Google Ads Cost UK: Clicks, Cost Per Enquiry and Budgets Explained
UK Google Ads clicks typically cost about £0.40 to £4.00 depending on industry, with most small businesses around £1.50 to £2.50, according to Whito’s 2026 data. Trades pay more: UK guides quote about £2 to £9 for general plumber or electrician searches and £8 to £25 for emergency plumber ones. London costs about 15 to 30 per cent more. What matters is cost per enquiry, not cost per click.
Contents
- Cost per click in the UK
- Cost per click for trades
- From cost per click to cost per enquiry
- Budgets
- Agency fees
- What drives the cost
- How to lower your cost per enquiry
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
Cost per click in the UK
Whito’s 2026 UK pricing page gives the average UK cost per click as roughly £0.40 to £4.00 depending on industry, with a typical range of £1.50 to £2.50 for most small businesses, the highest figure of £8.25 for legal services and the lowest of £0.85 for charities. It adds that London campaigns cost 15% to 30% more per click than the rest of the UK. These are averages, and your cost depends on your keywords, quality and competition.
Cost per click for trades
| Search | Typical cost per click | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Plumber, general searches | About £3 to £8 | Whito |
| Plumber near me | About £4 to £9 | Whito |
| Emergency plumber | About £8 to £25 | Whito |
| Electrician near me | About £4 to £9 | Whito electrician page, dated July 2026 |
| Emergency electrician | About £8 to £18 | Whito electrician page, dated July 2026 |
| General plumber or electrician | About £2 to £8 | Trade2Base |
The ranges overlap but differ between sources, so treat them as a guide and check your own keywords in Google’s Keyword Planner.
Want a second pair of eyes? Clariti Digital can review your setup and show you what to fix first.
From cost per click to cost per enquiry
Trade2Base gives a worked example: a well-run campaign for a UK trade business should turn 10% to 20% of clicks into a lead. At a £6 average click and 15% of clicks becoming leads, that is about £40 per lead. If a job is worth £300 and half of leads become jobs, the cost per job is about £80. Your figures will differ, so use your own.
The sum is: cost per lead equals cost per click divided by the share of clicks that become leads. Cost per job equals cost per lead divided by the share of leads that become jobs.
Budgets
- Whito suggests a small test budget of £150 to £250 a month for electricians who already have the basics in place, and £200 to £500 a month for all marketing for a sole trader plumber.
- Trade2Base suggests a daily budget of £30 to £65, about £900 to £2,000 a month, for a small team of two to five people.
- Check that the budget allows enough clicks to learn from. A budget of a few pounds a day may not give you enough data.
Agency fees
Whito puts agency management at about £500 to £1,500 a month for small budgets, the most common tier for UK small businesses, and says a specialist agency charges about £500 to £1,000 a month for electrician campaigns. Ask what is included, who owns the account and how results are reported. See what an agency should show you each month.
What drives the cost
- Your industry and how many others bid on the same searches.
- Urgent searches against general ones.
- Your area. London is dearer.
- Quality: how relevant your ad and page are to the search.
- How well your page turns clicks into calls.
How to lower your cost per enquiry
- Limit your area and your hours.
- Add negative keywords to block waste.
- Improve the page that clicks land on. See nine checks when a website gets no enquiries.
- Track calls and forms so you can see what works. See GA4 events for small business.
- Consider Local Services Ads if you qualify. See Google Local Services Ads in the UK.
To decide between SEO and ads, read SEO or Google Ads first. If ads are not working, see nine checks when Google Ads brings clicks but no calls. For a trade-specific view, see Google Ads for trades.
Frequently asked questions
How much do Google Ads cost per click in the UK?
About £0.40 to £4.00 on average by industry according to Whito’s 2026 data, higher for trades and legal and about 15% to 30% more in London.
How much should a small business spend on Google Ads?
UK guides suggest from about £150 to £250 a month for a small test to £900 to £2,000 for a small team. Choose a budget that gives you enough clicks to learn from.
What is a good cost per lead?
It depends on your job value and close rate. A worked UK example gives about £40 per lead at a £6 click and a 15% lead rate. Use your own numbers.
Do I pay if nobody clicks?
No. In standard Google Ads you pay per click. Local Services Ads charge per lead.
How much does an agency charge?
UK guides suggest about £500 to £1,500 a month for small budgets. Ask what is included.
Sources
- Whito, UK PPC costs 2026, checked 11 October 2026.
- Whito, UK plumber marketing costs, checked 11 October 2026.
- Trade2Base, Google Ads for tradespeople UK, checked 11 October 2026.
- Trade2Base, Google Ads for UK trade businesses, checked 11 October 2026.
- Onebase Media, How much do Google Ads cost for small businesses?, checked 11 October 2026.
Sam, Editor at Clariti Digital.
Related guides
- Google Local Services Ads in the UK: How pay-per-lead ads work for UK service businesses.
- Google Ads not working: nine checks: Nine checks when ads bring clicks but no calls.
Need help with this?
Clariti Digital is a UK digital growth agency for established local businesses. We start with a diagnostic, then fix what holds back visibility, enquiries and trust. Call +44 7435 063827 or email sam@claritidigital.com.