One-month pilot delivering qualified leads, early performance signals, and strong owner feedback from a £250 budget.
TopVolt wanted fast, qualified leads from a small budget and asked for a one-month pilot to validate whether paid search could deliver the right enquiry quality before committing to a longer campaign.
"I'm seriously impressed"
Keanu @ TopVolt
See how our Google Ads campaigns generate fast, tender-ready enquiries with tight budget control.
Google Ads →Client
Keanu @ TopVolt
A Google Ads pilot — typically run over 4–6 weeks on a controlled budget — proves whether paid search can generate qualified, commercially relevant enquiries for your specific trade and geography. It validates keywords, confirms cost-per-lead at your budget level, and tests ad copy before any significant spend commitment. The TopVolt pilot demonstrated 10 qualified leads on a £250 budget — a cost-per-lead of £25 — which proved positive unit economics before any budget increase.
An initial Google Ads pilot budget of £250–£500 per month is typically sufficient to generate statistically meaningful data on cost-per-lead and keyword performance. This budget level validates whether Google Ads can deliver economically before scaling. For specialist subcontractors targeting commercial or public sector procurement searches, even a £250 pilot budget will generate data on whether paid search reaches procurement-intent audiences in your trade.
Google Ads begins generating impression data within 24 hours of campaign launch, and initial clicks and enquiries typically appear within the first 3–5 days. A well-structured pilot generates meaningful lead data within the first 2 weeks. For construction-specific keywords targeting procurement intent — "civil engineering contractor Birmingham", "M&E subcontractor Manchester" — campaigns can generate qualified enquiries from day one when set up correctly.
A qualified lead from construction Google Ads is a phone call or form submission from a project manager, procurement officer, developer, or main contractor genuinely seeking a subcontractor or specialist for a specific project. Qualification filters include call duration (typically 90+ seconds for genuine enquiries), project type alignment, and geographic fit. The TopVolt pilot defined qualified leads as calls from homeowners or landlords with genuine electrical work — filtering out canvassers and wrong-number calls.
Cost-per-lead in construction Google Ads varies significantly by trade, geography, and competition level. Electrical and trades businesses in London typically see £20–£60 cost-per-lead. Civil engineering and specialist subcontractor searches targeting procurement contacts typically see £40–£120 per lead — but with much higher average project values. The TopVolt pilot achieved a £25 cost-per-lead against estimated job profit of £600 — a 24:1 return on ad spend if all leads converted.
Scale when three conditions are met: cost-per-lead is below 10% of average job profit, lead quality is consistently strong (procurement-intent, correct geography, correct project size), and your team can handle increased enquiry volume. For most construction firms, a successful pilot at £250/month warrants scaling to £500–£1,500/month in month 2, then optimising CPL further before committing to higher spend levels.
Procurement contact reach is measured by lead quality indicators — enquiry content mentioning project specs, framework requirements, or tender timelines — rather than just volume. Call tracking with recorded calls, form submissions with project details, and direct feedback from enquiries all confirm procurement-intent traffic. For specialist subcontractors, enabling call recording and reviewing enquiry quality weekly is essential for accurate pilot assessment.
The highest-converting construction Google Ads keywords combine trade + location + intent signals: "electrician London commercial", "M&E contractor Manchester", "civil engineering firm Birmingham", "groundworks contractor Essex". Phrase match and exact match deliver higher quality than broad match for construction. Negative keywords — "DIY", "how to", "training", "courses" — prevent budget waste on non-commercial searches. Framework-specific keywords like "NEC3 approved contractor" or "Constructionline electrician" capture procurement-intent searches.
We'll build a focused pilot to prove lead quality quickly and scale it once performance is validated.
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