In short
The best way to advertise a plumbing business is in order: first the free channels that decide whether you're trusted (your Google Business Profile, reviews and, if you do gas work, your Gas Safe number), then a website that turns visits into calls, then paid channels you can switch up and down, such as Google Ads or Google's pay-per-lead Local Services Ads. Lead sites like Checkatrade come after that, and only where they rank in your town.
On this page
- The ten channels at a glance
- 1. Google Business Profile: free, and the first thing customers see
- 2. Reviews: the cheapest advertising you’ll ever do
- 3. Your website: where paid advertising pays off or leaks
- 4. Google Local Services Ads: pay per lead, not per click
- 5. Google Search Ads: pay per click, your choice of jobs
- 6. Checkatrade: a membership, priced in the open
- 7. Rated People: now part of the Checkatrade group
- 8. Bark: free to join, pay to respond
- 9. Nextdoor: the neighbours’ recommendation, online
- 10. Your van: advertising that parks outside every job
- What about Facebook ads and leaflets?
- What to do first: the order that pays back
The best way to advertise a plumbing business is to do it in order. First come the free channels that decide whether a customer trusts you. Then a website that turns a visit into a call. Only then do you pay for reach you can turn up and down. Most plumbers do it the other way round, and pay to send people to a profile with a handful of old reviews.
This guide compares the ten channels plumbers actually use, with what each costs, who it suits and the rules you need to stay inside. Every price comes from the platform’s own published pricing, checked in November 2026.
The ten channels at a glance
| Channel | What it costs | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Free | Every plumber, first | Needs a steady flow of recent reviews |
| Reviews | Free | Trust and Maps ranking | Ask every customer, never pay for them |
| Your website | One-off build, then hosting | Turning visits into calls | A slow or vague site wastes paid traffic |
| Google Local Services Ads | Pay per valid lead | Emergency and repair work | No lead credits for UK advertisers |
| Google Search Ads | Pay per click, set by auction | Choosing your jobs and areas | Needs a page that converts |
| Checkatrade | Free, £30 a month or from £59 a month | Areas where it ranks well | 12-month memberships |
| Rated People | Fixed annual plan, or pay per lead you choose | Extra leads in quiet months | Now part of the Checkatrade group |
| Bark | Free to join, pay credits to respond | Testing demand cheaply | Competing with other trades for each lead |
| Nextdoor | Free business page | Neighbour recommendations | Slow to build |
| Your van | One-off signwriting | Every street you park on | Only claims you can prove |
1. Google Business Profile: free, and the first thing customers see
When someone searches “plumber near me” or “boiler repair” plus their town, Google’s map and its list of local businesses usually come first. Your Business Profile is that listing. Google says local results are ranked on three things: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how far you are from the searcher) and prominence (how well known your business is).
You can’t change distance. You can improve the other two. Claim your profile, choose the right categories, list every service, add real photos of real jobs, and keep your hours and phone number accurate. Our guide to local SEO for trades covers it step by step.
2. Reviews: the cheapest advertising you’ll ever do
Reviews feed your Maps ranking and decide whether people call. I tell owners not to spend a penny on ads until they have a decent number of recent reviews, because paying to send people to a thin profile burns money.
The proof is in the numbers. Videtta Heating’s Google Business Profile produced 134 calls in six months on its own, with no ad spend behind it. Ask every customer, the same way, on the day the job finishes. Google’s rules don’t let you ask only the customers you expect to be happy, and they ban incentives. Our reviews guide has the system and the messages to send.
3. Your website: where paid advertising pays off or leaks
Every paid channel except the lead sites sends people to your website or profile. If the site is slow on a phone, hides the phone number or lumps every service onto one page, you pay for the visit and lose the job. Fix the website before you spend on traffic. Our guide to website essentials that convert sets out what a plumbing website needs.
4. Google Local Services Ads: pay per lead, not per click
Local Services Ads sit at the very top of some Google searches and are available to UK plumbers. You pay for valid leads, such as a phone call you answer or a message from a customer, rather than for clicks.
Before you can run them, Google checks your business. For UK businesses that means your Companies House or VAT registration, a matching Business Profile, and insurance: public liability or professional indemnity. Employers’ liability doesn’t count. Two things to know before you start:
- No lead credits in the UK. In the US and Canada you can dispute a bad lead and get a credit. Google says lead credits aren’t available to advertisers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, which includes the UK.
- The badge has changed. Google has replaced its old badges, including the Google Guarantee, with a single “Google Verified” badge. The old money-back cover only applies to services booked before 7 December 2025, so don’t promise customers a guarantee Google no longer offers.
5. Google Search Ads: pay per click, your choice of jobs
Search ads let you choose the searches, the areas and the hours you want, and send people to your own page. That control is why they suit plumbers who want more of a particular job, such as boiler installs, rather than any job.
The cost is set by an auction that changes by town and by search, so there’s no honest national cost per lead. Our guide to Google Ads costs for plumbers explains how to find the real figure for your area. For reference, Videtta Heating’s Google Ads produced leads at around £22 each, against boiler installs worth thousands. Our own management is £500 + VAT a month per channel, with setup from £500 + VAT, and the ad spend paid straight to Google.
6. Checkatrade: a membership, priced in the open
Checkatrade publishes three plans: a free profile to collect reviews, Approved at £30 a month, and Growth from £59 a month for a fixed number of leads a year. Memberships run for 12 months, and its pricing page doesn’t say whether prices include VAT.
Whether it’s worth it depends on one thing: does Checkatrade rank for your searches in your town? In our audits of local trades businesses this autumn, for the UK Construction Visibility Report, directories, Google’s own listings and social sites took 58% of the top five Google results for a trade plus a town, and Checkatrade alone appeared 54 times. It’s a small sample of eight businesses, so treat it as field notes, but the pattern is clear. Where it ranks, a good profile there is on page one too. Our comparison of Checkatrade and your own website goes deeper.
7. Rated People: now part of the Checkatrade group
Rated People closed its old memberships when it became part of Checkatrade. It now offers a fixed plan for 12 months, priced by trade and area through its sales team, or an Opportunities Board that’s free to join, where you pay only for the leads you choose to take. Neither price is published, so ask for it in writing.
8. Bark: free to join, pay to respond
Bark sends you leads for free and charges a one-off fee, paid in credits, when you choose to respond to one. Credits last three months. It’s a cheap way to test demand in a new area, but you’re often competing with several other trades for the same customer, so speed of reply decides who wins.
9. Nextdoor: the neighbours’ recommendation, online
Nextdoor lets UK businesses claim a free business page, and neighbours recommend local trades to each other there. It’s slow to build and it won’t fill the diary on its own, but a few genuine recommendations in your area cost nothing to collect.
10. Your van: advertising that parks outside every job
A signwritten van is seen on every street you work on. Keep it simple: your name, what you do, your phone number and your website. Two rules apply.
- Gas Safe. Only Gas Safe registered businesses may show the Gas Safe logo or a registration number, and only with their registered trading name. Gas Safe Register’s brand policy specifically covers vehicle signage. Gas work in homes must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer by law, so customers look for it.
- Claims you can prove. The UK advertising code says ads must not mislead, you must hold evidence for factual claims, and you can’t show a trust mark or quality mark you aren’t authorised to use. “Best plumber in town” needs proof; “fully qualified” needs to be true.
If you’re WaterSafe approved, that’s worth showing too. WaterSafe is the national accreditation body for plumbers working on drinking water systems across the UK.
What about Facebook ads and leaflets?
Both can work for a specific job in a specific area, but neither should come first. Facebook ads put you in front of people before they’re searching, which suits planned work like bathrooms and boiler upgrades more than emergencies. I’ve seen around £250 of Facebook ads win a local cleaning business a client worth about £3,000. Leaflets are hard to track, so if you use them, give them their own phone number or web address so you can tell whether they paid back.
What to do first: the order that pays back
- This week: claim and complete your Google Business Profile, put your Gas Safe number on everything if you’re registered, and start asking every customer for a review.
- This month: check your website on your own phone. Can someone see what you do, where you work and how to call you in five seconds?
- Next month: pick one paid channel, either Google Search Ads or Local Services Ads, and give it a proper test of at least three months with a budget you can afford to learn with.
- Then: look at which lead sites rank for your searches in your town, and decide whether one is worth a membership.
If you’d like that built and run for you, the Booked Solid System is £1,500 + VAT a month for trades businesses, and our page on marketing for plumbers covers how the pieces fit together.
Sources: Google, how local results are ranked, Local Services Ads availability, lead charges, screening and the Google Verified badge; Checkatrade pricing; Rated People for tradespeople; Bark pricing; Nextdoor business pages; HSE, gas safety in the home; Gas Safe Register, brand enforcement policy; ASA, CAP Code section 3; WaterSafe. Prices and terms checked in November 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best way to advertise a plumbing business?
Start with the free channels that decide whether a customer trusts you: a complete Google Business Profile, a steady flow of recent reviews and, if you're Gas Safe registered, your registration number on everything. Then make sure your website turns visits into calls. Only then pay for reach, usually Google Ads or Local Services Ads, because paid traffic sent to a weak profile or website wastes money.
Are Google Local Services Ads available for plumbers in the UK?
Yes. Plumbers are a listed category for Local Services Ads in the UK. You pay for valid leads, such as a phone call you answer, rather than for clicks. Google checks your business registration and insurance before you can run them. Unlike in the US and Canada, UK advertisers can't claim lead credits back for poor leads.
How much does Checkatrade cost for a plumber?
Checkatrade publishes three plans: a free profile to collect reviews, Approved at £30 a month, and Growth from £59 a month for a fixed number of leads a year. Memberships run for 12 months. Its pricing page doesn't say whether prices include VAT, so check before you sign.
Can I put the Gas Safe logo on my van?
Only if your business is Gas Safe registered, and only alongside your registered trading name. Gas Safe Register's brand policy covers websites, adverts and vehicle signage, and using a trust mark you aren't entitled to breaks UK advertising rules. Put your registration number on the van too, so customers can check it.
Should a plumber pay for leads or for Google Ads?
It depends how much control you want. Lead sites and Local Services Ads charge per lead or per membership, and the lead is often shared or screened by the platform. Google Search Ads charge per click, send people to your own page and let you choose the searches, but need a website that converts. Most growing plumbing businesses end up running one paid channel well rather than three badly.
