{"id":6874,"date":"2026-08-03T15:08:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T05:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaplusdigital.co\/au\/?p=6874"},"modified":"2026-08-03T15:12:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T05:12:36","slug":"google-ads-for-tradies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaplusdigital.co\/au\/google-ads-for-tradies\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Ads for Tradies: What It Costs and How to Stop Wasting Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are three ways an Australian tradie can pay for a lead, and they are not interchangeable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Channel<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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You pay for<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Typical cost<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Lead exclusivity<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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hipages and similar<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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A credit to unlock each lead<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Roughly $30 to $80 per lead plus monthly subscription<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Shared with 2 to 3 competitors<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Google Local Services Ads<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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A qualified lead (call or message)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Around $20 to $60 per lead for trades<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Exclusive to you<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Google Search Ads<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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A click, whether or not it converts<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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$2 to $9 per click depending on trade<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Exclusive to you<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The distinction that matters: on Search Ads you pay for clicks, and only a portion of clicks become calls. If your landing page converts at 10% and your cost per click is $7, your real cost per lead is $70, not $7. Tradies who ignore this are the ones who conclude that “Google Ads does not work”.<\/p>\n

This guide is about the paid side only. If you want the free traffic side, our guide to SEO for tradies<\/span><\/a> covers that separately, and the two work best together.<\/p>\n

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Table of Contents<\/div>\n