Advertising on Google means Google Ads, and it is the fastest way to get in front of people who are actively searching for what you sell. Done well it pays for itself. Done badly it drains a budget with nothing to show. The difference is targeting, tracking and the page you send clicks to.
Done well, Google Ads pays for itself. Done badly, it drains a budget with nothing to show for it.
What you can run
Search ads are the text ads at the top of the results. Someone searches “emergency plumber Sandton”, your ad appears, they click, they land on your site. This is the highest-intent advertising there is — the person has a need right now.
Performance Max campaigns let Google place your ads across Search, Maps, YouTube, Gmail and the display network, using its own targeting. Useful once you have conversion data, riskier when you are starting out because you have less control.
Local ads promote your Business Profile in the map results and on Maps, aimed at “near me” searches and phone calls or direction requests.
Most small businesses start with Search ads because they are the most controllable and the intent is clearest.
What it costs
Two separate costs:
- Ad spend goes to Google. You set it, you can change it any day, and you only pay when someone clicks. The cost per click depends on your industry — legal, insurance and finance terms are expensive; local trades and services much less.
- Management — either your time to learn and run it, or a fee if someone runs it for you.
You do not need a big budget to start. You need enough to gather data on what converts, then you scale the parts that work. For typical click prices and a worked budget example, see how much Google Ads cost in South Africa. See our pricing page for how we quote it.
How to not waste money
Target tightly. Your suburbs or a radius around you, not the whole country. Your open hours if you only answer then. Exclude areas you do not serve.
Use negative keywords. These stop your ad showing for searches you do not want — “free”, “jobs”, “DIY”, “cheap” if you are premium, competitor names if they are not worth it. This is where a lot of wasted spend hides.
Set up conversion tracking properly. You need to know which clicks become enquiries, calls or sales — not just how many clicks you bought. Without this you are flying blind.
Send clicks to a page built to convert. Not your homepage. A page that matches the search, states the offer, and makes the next step obvious. A great ad pointing at a weak page is money lost — that is the whole idea behind lead generation.
Give it a few weeks. The first fortnight is Google’s algorithm learning. Cost per lead usually improves after that as you tighten targeting and pause what is not working.
Ads vs the free approach
Ads stop the day you stop paying. SEO builds visibility that lasts but takes months. Most businesses run ads for immediate enquiries while SEO builds underneath — the full comparison is in SEO vs Google Ads.
We run this for you
We build and manage Google Ads campaigns targeted to your area, with proper tracking and a landing page built to convert. You see spend, leads and cost per lead in a plain-language monthly report. Tell us what you are selling and where.