Google Ads vs SEO for Trades: Which Should You Spend On?

There are two ways to get your business in front of someone searching Google: pay for an advert, or earn a place in the normal results. They do different jobs, and knowing the difference will save you money.

How Google Ads works

You pay Google to show your advert when people search for words you choose. You are charged each time someone clicks, whether or not they ring you. The price per click depends on the trade and the area, and is set by auction against your competitors. Emergency and high-value jobs tend to cost the most.

Google also offers Local Services Ads for some trades in the UK, where you are charged per lead rather than per click.

The good

• Fast. You can be at the top of the page the same day.
• Easy to turn up when you are quiet and off when you are busy.
• You choose exactly which searches to appear for.

The bad

• It stops the moment you stop paying.
• Costs add up quickly if the account is not set up carefully.
• Some people skip the adverts and go straight to the map and normal results.

How SEO works

SEO is the work that gets your website and Google Business Profile to show up in the unpaid results: the map and the listings underneath. You do not pay per click. You pay for the work, or do it yourself.

The good

• No cost per click, however many people find you.
• It builds. Work done this year keeps paying off next year.
• People tend to trust the normal results and the map.

The bad

• Slow. Expect months.
• No guarantees. Google decides the order.

Which one, when?

• You need work this week: ads.
• You are just starting out with no reviews: ads can fill the gap while SEO gets going.
• You want steady work without paying for every enquiry: SEO.
• You have a seasonal rush: SEO all year, ads to top up the peaks.

Many trades end up using both: SEO as the foundation, ads as a tap they can turn on.

If you try Google Ads yourself

• Set a daily budget you are comfortable losing while you learn.
• Limit the area to where you actually work.
• Be specific with your keywords. "Boiler repair Stockport", not just "boiler".
• Add negative keywords such as "jobs", "training", "DIY" and "free" so you do not pay for the wrong clicks.
• Send people to the right page. An advert for flat roofs should land on your flat roofing page, not your home page.
• Check it weekly. Look at what people actually searched and cut what is wasting money.

Either way, the website matters

Ads send people to your site. If it is slow, unclear or hard to use on a phone, you pay for the click and lose the customer. A good site makes both approaches work better.

FOUND does the SEO side. We do not run ad campaigns, but if a customer wants to try them we will point them to the right guides to get started. Here is what is included.