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    The trades calendar

    When UK customers search for a tradesperson: four years of Google search data

    We took 43 searches people use to find a tradesperson, such as "plumber near me" and "emergency locksmith", across 11 trades, and followed them month by month from October 2022 to September 2026. This is the trades year as customers search it.

    By Janusz Wozniak · Published 2026-11-10

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    Hiring searches
    43
    Trades
    11
    Months
    48, October 2022 to September 2026
    Source
    Google Ads data via DataForSEO

    Key findings

    1. December is the quietest month of the year for 8 of the 11 trades. The exceptions are plumbing and heating (May), electrical (June), and roofing (June).
    2. Landscaping and gardening is the most seasonal trade by a distance. Its searches in May run at 3.9 times their December level.
    3. Across all 11 trades together, the busiest months are October, March and January. The busiest month is January for roofing, building, and carpentry and joinery, and October for plumbing and heating, plastering, tiling, handyman, and painting and decorating.
    4. The steadiest trades are electrical and locksmiths: demand for them changes least through the year.
    5. The jobs carry the clearest seasons. Searches for "boiler service" peak around October, "loft conversion" around January and "burst pipe" around December, and each one's busiest month came within a month of that point in every one of the four years.

    The trades calendar

    Each row is one trade's year. Every month is shown against that trade's own average month, so the table compares the shape of each trade's year, not how many searches each trade gets.

    How to read the calendar

    • 100 is an average month for that trade. 150 means half as many searches again as an average month; 50 means half as many.
    • Each figure is the average of four years, October 2022 to September 2026, with each year set against its own average first, so one busy year does not outweigh the others.
    • The darker the cell, the busier the month. The busiest month in each row is in bold.

    Figure 1

    Searches for a tradesperson, month by month, by trade

    Seasonal index: 100 is that trade's average month.

    Seasonal index by trade and month. 100 is the trade's average month; the busiest month in each row is in bold.
    TradeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
    Plumbing and heating118991059080819387101123 (busiest month)116107
    Electrical1171021068784849097105116118 (busiest month)95
    Roofing138 (busiest month)102115847673818810212612788
    Building122 (busiest month)112111103959310198911109472
    Landscaping and gardening8498135152157 (busiest month)1221069981755340
    Carpentry and joinery118 (busiest month)10610899959010110310111310068
    Plastering103108112107989110410499122 (busiest month)9558
    Tiling1081081081029393989898135 (busiest month)10359
    Handyman98961061011019599103101122 (busiest month)10673
    Painting and decorating10110611111210996107109105117 (busiest month)8245
    Locksmiths9098107115 (busiest month)106101981021011049285
    All 11 trades1081011111049892969699112 (busiest month)10182
    Sample
    43 hiring searches across 11 trades
    Source
    Websites for Tradespeople, "When UK customers search for a tradesperson: four years of Google search data". Google Ads keyword data for the UK via DataForSEO, October 2022 to September 2026, retrieved 10 November 2026.

    Each trade at a glance

    The busiest and quietest month for each trade, how far apart they are, and how reliably the busy month came round each year.

    Reading the columns

    • Busiest ÷ quietest is the busiest month's figure divided by the quietest month's: 2.0 means twice as many searches.
    • Years repeated counts the four years in which the trade's busiest month fell within a month of its four-year busiest month. Four of four is a season you can plan around; one or two means the peak moves from year to year.
    • Average a month is the hiring searches in the study for that trade, added together and averaged over all 48 months.

    Figure 2

    Busiest and quietest months by trade

    Four years of hiring searches, October 2022 to September 2026.

    Busiest and quietest month by trade
    TradeBusiestQuietestBusiest ÷ quietestYears repeatedAverage a month
    Plumbing and heatingOctoberMay1.5×2 of 4167,608
    ElectricalNovemberJune1.4×2 of 489,858
    RoofingJanuaryJune1.9×1 of 444,271
    BuildingJanuaryDecember1.7×2 of 433,192
    Landscaping and gardeningMayDecember3.9×3 of 471,487
    Carpentry and joineryJanuaryDecember1.7×3 of 437,873
    PlasteringOctoberDecember2.1×2 of 421,766
    TilingOctoberDecember2.3×4 of 48,519
    HandymanOctoberDecember1.7×3 of 431,728
    Painting and decoratingOctoberDecember2.6×2 of 434,586
    LocksmithsAprilDecember1.4×1 of 4112,596
    Sample
    43 hiring searches across 11 trades
    Source
    Websites for Tradespeople, "When UK customers search for a tradesperson: four years of Google search data". Google Ads keyword data for the UK via DataForSEO, October 2022 to September 2026, retrieved 10 November 2026.

    The jobs behind the seasons

    Searches for the job rather than the tradesperson show the clearest seasons of all. These are the 27 job searches in the study whose busiest month came round at the same time of year in at least three of the four years.

    What these job searches include

    • A search for a job also catches people researching it, pricing it or doing it themselves, so these figures describe interest in the job, not only people ready to hire. That is why they are kept out of the trade calendar above.
    • Jobs that did not repeat their season in at least three of four years are left out, not hidden: the full list and the reason for each is in the methodology.

    Figure 3

    Job searches with a season that repeats

    Sorted by how far the busiest month is above the quietest.

    Job searches whose busiest month repeated in at least three of four years
    SearchTradeBusiestQuietestBusiest ÷ quietestYears repeatedAverage a month
    "artificial grass installation"Landscaping and gardeningAprilDecember5.1×4 of 41,919
    "decking installation"Landscaping and gardeningMayDecember3.8×3 of 4905
    "garden design"Landscaping and gardeningAprilDecember3.7×4 of 416,988
    "burst pipe"Plumbing and heatingDecemberJune3.5×4 of 41,038
    "exterior house painting"Painting and decoratingAprilDecember3.0×4 of 42,915
    "leak detection"Plumbing and heatingSeptemberJune2.9×4 of 47,771
    "roof leak repair"RoofingNovemberAugust2.7×3 of 42,500
    "boiler service"Plumbing and heatingOctoberJune2.6×4 of 419,902
    "block paving driveway"Landscaping and gardeningMarchDecember2.6×4 of 46,956
    "radiator installation"Plumbing and heatingNovemberJune2.5×4 of 4972
    "turfing"Landscaping and gardeningAprilDecember2.4×4 of 4759
    "gutter cleaning"RoofingOctoberDecember2.0×4 of 417,221
    "porch extension"BuildingJanuaryJuly2.0×4 of 41,095
    "roof repair"RoofingOctoberJuly1.9×3 of 48,367
    "chimney repair"RoofingSeptemberJuly1.9×3 of 41,285
    "kitchen extension"BuildingJanuaryJune1.9×3 of 43,929
    "ceiling repair"PlasteringOctoberJune1.9×4 of 4895
    "gutter repair"RoofingOctoberApril1.8×4 of 45,879
    "loft conversion"BuildingJanuaryJune1.8×4 of 420,035
    "garage conversion"BuildingJanuaryJune1.8×4 of 48,971
    "upvc door lock repair"LocksmithsMarchDecember1.8×3 of 4566
    "eicr"ElectricalSeptemberDecember1.7×3 of 419,246
    "single storey extension"BuildingJanuaryJuly1.7×3 of 42,223
    "tv wall mounting"HandymanNovemberJune1.7×4 of 4529
    "fitted wardrobes"Carpentry and joineryJanuaryJune1.6×4 of 438,752
    "house rewire"ElectricalOctoberJuly1.4×3 of 41,979
    "wallpaper hanging"Painting and decoratingOctoberJune1.4×3 of 4709
    Sample
    27 job searches
    Source
    Websites for Tradespeople, "When UK customers search for a tradesperson: four years of Google search data". Google Ads keyword data for the UK via DataForSEO, October 2022 to September 2026, retrieved 10 November 2026.

    What a click costs, by trade

    Google Ads estimates what advertisers pay for a click on each search. For each trade, this is its busiest hiring search and, where there is one, its emergency search.

    What a click price is not

    • It is what an advertiser pays when someone clicks an advert, not what a lead or a job costs: most clicks do not become a call.
    • DataForSEO gives these prices in US dollars. We converted them at $1.3371 to the pound (Federal Reserve H.10 noon buying rate, 6 November 2026).
    • They are estimates as of 10 November 2026, and they move with the advertisers bidding at the time.

    Figure 4

    Estimated cost per click for each trade's main searches

    Google Ads estimates via DataForSEO, converted to sterling.

    Estimated cost per click, converted from US dollars
    TradeSearchPer click (£)As given ($)
    Plumbing and heating"plumber near me"£6.05$8.09
    Plumbing and heating"emergency plumber"£17.36$23.21
    Electrical"electrician near me"£5.03$6.72
    Electrical"emergency electrician"£8.56$11.44
    Roofing"roofer near me"£3.96$5.29
    Building"builders near me"£2.53$3.38
    Landscaping and gardening"gardener near me"£1.92$2.57
    Carpentry and joinery"joiner near me"£2.30$3.08
    Plastering"plasterer near me"£2.29$3.06
    Tiling"tiler near me"£2.28$3.05
    Handyman"handyman near me"£3.01$4.02
    Painting and decorating"painter and decorator near me"£2.60$3.47
    Locksmiths"locksmith near me"£21.05$28.14
    Locksmiths"emergency locksmith"£28.41$37.99

    Converted at $1.3371 to the pound (Federal Reserve H.10 noon buying rate, 6 November 2026).

    Sample
    Each trade's busiest hiring search, and its emergency search where there is one
    Source
    Websites for Tradespeople, "When UK customers search for a tradesperson: four years of Google search data". Google Ads keyword data for the UK via DataForSEO, October 2022 to September 2026, retrieved 10 November 2026.

    Four years in total

    Added together, the hiring searches in this study were 27% lower in the year to September 2026 than in the year to September 2023. The table shows each trade's total for each October to September year.

    Read this with care

    • Google's search volumes are estimates, and Google changes how it estimates and groups searches. A lower total does not show that fewer people needed a tradesperson.
    • Customers also find trades through maps, apps, directories and recommendations that this data does not count.
    • This study measures the seasons inside each year, where those changes matter least. It does not set out to explain the totals, and does not try.

    Figure 5

    Hiring searches by trade, each October to September

    Total searches in the year, as Google's estimates give them.

    Hiring searches by trade, each October to September
    TradeOct 2022 to Sep 2023Oct 2023 to Sep 2024Oct 2024 to Sep 2025Oct 2025 to Sep 2026First to last year
    Plumbing and heating2,389,3002,112,0001,842,9001,701,000down 29%
    Electrical1,007,9001,280,1001,088,700936,500down 7%
    Roofing633,660605,980437,760447,600down 29%
    Building394,400477,800401,100319,900down 19%
    Landscaping and gardening1,007,2201,000,220782,020641,920down 36%
    Carpentry and joinery478,600504,400444,500390,400down 18%
    Plastering296,480304,300235,080208,910down 30%
    Tiling128,700117,30086,00076,900down 40%
    Handyman474,160445,400313,300290,100down 39%
    Painting and decorating488,370449,230392,000330,540down 32%
    Locksmiths1,361,7001,808,7001,229,9001,004,320down 26%
    All 11 trades8,660,4909,105,4307,253,2606,348,090down 27%
    Sample
    43 hiring searches across 11 trades
    Source
    Websites for Tradespeople, "When UK customers search for a tradesperson: four years of Google search data". Google Ads keyword data for the UK via DataForSEO, October 2022 to September 2026, retrieved 10 November 2026.

    What it means for a trade business

    1. Find your trade's busiest months in the calendar, and have the pages, photos and reviews for that work in place a couple of months before they arrive. A page published in the middle of the peak is late.
    2. Use the quiet month. For most trades that is December: the time to update your Google Business Profile, ask past customers for reviews and plan the year's marketing.
    3. If your trade's peak moves from year to year, plan for a season rather than a single month.
    4. Ask every customer how they found you. The calendar shows when people search; only your own records show which of those searches became your jobs.

    Methodology

    Every rule below was set before the figures were read, and the same rules applied to every trade.

    1. Source: Google Ads keyword data for the United Kingdom, English, via the DataForSEO API, retrieved on 10 November 2026. Monthly volumes for October 2022 to September 2026: 48 months, four complete October to September years.
    2. Hiring searches only: every search in a trade's figures names the tradesperson, such as "plumber near me", "emergency electrician" or "24 hour locksmith". A search that names only the job, such as "bathroom tiling", also catches people buying materials or doing the work themselves, so job searches are reported separately and never enter a trade's figures.
    3. One phrasing per group: Google returns identical figures for close variants such as "plumber near me" and "plumbers near me", so each group is counted once.
    4. A search is kept only if it averages at least 500 searches a month over the 48 months.
    5. Each trade's searches are added together month by month. Each October to September year is set against its own monthly average, which is 100, and each calendar month's figure is the average of its four years.
    6. Job searches are shown only if they pass the same 500 rule and their busiest month fell within a month of their four-year busiest month in at least three of the four years.
    7. Click prices are Google Ads estimates for the latest period, converted from US dollars at $1.3371 to the pound (Federal Reserve H.10 noon buying rate, 6 November 2026).

    Searches checked and left out

    Every hiring search we listed passed the rules. Of the job searches we listed, 27 passed and 39 did not:

    • “boiler repair” (plumbing and heating): busiest month within a month of its peak in 2 of 4 years
    • “boiler installation” (plumbing and heating): busiest month within a month of its peak in 1 of 4 years
    • “new boiler” (plumbing and heating): busiest month within a month of its peak in 1 of 4 years
    • “blocked drain” (plumbing and heating): busiest month within a month of its peak in 1 of 4 years
    • “central heating repair” (plumbing and heating): averages 400 a month, under 500
    • “gas safety certificate” (plumbing and heating): busiest month within a month of its peak in 1 of 4 years
    • “power flush” (plumbing and heating): busiest month within a month of its peak in 2 of 4 years
    • “electrical safety certificate” (electrical): busiest month within a month of its peak in 1 of 4 years
    • “landlord electrical certificate” (electrical): busiest month within a month of its peak in 1 of 4 years
    • “consumer unit replacement” (electrical): averages 138 a month, under 500
    • “fuse box replacement” (electrical): busiest month within a month of its peak in 2 of 4 years
    • “ev charger installation” (electrical): busiest month within a month of its peak in 2 of 4 years
    • “solar panel installation” (electrical): busiest month within a month of its peak in 1 of 4 years
    • “outdoor lighting installation” (electrical): averages 206 a month, under 500
    • “electric shower installation” (electrical): busiest month within a month of its peak in 1 of 4 years
    • “emergency roof repair” (roofing): busiest month within a month of its peak in 1 of 4 years
    • “flat roof repair” (roofing): busiest month within a month of its peak in 2 of 4 years
    • “roof replacement” (roofing): busiest month within a month of its peak in 2 of 4 years
    • “fascias and soffits” (roofing): busiest month within a month of its peak in 2 of 4 years
    • “house extension” (building): busiest month within a month of its peak in 2 of 4 years
    • “orangery” (building): busiest month within a month of its peak in 1 of 4 years
    • “fence installation” (landscaping and gardening): busiest month within a month of its peak in 2 of 4 years
    • “patio installation” (landscaping and gardening): averages 450 a month, under 500
    • “door fitting” (carpentry and joinery): busiest month within a month of its peak in 0 of 4 years
    • “staircase renovation” (carpentry and joinery): busiest month within a month of its peak in 2 of 4 years
    • “skirting board installation” (carpentry and joinery): averages 371 a month, under 500
    • “plastering” (plastering): busiest month within a month of its peak in 1 of 4 years
    • “house rendering” (plastering): busiest month within a month of its peak in 2 of 4 years
    • “artex removal” (plastering): busiest month within a month of its peak in 1 of 4 years
    • “coving installation” (plastering): averages 369 a month, under 500
    • “bathroom tiling” (tiling): busiest month within a month of its peak in 1 of 4 years
    • “floor tiling” (tiling): busiest month within a month of its peak in 1 of 4 years
    • “wall tiling” (tiling): busiest month within a month of its peak in 1 of 4 years
    • “wet room installation” (tiling): busiest month within a month of its peak in 1 of 4 years
    • “flat pack assembly” (handyman): busiest month within a month of its peak in 1 of 4 years
    • “interior painting” (painting and decorating): busiest month within a month of its peak in 2 of 4 years
    • “locked out of house” (locksmiths): averages 465 a month, under 500
    • “car key replacement” (locksmiths): busiest month within a month of its peak in 2 of 4 years
    • “lock change” (locksmiths): busiest month within a month of its peak in 2 of 4 years

    Every search in the study

    The 43 hiring searches behind the trade figures, with each one's four-year average.

    Figure 6

    Hiring searches by trade

    Average searches a month, October 2022 to September 2026.

    Every hiring search in the study
    TradeSearchAverage a monthBusiestQuietest
    Plumbing and heating"plumber near me"109,198OctoberMay
    Plumbing and heating"emergency plumber"15,027JulyAugust
    Plumbing and heating"heating engineer near me"11,560NovemberJune
    Plumbing and heating"gas engineer near me"10,717NovemberJune
    Plumbing and heating"bathroom fitters near me"10,298JanuaryDecember
    Plumbing and heating"local plumber"7,671OctoberJune
    Plumbing and heating"boiler engineer near me"3,138DecemberJuly
    Electrical"electrician near me"77,594NovemberMay
    Electrical"emergency electrician"6,158DecemberJuly
    Electrical"local electrician"6,106JanuaryJuly
    Roofing"roofer near me"40,448JanuaryJune
    Roofing"roofing contractors near me"2,321OctoberDecember
    Roofing"local roofer"1,502JanuaryMay
    Building"builders near me"24,398JanuaryDecember
    Building"bricklayer near me"3,863MarchDecember
    Building"local builders"2,904FebruaryDecember
    Building"building contractors near me"2,027JanuaryJuly
    Landscaping and gardening"gardener near me"29,356MayDecember
    Landscaping and gardening"landscape gardeners near me"13,065MarchDecember
    Landscaping and gardening"fencing contractors near me"13,031AprilDecember
    Landscaping and gardening"fencer near me"12,256AprilDecember
    Landscaping and gardening"landscaper near me"2,466AprilDecember
    Landscaping and gardening"landscaping companies near me"1,313MarchDecember
    Carpentry and joinery"joiner near me"15,079OctoberDecember
    Carpentry and joinery"carpenter near me"14,588JanuaryDecember
    Carpentry and joinery"kitchen fitters near me"8,206JanuaryDecember
    Plastering"plasterer near me"17,806OctoberDecember
    Plastering"renderers near me"2,666MayDecember
    Plastering"local plasterer"1,294MarchDecember
    Tiling"tiler near me"8,519OctoberDecember
    Handyman"handyman near me"24,408OctoberDecember
    Handyman"handyman services"3,056JanuaryDecember
    Handyman"odd job man near me"2,704OctoberDecember
    Handyman"local handyman"1,560OctoberDecember
    Painting and decorating"painter and decorator near me"18,923FebruaryDecember
    Painting and decorating"decorators near me"7,546OctoberDecember
    Painting and decorating"painters near me"7,375OctoberDecember
    Painting and decorating"local decorator"743AugustDecember
    Locksmiths"locksmith near me"86,979AprilDecember
    Locksmiths"emergency locksmith"11,665AprilJanuary
    Locksmiths"auto locksmith"7,263JanuaryOctober
    Locksmiths"emergency locksmith near me"4,494OctoberJanuary
    Locksmiths"24 hour locksmith"2,196OctoberAugust
    Sample
    43 hiring searches
    Source
    Websites for Tradespeople, "When UK customers search for a tradesperson: four years of Google search data". Google Ads keyword data for the UK via DataForSEO, October 2022 to September 2026, retrieved 10 November 2026.

    Limitations

    What this data cannot show

    • Google rounds each search's monthly volume into bands, so a single search's month to month figures are coarse. Adding several searches together and averaging four years smooths this, which is why the trade figures are more reliable than any one search's.
    • The figures cover Google in the United Kingdom as a whole. Seasons can differ by region, and the data does not show it.
    • Searches are not jobs. The data shows when people look, not how many hire, and not who they hire.
    • The list of searches is ours. Different searches would give somewhat different figures; every search used is listed above so the choice can be checked.

    Download and reuse

    The figures behind this study

    Two files of derived figures: the seasonal index for every trade and month, and a summary of every search in the study. The monthly search volumes underneath come from Google Ads data through DataForSEO and are not ours to republish, so they are not included.

    Our analysis, the derived figures and the charts are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0, with a credit to Websites for Tradespeople.

    Please cite as: Websites for Tradespeople (2026). When UK customers search for a tradesperson: four years of Google search data. https://www.websitesfortradespeople.co.uk/research/uk-trades-search-demand-2026

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