Google Local Services Ads UK: how they work and are they worth it
How Google Local Services Ads work in the UK: pay per lead, the Google Verified badge, which businesses are eligible, how to sign up and when they make sense.
Read →Glossary
What is Lead?
Also called: enquiry, prospect, lead generation, lead gen.
In sales and marketing, a lead is someone who might become a customer. For a local business, it is usually an enquiry: a call, a WhatsApp, an email or a quote request.
Not all leads are equal. A ‘qualified’ lead is someone in your area, wanting a service you offer, at a budget that works. Lead generation companies sometimes sell leads that turn out to be shared with several competitors, or not genuine at all.
Tracking where your leads come from, such as Google, your website, a directory or word of mouth, shows you which marketing is worth paying for.
Why it matters for your business
The whole point of a website and marketing is leads that turn into paid work. When someone quotes ‘more traffic’ or ‘better rankings’, ask how many extra leads that has produced. If you pay for leads directly, check whether they are exclusive to you or sold to several businesses at once.
Example. A roofer notes on every enquiry how the customer found them. After three months, it is clear most jobs come from Google and reviews, not the paid directory.
Related terms
Enquiry form · Conversion rate · Tap-to-call · Local Services Ads
Checkatrade vs your own website: do you need both?
Checkatrade vs your own website: what a lead platform gives a tradesperson, what owning your site gives you, and why the two work best together.
Read →MyBuilder vs Checkatrade vs Bark: lead sites compared
Lead generation sites for tradesmen compared: how MyBuilder, Checkatrade and Bark charge, pay-per-lead vs membership, and what to track before you commit.
Read →£299to set up
£99a month
3working days to launch
You approve it before anything goes live.
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£299 setup, then £99 a month. Live in 3 working days. Tell us what your business does - we reply the same working day.