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ClickSmith

Google Ads for Tradies

Google Ads for tradies, leads on the calendar from week one.

When SEO is still building, ads are how you fill the diary now. Search ads, Local Services Ads, 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

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.

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.

Local Services Ads (LSA)

Google-Guaranteed ads that sit above everything and charge per lead, not per click. For trades where they're available, LSA is often the cheapest qualified lead going.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 buy exclusive leads instead.

How we work

From switch-on to scaled.

  1. 01

    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.

  2. 02

    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.

  3. 03

    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.
What are Local Services Ads (LSA)?
LSA are the Google-Guaranteed ads that appear right at the top of the results with a green tick and your reviews. They charge per lead rather than per click, and for trades like plumbing and electrical they often convert at a much higher rate than standard search ads. Not every trade or area has them yet, where they're available, we run them alongside your search campaigns.
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.

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.