In the competitive world of trades, whether you’re a joiner, carpenter, plumber, builder, glazier, tiler, roofer, electrician or decorator, every lead matters. With online advertising costs climbing and Google’s algorithm constantly changing its mind, the way you grow your business online can mean the difference between being fully booked or waiting by the phone.
If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Should I keep pouring money into paid ads or build something more sustainable with SEO?” - you’re not alone. This guide breaks down the real pros and cons of both paid advertising and search engine optimisation, with real-world advice tailored specifically for UK tradespeople looking to grow their business the smart way.
Paid advertising, whether it’s through Google Ads, Facebook, or even Instagram can be a tempting quick fix for tradespeople who want leads now. We’re talking the fast-track approach. You pay Google to jump the queue and land your business right at the top of the page when someone types in something like “electrician near me” or “fitted wardrobes (town name)”.
For new businesses just starting out, or for those quieter months when work dries up, this can feel like a lifeline. A few clicks, a couple of hundred quid, and boom, the enquiries start trickling in. But only if the campaign is set up properly, with laser-targeted keywords, budget caps, and landing pages that actually convert.
According to Wordstream’s Google Ads Benchmarks, the average Google Ads conversion rate is around 4.4 percent across industries. But when it comes to home services, trades, and local work, the number is often lower, especially if you’re using broad or generic keywords like “builder UK” instead of specific, local ones like “bathroom fitter Margate” or “roof repair in Bromley”.
The real kicker? The cost-per-click (CPC) in home improvement services can range from £2.50 to over £8 per click. That’s not per lead, that’s per click. Even if they don’t fill in a form or ring you. And once your ad budget runs dry, your name vanishes from the top of Google faster than a roofer when the tea goes cold.
If you’re a local tradesperson, whether you do windows, electrics, kitchens or plastering, that means you’ll always be paying just to stay visible. You stop paying, the traffic stops. It’s like hiring a billboard that disappears every time you miss a payment.
For short-term bursts, paid ads can definitely work. But for sustainable, long-term growth, you need something that sticks around without rinsing your wallet every month.
If paid ads are like renting a billboard on the motorway, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is more like owning the plot of land it stands on. It takes longer to build, sure, but once it’s up and running, you’re not constantly reaching into your wallet every time someone clicks your business name.
Instead of paying Google to appear when someone searches “kitchen fitter near me” or “emergency plumber in Maidstone”, SEO helps your website earn its way up the rankings naturally and stay there. That means when someone searches exactly what you do, in exactly your area, you appear near the top without shelling out for every click.
According to Backlinko’s Organic CTR Study, the #1 organic result in Google gets a whopping 27.6 percent of all clicks. By contrast, most paid ads only see 2 to 3 percent. That’s a massive difference and it’s exactly why SEO is a smart investment for tradespeople who want more than just short-term wins.SEO isn’t just about visibility, it builds authority and trust too. When your website is packed with helpful information, like case studies, blog posts, photo galleries, FAQs and service pages that actually explain what you do, people feel confident calling you.
Imagine this: a potential customer finds your article titled “10 Signs Your Roof Needs Replacing”, learns something useful, and then clicks your Get a Quote button. You didn’t pay for that click, and you might keep getting similar clicks from that one blog post for years. Paid ads could never.
SEO helps:
Bottom line: SEO turns your website into a long-term lead machine that keeps working in the background (even when you're off the tools and down the pub).
When it comes to growing your trade business online, whether you’re a window fitter, roofer, joiner, decorator, plumber, or anything in between, it often boils down to this: should you go for paid ads or invest in SEO?
The answer isn’t always straightforward. Each option has its strengths and weaknesses, and understanding how they work (and when to use them) can make a massive difference to your incoming enquiries and your bank balance.
Let’s start with paid advertising. Platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads offer immediate visibility. Want to be seen when someone types “plumber near me” or “roof repair Canterbury”? Pay a bit of money and you’re at the top, just like that. It’s brilliant for:
Paid ads even let you filter by age, income, location, and interests. So if you’re selling bespoke oak staircases or heritage window restoration, you can fine-tune your audience and speak directly to the folks who actually want that kind of craftsmanship.
But here’s the catch: as soon as your budget runs dry, your visibility disappears. The cost-per-click (CPC) in most trade sectors can range from £2.50 to £8 or more, depending on how competitive your keywords are. If your website isn’t optimised to convert traffic, you can burn through hundreds without a single job booked.
On the other hand, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is like building a brick wall instead of chucking up a pop-up tent. It takes longer to see results, but once your site is properly set up and optimised, it starts to pull in leads month after month, without constant spending.
You can rank for local keywords like:
And once your pages climb the Google ladder, they stay there, bringing in steady traffic, building trust, and helping your business look professional and established. According to BrightLocal, most people trust organic listings more than ads — especially for home services, where experience and reputation count.
It’s not an either-or situation. The most successful local tradespeople use a bit of both:
SEO builds your foundation. Paid ads give you short bursts of visibility. Together, they make your business much harder to ignore.
Let’s ditch the theory for a second and talk about what actually happens when tradespeople start taking SEO seriously.
One of our clients, a NOW well-known sash window specialist in Kent, came to us after spending nearly £1,500 a month on Google Ads with little to show for it. They were paying for clicks, but visitors were bouncing off the page quicker than a roofer spotting dark clouds.
The issue? Their site wasn’t built to convert. No proper landing pages. No local focus. Just a few pictures, vague text, and a phone number buried in the footer.
We rebuilt their site with SEO in mind. That meant weekly blog posts targeting ultra-specific long-tail phrases like:
Within 6 months, their organic traffic had increased by over 300 percent, and they were receiving regular leads from Google, not from throwing money at ads, but from clever, well-targeted content that matched what people were actually searching for.
📈 And here’s the stat that backs it all up: According to HubSpot’s 2023 marketing report, around 70 percent of searchers skip paid ads entirely and head straight for the organic results. That’s a lot of potential customers who’ll only ever find you if your site is properly optimised.
And it’s not just sash window companies.
We’ve seen similar results with:
If you want long-term traffic and leads that don’t rely on a monthly ad budget, SEO wins the race. Every time.
At Local Trades Websites, we build high-converting websites and SEO strategies that actually bring in work, not just views. Whether you're a plumber in Portsmouth, a joiner in Kent, an electrician in Essex, or a roofer in Reading, we know how to get your business ranking on Google and looking professional online.
We don’t do generic templates or copy-paste strategies. We tailor every website and SEO plan to suit your trade, your service area, and your goals, so you can dominate local search results and fill your diary with the right kind of work.
👉 Book a free downloadable SEO report or a one-to-one consultation today and take the first step toward building a local trade website that works just as hard as you do.
