How to Advertise Your Small Business Online in the UK
If you run a small business and you've decided it's time to advertise online, the hard part isn't the technology — it's knowing where to start, how much to spend, and how to tell whether it's actually working. This guide is the plain-English version: the real options, what they cost, and how to avoid pouring money into ads that never turn into customers.
What are the best ways to advertise a small business online?
The main paid options are Google Ads (search and shopping), Facebook and Instagram ads, and Microsoft Ads. Alongside those sit “free” channels — SEO, your Google Business Profile, and social content — which cost time rather than money. For most small businesses, paid search and paid social are where results come fastest.
Here's the honest breakdown of where to put your attention first:
- Google Ads — you appear when someone searches for what you offer (“emergency plumber Norwich”). The intent is high, so it's usually the best first channel for service businesses and anything people actively look for. See Google Ads for small businesses.
- Facebook & Instagram ads — you appear in people's feeds before they're searching, based on who they are. Strong for products, local awareness, and demand you have to create rather than capture. See Facebook ads for small business.
- Google Business Profile & local SEO — free, and essential for any business with local customers. Fill it out properly before you spend a penny on ads.
- SEO — ranking on Google organically is the cheapest traffic long-term, but it's slow. Treat it as a parallel investment, not a quick win.
Should I start with Google Ads or Facebook ads?
If people actively search for what you sell — a service, a fix, a “near me” need — start with Google Ads, because you're catching demand that already exists. If you sell something people don't search for but would want once they see it, start with Facebook and Instagram to create the demand.
Most small businesses get the best early return from Google Ads because intent is built in: someone typing “wedding photographer Norfolk” is already a buyer. Facebook and Instagram are powerful but ask more of your creative — you're interrupting people, so the ad has to earn attention. The honest answer for a tight budget is: pick the one channel that best matches how your customers find you, do it properly, and only add the second once the first is working. We compare them in detail in Google Ads vs Facebook ads.
How much does it cost to advertise a small business online?
Most UK small businesses start with somewhere between £500 and £2,000 a month in ad spend, paid directly to Google or Meta. The right number isn't a fixed figure — it's whatever buys enough clicks and conversions for the platform's algorithm to learn and for you to judge results fairly.
Two costs are separate: the ad spend (money to Google or Meta) and, if you use one, the agency or freelancer fee to manage it. Below roughly £500–£750 a month in spend, a tightly focused local campaign can still work, but you'll struggle to gather enough data for automated bidding to do its job. The mistake is spreading a small budget across too many campaigns or channels — far better to dominate one thing. We've set out the management side in how much Google Ads management costs in the UK, and a real low-budget plan in Facebook ads on a budget.
How do I make sure I'm not wasting money?
Set up conversion tracking before you spend anything, and judge campaigns on leads, bookings or sales — not clicks or “reach.” If you can't see which ad produced an actual enquiry, you're flying blind, and so is the platform's bidding.
This is where most small business ad budgets quietly leak. The ad platforms optimise toward whatever you tell them is a “conversion” — so if that's set up wrong (or not at all), they'll happily spend your money chasing the wrong thing. Worse, modern browser tracking now misses a chunk of conversions thanks to iOS and privacy changes, so the numbers can mislead even when set up. Make sure conversions are tracked properly — ideally with server-side tracking — and check actual enquiries against what the platform claims. If your ads aren't producing leads, work through why Google Ads aren't converting.
Should I run the ads myself or hire someone?
At small budgets, doing it yourself is reasonable and keeps costs down. Hiring an agency or freelancer pays off when your time is worth more than their fee, when the setup is beyond what you want to learn, or when you're spending enough that small improvements more than cover the management cost.
There's no shame in either choice — plenty of owners run solid campaigns themselves, especially locally. But online advertising rewards consistent attention, and “set and forget” is where money disappears. If you do bring in help, choose carefully: who actually runs your account, how they charge, and whether you keep ownership of everything all matter. We wrote a full guide on how to choose a marketing agency — and the signs an agency is underperforming if you're already with one.
The most common mistake small businesses make
Spreading a small budget too thin — a bit of Google, a bit of Facebook, a boosted post here and there — so nothing gets enough spend or data to work. Pick one channel, commit a focused budget, track it properly, and give it time before you judge it.
The second most common mistake is impatience. Paid ads have a learning period: the first few weeks are the platform working out who converts, and the data is noisy. Owners who panic and change everything in week two never let a campaign stabilise. Decide your budget, your one key metric, and a fair window (usually 60–90 days), then hold your nerve and optimise on evidence rather than nerves.
A simple plan to start advertising your small business
If you want a concrete starting point, this is the order we'd follow:
- 1. Sort the free basics. Claim and complete your Google Business Profile. Make sure your website clearly says what you do and how to contact you.
- 2. Pick one paid channel. Google Ads if people search for you; Facebook/Instagram if they don't. Don't do both yet.
- 3. Set up conversion tracking first. Know what a “lead” is and make sure it's tracked before you spend.
- 4. Start with a focused budget. £500–£1,500/month, one tight campaign, one clear offer.
- 5. Judge it on leads and sales after 60–90 days. Then scale what works and cut what doesn't — or add the second channel.
Bons & Frazer is a founder-run agency that helps UK small businesses advertise online without wasting budget — fixed fee, no contract, and you own every account. We run Google Ads and Facebook & Instagram ads built on proper tracking — and we’re early on ChatGPT Ads. Running Google first? See our Google Ads agency for small businesses.
Get a free auditFrequently asked questions
What's the cheapest way to advertise a small business online?
The cheapest effective options cost time rather than money: a fully completed Google Business Profile, basic local SEO, and organic social posts. Among paid options, Google Ads targeting a tight local area and a small set of high-intent search terms usually gives the best return per pound, because you only pay when someone actively looking for you clicks. “Cheap” boosted Facebook posts feel cheap but rarely convert — a small, properly structured campaign beats scattered boosts every time.
How much should a small business spend on online advertising per month?
Most UK small businesses start between £500 and £2,000 a month in ad spend. The right figure is whatever generates enough clicks and conversions for the platform's bidding to learn and for you to judge results fairly — which depends on your industry and how much a click costs. It's better to fund one channel properly than to split a small budget across several. Keep management fees (if any) separate from the ad spend itself.
Is Google Ads or Facebook better for a small business?
It depends on how your customers find you. If they actively search for what you offer, Google Ads usually wins because you're capturing existing demand. If they wouldn't think to search but would buy once they saw it, Facebook and Instagram are stronger because they create demand. Most small businesses should start with whichever matches their customers' behaviour, prove it works, then add the second channel rather than splitting budget across both from day one.
How long until online advertising starts working?
Expect a realistic window of 60–90 days. You'll see clicks within days, but the first few weeks are a learning period where the platform works out who converts and the data is noisy. Meaningful, stable results usually arrive once enough conversions have accumulated — often around the second or third month. Judging a campaign in week one, or changing everything constantly, is the fastest way to stop it ever working.
Can I advertise my small business online myself?
Yes — plenty of owners run effective campaigns themselves, especially at lower budgets and for local businesses. The things that trip people up are conversion tracking, account structure, and the discipline to leave campaigns alone long enough to learn. If you're spending enough that small improvements would more than cover a management fee, or you simply don't have time to give it consistent attention, that's the point where hiring help starts to pay for itself.
Jamie Frazer is a co-founder of Bons & Frazer, a founder-run performance marketing agency in Norwich specialising in Google Ads, Facebook & Instagram ads and conversion tracking for small businesses across the UK.