ClickSmith
Google Ads for Tradies
Google Ads for tradies, leads on the calendar from week one
Google Ads for tradies fill the diary now, while SEO is still building. Search ads with call assets, call tracking and landing pages built to book jobs, not just rack up clicks.
- Leads from week one
- No lock-in contracts
- You own the account
- 6 yearsof lead generation experience
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Shoalhavenbased locally, working with tradies Australia-wide
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Month-to-monthyou own your site, ad accounts and Google Business Profile
- Benchmark reportAustralian tradie lead costs, 2026
What's included
Everything that turns a click into a booked job.
Anyone can switch ads on. The money is in what happens around them, the tracking, the landing pages, the relentless cutting of waste.
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Search ads
Tightly-targeted campaigns on the searches that turn into jobs, 'emergency plumber [suburb]', 'roof repair [city]'. Real intent, your service area, your trade.
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Call assets and click-to-call
Ads built around the phone call, with your number at the top of the results so emergency customers ring in one tap. For urgent trades this is often the cheapest qualified lead going.
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Call tracking
Every call tracked back to the keyword and ad that drove it, so we know what's paying off and what's burning budget. No guessing where the leads come from.
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Landing pages built to convert
We don't send paid clicks to a slow homepage. Each campaign gets a fast, mobile-first landing page with click-to-call and a quote form, built to book, not browse.
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Negative keywords
Aggressive negative-keyword lists strip out the tyre-kickers, DIYers and job-seekers before you pay for the click. Less wasted spend, more real enquiries.
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ChatGPT & AI search ads
More customers now ask ChatGPT, Gemini and AI search for a tradie before they ever open Google. We get you in front of them, with AI-search ads and the visibility that makes the AI recommend your name.
Why it works
Why Google Ads work for tradies.
Nobody Googles "emergency plumber" for fun. Paid search puts you in front of people ready to book, today.
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Instant, not slow-burn
SEO is months of work before the first job. Ads flick on and the phone rings the same week. When your diary's empty, that speed is the whole point.
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You pay for intent
Every click comes from someone actively searching for your trade in your area. No spray-and-pray awareness, just people with a job and a wallet.
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Every dollar is tracked
Call tracking and conversion data show exactly which keywords book jobs. We scale what works and kill what doesn't, so spend keeps getting more efficient.
Google Ads for your trade
Campaigns tuned to your trade.
Different trades, different searches, different economics. See the playbook for yours. Don't see your trade? Browse all trades or see how our lead generation works.
How we work
From switch-on to scaled.
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Step 1: Audit & build
We map your highest-intent searches, set up tracking, write the ads, and build the landing pages. Account structured properly from day one, no Smart-campaign autopilot.
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Step 2: Launch & capture
Campaigns go live and the phone starts. Call tracking and form tracking show exactly which keywords are booking jobs and which are wasting spend.
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Step 3: Optimise & scale
We cut the losers, double down on the winners, tighten negatives and lower your cost per booked job, then scale the spend that's actually paying back.
Straight answers
Google Ads for tradies, explained.
How much should I spend on Google Ads?
Enough to win the auction in your area without lighting money on fire. For most tradies that's $1,500-$4,000/month in ad spend on top of management, but it swings hard by trade and city, a plumber in metro Sydney pays very different clicks to a painter in a regional town. We work out a starting budget in the free audit and scale it as the numbers prove out.
Google Ads vs SEO, which should I do?
Ads buy you leads from week one but stop the day you stop paying. SEO takes months to build but then earns clicks for free. They're not either-or. Most tradies we work with run ads for instant flow while SEO builds underneath as the long-game. If your phone's quiet right now, ads are how you fix it fastest.
What about ChatGPT and AI search ads?
It's the fastest-moving channel right now. A growing share of customers ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Google's AI for a recommendation instead of scrolling results, and ads are starting to appear inside those answers. We help you show up two ways: running AI-search ads where they're available, and making sure your business is the one the AI names when someone asks for a tradie in your area. Early, but the tradies who move first get cheap visibility before everyone piles in.
When do the leads actually start?
Fast. Search campaigns typically start producing enquiries within the first few days of going live, that's the whole point of ads versus SEO. The first couple of weeks are noisier as we gather data and cut wasted spend; by week three or four the cost per booked job usually settles into a number that makes sense.
Can you run Google Local Services Ads for us?
Not in Australia yet. Local Services Ads are Google's pay-per-lead ads with a verification badge, but as of October 2026 Google doesn't offer them here. For urgent trades we use call-focused search ads with call assets instead, which put your number at the top of the results for the same searches.
Do you guarantee a cost per lead?
No, and we won't pretend to. Cost per lead depends on your trade, your area, the season and how strong your reviews and landing page are, none of which a guarantee can control. What we do is track every dollar, kill the waste fast, and report the real cost per booked job so you can see exactly what's working.
Do I own the ad account?
Yes. The Google Ads account, the landing pages, the tracking, the campaign data, all yours. We run it month-to-month with no lock-in. If we're not earning it, you walk and keep the account and everything in it.
Guides and definitions behind Google Ads
Setup guides and plain-English definitions that support this service.
- Google Ads setup guide for tradies A no-waste setup, from keywords to tracking.
- HiPages vs Google Ads: costs compared What each channel really costs per booked job.
- The four-step ad structure that books jobs How to structure ads so clicks become enquiries.
- Why trade ads aren't converting The usual reasons ads get clicks but no jobs.
- What is a negative keyword? How to stop paying for clicks that will never hire you.
- What are Local Services Ads? Google's pay-per-lead ads, and why they aren't an option in Australia yet.
- What is Quality Score? Google's relevance diagnostic for your keywords, ads and landing page.
Want leads on the calendar this month?
Book a free 30-minute audit. We'll look at your market, what clicks cost in your trade and area, and what a realistic budget and cost-per-job looks like. No pitch, no lock-in.
Last updated · Reviewed by Muhammad Furqan, Founder
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