.

• Cost per click: quoted from about A$3 to A$12 in one guide and from A$15 to A$50 for trade keywords in others, with emergency plumbing and electrical at the top end and regional areas reported as 30 to 50 percent cheaper.
• Monthly budget: common suggestions run from about A$500 to A$1,500 a month for a start, with some tradies spending A$1,500 to A$4,000 or more. One source suggests very low daily budgets do not generate enough data.
• Cost per lead: about A$20 to A$60 for a well-run campaign, and A$15 to A$60 for Local Services Ads, in these sources.
• Time: give a campaign about four weeks before judging it.

Worked example, with assumptions of my own: at A$25 a click and a 10% chance a click becomes a call or form, a lead costs about A$250. At A$40 a click it is about A$400. If you win one job in three at an average profit of A$600, that lead costs A$750 to A$1,200 per job won, so the numbers only work for higher-value work or a much better conversion rate. Do this sum with your own figures before you spend.

3. Set up tracking first

• Call tracking: Google can assign a forwarding number to your ads and record calls as leads, and a separate tracking number on your website helps you tell Google calls from word-of-mouth calls.
• Form conversions: record every quote form submission as a conversion, so you can see which keywords bring form leads.
• Call extensions and location: a prominent phone number and your service areas on the ad.
• Record the source in your CRM for every enquiry, so you can work out cost per booked job, not just cost per click.

4. Keywords and targeting that waste less

• Use specific, longer searches with the service and suburb, such as "blocked drain repair Penrith", rather than broad words.
• Add negative keywords for jobs, free, courses and DIY so you do not pay for the wrong clicks.
• Target the suburbs you actually service, not the whole state.
• Send people to a page for that service with a call button and a short form, not your home page. See websites for tradies.
• Check the search terms report each week and prune.

5. The most expensive mistake: unanswered calls

Paying A$30 or more for a click and then missing the call is the fastest way to lose money. Before ads, make sure:

• Missed calls get an instant text. See missed-call text-back.
• After-hours calls are answered. See AI receptionist Australia and answering service Australia.
• Quotes are followed up at 2, 5 and 10 days. See CRM for tradies.
• Every satisfied customer is asked for a review. See how to get more Google reviews in Australia.

6. Is it worth it for you?

• Probably worth testing if your jobs are high-value or recurring, your calls are answered and followed up, and you have a page that converts.
• Not yet if you miss many calls, have no tracking or have a weak website. Fix those first, and use the free options in marketing for tradies.
• Judge it by cost per booked job, not clicks.

7. Common mistakes

• Broad keywords with no negative keywords.
• No call or form tracking, so you cannot tell what works.
• Sending clicks to the home page.
• Giving up after a week, or never checking the search terms.
• Spending on ads while calls go to voicemail.

Want your ad calls answered and tracked?

I'm Arslan Mumtaz, a software engineer who builds GoHighLevel systems for service businesses, and I work Australian business hours. I can set up the instant replies, missed-call text-back, source tracking and quote follow-up that make ad spend pay. Start with a $97 audit, see GoHighLevel expert for Australian businesses or pricing.

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