Google Ads for Tradespeople — inquiries when demand is acute

Typical project flow for trade businesses

3 months setup, first qualified calls from month 2 — then continuous optimization.

1. search

   Phase 1 — Industry and geo audit

   Month 1

   Trade and margin analysis, definition of the profitable catchment by drive time, keyword research (emergency, planning, seasonal), aggregator competitive intelligence, LSA eligibility check.

2. document

   Phase 2 — Setup and tracking

   Month 1–2

   Google Ads account, conversion tracking with Forwarding Numbers, LSA verification (insurance, license), intent-split campaign structure, emergency and planning landing pages, negative keyword list.

3. code

   Phase 3 — Launch and tuning

   Month 2–3

   Soft launch with daily budget cap, daily bid and negative-keyword review for the first 14 days, call analysis (conversion rate, call duration, job rate), bid adjustment toward qualified calls.

4. sparkles

   Phase 4 — Scale and seasonal steering

   Ongoing

   Smart Bidding with target CPA, seasonal adjustments (heating in autumn, roofing in spring), asset rotation in ads, monthly reporting on lead quality, call duration and job-conversion rate.

Frequently asked questions from trade businesses

What are Local Service Ads — and are they worth it for us?

Local Service Ads (LSA) are the Google Guarantee format: you pay per qualified lead, not per click, and get the green checkmark next to your listing. Verification requires trade license, insurance proof and, where applicable, chamber registration. For emergency services, plumbing, electrical work and locksmiths, LSAs are typically the best lever because you only pay for real calls or messages.

How do we cleanly track calls from Google Ads?

We use Google Forwarding Numbers: Google shows a unique number in the ad, forwards it to your landline or mobile, and reports back which campaign, which keyword and how long the call lasted. Calls of e.g. 60 seconds or more count as conversions. You see which clicks turn into jobs — and which keywords just burn budget.

How do you separate emergency from planning inquiries?

Separate campaigns with their own budget, scheduling and ad copy. Emergency keywords ('burst pipe', 'heating failure', 'locksmith') run 24/7 with premium bids and click-to-call. Planning keywords ('bathroom renovation', 'new heating system', 'roofing') run weekdays 7am–7pm with a form as primary goal. Ad copy, landing page and target CPA differ completely between the two.

What does a click cost — and what does a lead cost?

Emergency keywords sit at 8–25 € CPC in most cities, planned-demand terms like 'bathroom renovation + city' at 2–6 €. Lead costs depend on conversion rate and the share of unqualified calls — realistically 40–120 € per qualified lead, depending on the trade. For a 15,000-euro bathroom project, even a lead CPA of 150 € is profitable.

How large should the geo radius be?

Drive time matters more than straight-line distance. For routine appointments we set 20–30 km, for emergency services 40–60 km, where competition thins out and margin is real. We use ZIP-code targeting instead of city boundaries — that captures well-connected outskirts and excludes hard-to-reach corners.

How do we protect against click fraud from competitors?

We exclude your own office IPs and suspicious patterns (always same time, short dwell time, no conversion). Google filters most of it automatically. For high-cost emergency keywords we add bid caps and watch the click IPs daily for the first 14 days — suspicious competitor IPs go on the blocklist.