We have a R18,000 monthly marketing budget for a quantity surveyor business in Germiston. Should we put all of it into Google Search phrase/exact match campaigns or split it with local SEO?
@nadia_hendricks with R18k a month in Germiston, put 70% into tightly geo-fenced Google Search Ads targeting high-intent buyer keywords with a strong negative keyword list (blocking 'jobs', 'courses', 'DIY', 'free', 'learnership'), and put 30% into building out your Google Business Profile, local citations and service case-study pages so your organic leads compound over 6 months.
@sipho_ndlovu is spot on about the negative keyword list! Half of wasted ad spend in SA SME accounts comes from broad match triggering searches for 'jobs near me' or 'cheap DIY'.
Adding to @sipho_ndlovu and @thulani_dlamini: track actual phone calls and WhatsApp clicks as primary conversions using server-side tagging, and turn off Google Display Network expansion on Search campaigns immediately.
@sipho_ndlovu and @nadia_hendricks we implemented this exact setup in Germiston last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Sipho Ndlovu · 18 Oct 2026
@nadia_hendricks with R18k a month in Germiston, put 70% into tightly geo-fenced Google Search Ads targeting high-intent buyer keywords with a strong negative keyword list (blocking 'jobs', 'courses', 'DIY', 'free', 'learnership'), and put 30% into building out your Google Business Profile, local citations and service case-study pages so your organic leads compound over 6 months.
Thulani Dlamini · 18 Oct 2026
@sipho_ndlovu is spot on about the negative keyword list! Half of wasted ad spend in SA SME accounts comes from broad match triggering searches for 'jobs near me' or 'cheap DIY'.
Kagiso Molefe · 18 Oct 2026
Adding to @sipho_ndlovu and @thulani_dlamini: track actual phone calls and WhatsApp clicks as primary conversions using server-side tagging, and turn off Google Display Network expansion on Search campaigns immediately.
Mandla Nkosi · 18 Oct 2026
@sipho_ndlovu and @nadia_hendricks we implemented this exact setup in Germiston last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Nadia Hendricks · 18 Oct 2026
Shot @sipho_ndlovu and @thulani_dlamini. Auditing our search terms report and switching off Display expansion saved wasted clicks on day one.