Google Ads
Google Ads for Local Businesses
SEO takes months. Ads take hours. If you need the phone ringing now — a quiet season, a new service, a van sitting idle — paid search buys you the top of the page while the slower work builds underneath.
What’s included
What you actually get.
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Tight keyword targeting
Only the searches that mean someone wants to buy. Not the ones that just mention your trade.
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Negative keywords from day one
The list of searches you refuse to pay for. Skip this and most of your budget goes on “jobs”, “free” and “how to”.
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Landing pages that match
Sending ad traffic to your homepage wastes it. The page should answer the exact search that was typed.
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Real conversion tracking
Calls and form submissions tracked properly, so you know what an enquiry actually costs you.
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A budget that fits
Local campaigns can work on small daily budgets. I’d rather you spend less and keep it running than blow it in a fortnight.
When ads are worth it
Ads make sense when the job is worth enough to justify the click, when you can handle more work right now, and when you need results before organic search could realistically deliver them. Emergency trades, seasonal work and brand-new businesses with no search history are the clearest cases.
When they aren’t
If your website doesn’t convert, ads just buy you more people bouncing off it faster. If your margins are thin and your competitors are bidding hard, you can lose money at speed. I’ll say so rather than take the setup fee.
How I run them
Small, tightly targeted campaigns with a proper negative keyword list, pointed at a page built for that search, with call tracking on so we can both see what’s working. Then monthly adjustments based on what the data says rather than what the platform recommends — Google’s automatic suggestions are designed to increase Google’s revenue, not yours.
Questions
About this service.
It depends entirely on your trade and area — a competitive click can be a few pounds, an uncompetitive one pennies. I’ll estimate before you commit, and start small enough to learn without much risk.
Yes. The budget goes to Google directly from your own account, so you can see every penny and you keep control of the account.
Yes, immediately. Ads are the easiest thing to pause, which is exactly why they’re useful for a quiet month.
Also available
The rest of what I do.
Websites
Hand-built websites for local businesses. Fast on a phone, easy to update, and built to turn a search into a phone call.
Read moreGoogle Business Profile
The map listing people tap before they ever reach your website. Claimed, filled in properly, and kept that way.
Read moreGetting found on Google
Showing up when someone nearby searches for what you do. The same work I do full-time for national brands.
Read morePhotography & video
Your actual premises, your staff, your product — for your website, your Google listing and your socials.
Read moreLeaflets, posters & cards
The offline half, designed to match the online half, so you look like one business everywhere.
Read moreWant to know if this is what you need?
The free presence check tells you which two or three things are actually worth doing for your business. Sometimes this service isn’t one of them, and I’ll say so.