Google Ads
Google Ads for Tradies: What a Realistic Budget Looks Like
Wondering what you should spend on Google Ads as a tradie? Here's how budgets really work, what a click costs, and how to avoid wasting money on the wrong searches.
Google Ads can fill your calendar fast — but only if the money’s spent well. The most common question we get is simple: how much do I actually need? Here’s the honest answer.
Two numbers, not one
Your spend is really two things:
- Ad spend — what you pay Google for the clicks. This goes straight to Google, never marked up.
- Management fee — what you pay to plan, build and tune the campaigns so that spend isn’t wasted.
Mixing these up is where a lot of tradies get burned. You want both visible and separate.
What does a click cost?
In the trades, clicks in metro areas commonly run anywhere from $8 to $30+, depending on how competitive your service and suburb are. Emergency services (think blocked drains or electrical faults) sit at the higher end because the intent to buy is so strong.
A realistic starting point
The goal early on is enough budget for campaigns to gather data and find what converts. As a rough guide:
- Single-operator, local leads: a focused Search budget that lets you compete for your best few services
- Growing, multiple services or areas: more budget to test, plus Performance Max alongside Search
- Online store: more again, measured on return rather than just clicks
Spend too little and the campaign never learns. Spend without management and you pay for clicks that were never going to call. The sweet spot is a sensible budget, watched closely.
Where the money gets wasted
The biggest leaks are broad keywords (paying for searches that aren’t real jobs) and weak landing pages. Tight targeting and a fast website that’s built to convert fix most of it.
We’ll give you a realistic figure for your trade and area before you commit a cent — get a quote.
