Paying to be at the top
Top of Google tomorrow, not in six months.
Google Ads put you above the free results from the day they go live. Set up properly they bring in work while everything else builds. Set up badly they quietly burn a few hundred dollars a month.
In short
How do Google Ads work for a trade business?
You bid to appear above the free results when someone searches for the work you do. Showing up costs nothing and you are charged only when somebody clicks. You set a daily budget, and once it is spent your ads stop until the next day.
How it works
You only pay when somebody clicks.
You bid to show up when someone searches for a particular thing. Showing up costs nothing. You are charged when someone actually clicks through to you. You set a daily budget, and once it is spent your ads stop for the day.
That is the whole idea. Everything else is deciding which searches are worth paying for, and making sure the people who click end up somewhere that makes them call.
Is it right for you
Ads are brilliant sometimes, and a waste other times.
Usually worth it if
- You are new, or new to an area, and nobody knows your name yet
- You need work coming in now rather than in six months
- You do jobs people search for in an emergency
- You have a quiet season you would like to fill
Usually not, yet
- Your website gives people no reason to call once they land on it
- Your budget is so small it cannot buy enough clicks to learn anything
- You are already flat out and turning work away
- You want it to keep working after you stop paying. That is the other job
If you are in the second column I will say so, and tell you what to fix first instead. Usually that is your website.
What I actually do
Where the money goes, and where it stops going.
- Working out what is worth bidding on
- Not every search is worth paying for. I go after the ones where someone is ready to book, not the ones where they are reading up.
- Stopping you paying for the wrong clicks
- Without this you pay for people searching for DIY guides, apprenticeships and jobs two hours away. It is the single biggest waste in most accounts I inherit.
- Ads that say what the job is
- Your trade, your area, and what makes you worth ringing, in the space of a text message.
- Sending clicks somewhere that converts
- An ad for hot water cylinders should not land on your homepage. It should land on a page about hot water cylinders with your number on it.
- Counting calls, not clicks
- Set up so we can see how many calls and enquiries the spend produced, not just how many people visited.
- Managing it, not setting and forgetting
- Checking what is spending and what is producing, and moving the money towards the things that work.
Your money
Your ad budget is yours, and it stays separate.
Your ad spend goes straight to Google on your own account, and every cent of it buys clicks. My fee for setting it up and running it is separate, and you see both numbers before anything starts.
The account is in your name. If we stop working together you keep it, along with everything it has learned about which searches actually bring you work. Most businesses run ads while getting found on Google catches up.
Questions
Things people ask me.
How do Google Ads actually work?
You bid to appear at the top when someone searches for a particular thing. You are not charged for showing up, only when someone clicks. You set a daily budget and Google stops showing your ads once it is used up.
How much do I need to spend?
It depends entirely on your trade and your area, because you are bidding against whoever else wants the same clicks. I will look at what those clicks actually cost where you are and tell you honestly whether your budget is enough to be worth doing.
Is my ad budget on top of your fee?
Yes, and they are completely separate. Your ad budget is paid straight to Google, on your own account, and every cent of it buys clicks. My fee is for setting the account up and managing it. You always see both numbers before anything starts.
Whose account is it?
Yours. It is set up in your name with your billing on it. If we stop working together you keep the account, the history and everything learned in it. You do not start from scratch somewhere else.
How quickly will I see enquiries?
Ads can put you at the top within a day or two of going live, so this is the fastest option there is. The first few weeks are usually about learning which searches produce actual calls and cutting the ones that do not.
What happens if I stop?
The ads stop and so do the enquiries from them, immediately. That is the trade-off. Ads buy visibility while you are paying. Getting found on Google builds visibility that stays. Most businesses eventually want both.
Am I tied in?
No lock-in. Management is month to month and you can stop whenever you want. You keep the account either way.
Let’s talk
Not sure whether ads are worth it for you?
Tell me your trade and the areas you cover. I will look at what those clicks cost where you are and tell you straight whether it stacks up.