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How Much Should UK Tradesmen Spend on Ads in 2026?
Most tradesmen fall into one of two camps when it comes to advertising. Either they spend nothing and rely entirely on word of mouth, or they throw money at Facebook ads and get nothing back. Neither works long term — and in 2026, the gap between trades who get this right and those who don't is wider than ever.
This guide breaks down exactly how much UK trades should be spending on ads in 2026, what that money should buy you, and how to make sure every pound works as hard as you do.
Why Most Trades Get Their Ad Budget Wrong
Before we talk numbers, it's worth understanding why so many tradesmen either underspend or overspend on advertising.
The most common mistake is treating ad spend as a cost rather than an investment. If you spend £800 on Google Ads this month and it generates three roofing jobs worth £28,000 in revenue, that's not a £800 expense — that's a 3,400% return.
The second mistake is comparing your budget to what competitors appear to be spending. You have no idea what their margins look like, what their conversion rates are, or whether their ads are actually profitable. Base your budget on your own numbers, not theirs.
The third — and most damaging mistake — is starting with too small a budget to get meaningful data. Google Ads needs spend volume to learn and optimise. A £100/month budget in a competitive trade category will tell you almost nothing and deliver very little.
The Simple Formula UK Trades Should Use
Rather than guessing, use this straightforward model to calculate your ad budget:
Ad spend = 8–13% of the additional revenue you want to generate
Here's how that looks in practice:
Revenue Gap to Close | Conservative (8%) | Recommended (10%) | Aggressive (13%) |
|---|---|---|---|
£2,000/month | £160 | £200 | £260 |
£5,000/month | £400 | £500 | £650 |
£10,000/month | £800 | £1,000 | £1,300 |
£20,000/month | £1,600 | £2,000 | £2,600 |
£50,000/month | £4,000 | £5,000 | £6,500 |
The percentage you choose depends on how urgently you want results. If you want to fill your calendar in the next 60–90 days, lean toward 13%. If you're comfortable growing steadily over 6 months, 8–10% is perfectly sensible.
What Does Good Ad Spend Look Like Per Trade in 2026?
Different trades have different average job values, which affects both what you can afford to spend per lead and what a sensible monthly budget looks like.
Roofers
Average job value: £8,000–£18,000
Recommended monthly ad spend: £800–£2,500
Roofing is one of the most competitive categories on Google Ads in the UK, but also one of the most rewarding. A single full re-roof or flat roof replacement can pay for an entire month of advertising. Roofers who commit to a consistent Google Ads budget typically see a return of 8–15× their spend within 90 days.
Extension Builders & Groundworkers
Average job value: £15,000–£45,000
Recommended monthly ad spend: £1,200–£4,000
Extensions are high-ticket, high-intent jobs. Homeowners searching "rear extension builders near me" are typically serious buyers who have already decided to go ahead — they're just choosing who to hire. Ad spend here is extremely efficient when the targeting and landing page are done correctly.
Landscape Contractors
Average job value: £5,000–£25,000
Recommended monthly ad spend: £600–£2,000
Landscaping has strong seasonal peaks (spring and early summer) where ad spend should increase significantly, and quieter winter periods where it can be reduced. A flexible budget that scales with demand typically outperforms a fixed monthly spend.
Kitchen Fitters
Average job value: £12,000–£35,000
Recommended monthly ad spend: £1,000–£3,500
Kitchen fitting is a considered purchase — homeowners research for weeks before contacting anyone. Running Google Ads alongside a strong reviews presence and a professional website creates a powerful combination that generates consistent high-value enquiries.
Electricians (Domestic)
Average job value: £150–£800 per job, with regular repeat business
Recommended monthly ad spend: £200–£600
Electricians typically have lower individual job values but higher job frequency and strong repeat custom. The goal of advertising here is building a client base rather than landing one-off large projects, so budgets tend to be lower but returns compound over time through repeat bookings.
Driveway Contractors
Average job value: £3,000–£12,000
Recommended monthly ad spend: £500–£1,800
Driveway and block paving work is highly visual — before and after photos convert extremely well in ads. Contractors who pair strong ad spend with good imagery consistently outperform those running text-only campaigns.
Google Ads vs Facebook Ads for Trades in 2026 — Where Should Your Budget Go?
This is the question we get asked most often at BuildSprout, and the honest answer is that for most high-ticket domestic trades, Google Ads outperforms Facebook Ads significantly.
Here's why:
Google Ads catches buyers with intent. When someone searches "roofer in Manchester" they already need a roofer. They're in buying mode. Your ad appears at the exact moment of need.
Facebook Ads interrupts people who aren't looking. Facebook is an excellent awareness platform, but the vast majority of people scrolling their feed are not actively looking for a tradesman right now. The conversion rates are lower and the lead quality tends to be worse.
Our recommendation for most trades in 2026:
Put 70–80% of your ad budget into Google Ads
Use 20–30% for Facebook/Instagram retargeting — targeting people who have already visited your website
This combination gives you the intent-driven leads from Google and stays front of mind for the people who showed interest but didn't enquire first time.
What Should Your Ad Spend Actually Buy?
When we talk about ad spend, we're referring specifically to media spend — the money that goes directly to Google or Facebook to show your ads. This is separate from management fees or agency costs.
At different budget levels, here's what you should realistically expect:
£200–£500/month You're in the game but with limited volume. Expect 3–8 enquiries per month depending on your trade and location. Best suited to electricians, smaller landscaping jobs or trades in less competitive areas.
£500–£1,500/month This is the sweet spot for most UK tradesmen. Enough volume to generate consistent enquiries (8–20 per month), optimise your targeting and start to see predictable pipeline.
£1,500–£3,500/month Serious growth territory. At this level you're generating enough lead volume to be selective about the jobs you take on. Most fully booked trades running Google Ads sit in this range.
£3,500+/month Scaling and dominating your local area. At this level you're likely running multiple campaigns, targeting several geographic areas and potentially running branded search to protect your reputation.
The Single Biggest Waste of Ad Budget in 2026
Running traffic to a bad website.
We see it constantly. A tradesman spends £1,000/month on Google Ads, drives solid traffic to their site, and gets almost no enquiries. The ads aren't the problem — the website is.
In 2026, your website needs to do the following to convert ad traffic effectively:
Load in under 2 seconds on mobile
Have a clear, prominent phone number and contact form above the fold
Display genuine reviews from real clients
Show before and after photos of completed jobs
Have a clear, specific headline that matches what the person searched for
If your website doesn't do these things, fix the website before increasing your ad spend.
How to Track Whether Your Ad Spend Is Working
The most important metric for trades running Google Ads is Cost Per Lead (CPL) — how much you're spending to generate each genuine enquiry.
Healthy CPL benchmarks for UK trades in 2026:
Trade | Good CPL | Acceptable CPL | Too High |
|---|---|---|---|
Roofer | Under £45 | £45–£80 | Over £80 |
Extension Builder | Under £65 | £65–£120 | Over £120 |
Landscaper | Under £40 | £40–£70 | Over £70 |
Kitchen Fitter | Under £55 | £55–£100 | Over £100 |
Electrician | Under £25 | £25–£45 | Over £45 |
Driveway Contractor | Under £35 | £35–£60 | Over £60 |
If your CPL is consistently above the "Too High" threshold, something needs to change — either your targeting, your ad copy, your landing page, or all three.
The BuildSprout Approach — Why Budget Is Only Half the Picture
At BuildSprout, we work exclusively with UK domestic tradesmen who are serious about growing. We've seen every variation of ad strategy across roofing, groundwork, landscaping, kitchen fitting and more — and the pattern is clear.
Trades that grow consistently do three things:
They commit to a realistic ad budget and stick with it for at least 90 days
They respond to every lead within 30 minutes — speed to lead is the single biggest conversion factor
They have a system to follow up with leads who don't book immediately
The budget gets the phone ringing. The system turns those calls into revenue.
We generate exclusive leads — meaning every enquiry we send you goes to you and nobody else. No split leads, no racing competitors to the bottom on price. One trade per area, one pipeline, one shot at every job.
Use Our Free Ad Budget Calculator
Not sure what your number is? We built a free calculator specifically for UK trades that gives you a personalised monthly ad budget recommendation based on your current revenue, target revenue and average job value.
No email required. Takes 60 seconds.
👉 Try the BuildSprout Ad Budget Calculator
Summary — How Much Should UK Trades Spend on Ads in 2026?
Spend 8–13% of the additional revenue you want to generate
Put 70–80% of your budget into Google Ads, the rest into retargeting
£500–£1,500/month is the sweet spot for most UK domestic trades
Fix your website before scaling your ad spend
Track Cost Per Lead as your primary success metric
Commit to at least 90 days before judging results
The trades that win in 2026 aren't the ones who spend the most — they're the ones who spend consistently, track their numbers and have a system to convert leads into booked jobs.
Ready to find out your number?
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BuildSprout specialises in exclusive lead generation for UK domestic trades. We work with roofers, groundworkers, extension builders, landscape contractors, kitchen fitters and driveway contractors across the UK. One trade per area — your leads are yours.
