Google Ads for tradies in NZ: real numbers from 17 campaigns
Short answer. Google Ads works for NZ tradies when it's search-only, bid on urgent keywords in a tight radius, pointed at a mobile landing page with click-to-call, and tracked call by call. Done that way, a single trade area in a New Zealand city typically produces 15 to 50 tracked enquiries a month. Done the default way (broad match, display, pointed at your homepage) it mostly produces regret.
What a tradie Google Ads campaign looks like when it works
- Search ads only. No display, no YouTube, no Performance Max for a one-van business.
- Keywords are the panic words: "emergency plumber", "no hot water", "blocked drain", "no power", "electrician near me", "handyman near me". Phrase and exact match, with a long negative list.
- A tight radius. Christchurch, not Canterbury. Tauranga, Mount and Papamoa, not the Bay of Plenty.
- Ads run when you can answer. If you don't take calls after 9pm, the ads shouldn't run after 9pm.
- A dedicated mobile landing page with one job: get the tap on the call button.
- A tracking number on the ad and the page so every call is logged, timed and recorded.
The numbers from LeadHive campaigns
These are tracked calls plus web enquiries per full month, from Nimbata call tracking and website forms, across live LeadHive partner areas in 2026. They're raw counts before dud calls are removed.
- Wellington handyman: 42 a month average, best month 50.
- Wellington electrician: 39 a month average, best month 48.
- Auckland handyman: 39 a month average, best month 58.
- Hamilton electrician: 34 a month average, best month 42.
- Wellington plumber: 29 a month average, best month 49.
- Tauranga electrician: 27 a month average, best month 47.
- Christchurch handyman: 26 a month average, best month 33.
- Christchurch plumber: 21 a month average, best month 35.
- Hawke's Bay plumber: 21 a month average, best month 28.
Smaller or newer areas (Auckland electrician, South Auckland, Tauranga plumber) sit in the 10 to 20 range while the campaign learns. The first two months are always the slowest.
The keywords that convert
Across every campaign, the searches that turn into real jobs are the ones with a problem in them. "Hot water cylinder leaking". "Switchboard tripping". "Fence blown down". "Toilet blocked". People searching "plumber" on its own are often looking for a price list, a job, or the number of a plumber they already use. We still bid on them, but lower.
Where tradies waste money on Google Ads
- Broad match keywords. Google will happily show your plumbing ad to someone searching "plumbing course".
- Sending clicks to your homepage. A homepage has twelve things on it. A landing page has one.
- No call tracking. If you can't hear the calls you can't tell which keywords are paying and which are parts enquiries.
- Running 24/7 when the phone isn't answered 24/7.
- Quitting in week three. Google's bidding needs a few dozen conversions to settle. Three months is the honest minimum.
Should you run it yourself?
You can. The Google Ads interface is free and the help docs are decent. The honest cost is time: a well-run trade campaign needs search-term reviews every week, call reviews, bid changes and ad copy rotation. Most tradies who try it stop after a couple of months because they're on the tools all day. If you'd rather hand it off, the thing to insist on is exclusivity in your area and the ability to listen to every call yourself.
Questions people ask
How much does Google Ads cost for a plumber in NZ?
Clicks on urgent plumbing searches in NZ cities commonly cost between $5 and $20 each. With a tight campaign, a monthly ad budget around $800 to $1,100 produces 15 to 35 tracked enquiries in most NZ cities. LeadHive includes that ad spend in the monthly fee.
How long before Google Ads brings in jobs?
Ads go live within a day. First calls usually land inside two to three days. Consistent volume takes four to eight weeks as Google learns which searches turn into calls.
Is Google Ads better than Facebook ads for tradies?
For urgent and repair work, yes, by a wide margin, because search catches people while they have the problem. Facebook and Instagram are better for brand, recruiting, and bigger planned jobs like renovations.
One tradie per trade per area. Check whether yours is still open.
