Google Ads for trades

Google Ads for builders & extensions

An extension is a long decision. By the time someone types “house extension” with their town, they have usually been planning for months and are ready to meet two or three builders. Google Ads gets you onto that shortlist without waiting for a lead site to sell the same enquiry to five firms.

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What people search for when they need a builder

Customers in the UK search in English, usually with their town or “near me”. These are the searches a campaign for this trade is built around ([town] stands for each town you cover):

  • builders near me
  • house extension [town]
  • loft conversion [town]
  • garage conversion [town]
  • renovation company [town]
  • builders [town] reviews

What a click costs. Our rough guide for builders in UK towns: £2–£6. Cities cost more, and it changes by season. The free plan gives the figure for your actual area.

When. Enquiries rise in January and again in spring; quotes given in winter turn into summer work.

What we set up for builders

  • A focused Search campaign Your ad shows when someone types what you do. For a small local budget, a Search campaign puts every pound on people looking for your service, and you can see each search you paid for.
  • People in your area Locations set to the towns you cover, for people who are actually there, so your budget goes on customers you can reach.
  • Calls and quote requests tracked The Google tag on your site records every call and enquiry, so Google’s bidding can learn which clicks turn into customers.
  • Only relevant searches Each week we read the search terms and exclude ones that don’t fit, like “jobs”, “course” or “DIY”, so more of the budget reaches buyers.
  • The right page for each service Each service gets its own ad and its own page, with a call button and a short quote form.

Specific to this trade. A page per job type, with photos and a rough price band, beats a homepage every time. People want to see you have done their kind of job before they call.

Searches we exclude from day one, so the budget goes on customers: “jobs”, “labourer”, “merchant”, “supplies”, “diy”, “planning permission”, “how much does it cost”, “salary”, “insurance”.

Google or Facebook for builders?

Both. Google for people ready to get quotes; Facebook to show finished extensions to homeowners in the right postcodes. Both channels are in the published prices.

SEO for builders: the free visits

Ads bring calls this week; SEO brings them for free next year. For builders it starts with a complete Google Business Profile (category: General contractor, Construction company, your towns, photos of real jobs, a review link you text to customers), then a page for each service and each town you cover, connected to Google Search Console. How our SEO service works →

Prices

Google Ads £129 a month, Facebook & Instagram £99, SEO £99, or everything together for £249. Setup is free when you stay 3 months, there is no long contract and no percentage of your ad spend. You own the accounts and pay Google directly.

Get a free check or plan for your business

Questions from builders

What budget does a builder need for Google Ads?

Most start at £5–£15 a day. With clicks for builders at roughly £2–£6, that is a few relevant clicks a day, enough to learn which searches turn into calls within the first month. Below about £3 a day there isn't enough data to improve anything, and we'll say so.

How quickly will I get calls?

Ads can show the day the campaign is approved, usually within one working day. The first two weeks are about learning which searches and towns bring calls; by week four the account is usually settled and the cost per enquiry is clear.

Do I need a website?

A page, not a whole site. One fast page for builders with photos, your towns, a call button and a short quote form is enough to start. We build it for £129 if you don't have one, and your Google Business Profile gets you onto Maps either way.

Why not Checkatrade or MyBuilder instead?

Use them if they work for you. The difference with your own ads is that the enquiry comes to you alone, the reviews and the page are yours, and you can turn the budget up or down by the week. Many trades run both and move budget to whichever brings the cheaper job.

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