Insights, guides, and advice for small businesses

Google Ads are worth it for most small businesses when a job is worth more than a lead costs and your website converts. Here’s how to do the maths, what the crowded results page means for you, and when ads are not worth it.

There’s no minimum spend on Google Ads, but UK clicks range from around £2 to £30 depending on the search. Here are current cost-per-click figures for trades and local services, how Google’s billing works, and what budget actually makes sense.

A practical Google Ads audit checklist for small businesses and tradespeople, grouped by tracking, settings, search terms, ads, landing pages, budget and location, with what good looks like and where to find it.

An honest look at Performance Max for small lead generation businesses: what you can now control, how it interacts with Search and AI Max, and when Search is still the better choice.

How to use negative keywords and the search terms report to stop paying for jobs, courses, DIY and other wasted Google Ads searches, including the three shared lists I use across every account.

Start with Google Ads if you need enquiries within weeks, SEO if you can wait and want a lower cost per lead long term, and both if budget allows. Here’s an honest decision table from someone who sells both.

Some Google Ads recommendations are worth accepting, many aren’t, and optimisation score isn’t a measure of performance. Here’s which to accept, which to dismiss, how to check auto-apply, and how to handle a call from Google.

UK Google Ads management typically costs £300 to £1,500 a month for a small business, on top of ad spend. Here are the pricing models, what the fee should include, the red flags, and exactly what I charge.

What Google Ads Quality Score actually measures, why it isn’t used in the auction but still affects what you pay, and the fixes I’d make first in a small account.

Why Google Ads conversion numbers rarely match the enquiries a small business actually gets, how UK call tracking works, and the setup I’d use to count real leads once each.

Google Ads account suspended? Here’s how to work out why, what not to do, how to appeal properly, and how to set your account up so it doesn’t happen again.

ChatGPT ads are live in the UK. What’s confirmed as of September 2026, from who sees them to the £15 minimum daily budget, what isn’t available yet, and whether a small business should try them.

My practical route through Google Ads for small businesses: whether ads will pay, what they cost, how to set them up and track them properly, and what to do when they aren’t working, with links to every in-depth guide.