This is Google's limited-time offer for new UK advertisers. Spend a set amount in your first 60 days and Google adds ad credit to your account. It's for small businesses and online stores that already plan to advertise on Google. The three offers on Google's UK page are: spend £400 and get £400 in credit, spend £1,200 and get £1,500, or spend £2,500 and get £4,000. You choose one offer when you sign up.
What it can do for you
If Google Ads works for your business, the credit stretches your first months of testing. That gives you more clicks to learn which keywords, ads and landing pages actually bring sales, before you're paying full price. The larger offers give back more than you spend, so pick the tier that matches the budget you'd spend anyway, not a bigger one.
The terms that matter
Google's terms say you need a UK billing address, you must be a new advertiser (your first ad served no more than 14 days before you enter the code), and there's one promotional credit per customer. The credit is usually applied within 35 days and expires 60 days after it's applied. The offer is "limited time", with no fixed end date, and Google can withdraw it, so check the page before you start.
The honest downsides
- You spend first. UK agencies stress it's not free money: you pay the qualifying amount, then wait for the credit.
- It expires. Unused credit is lost 60 days after it's applied.
- It can fund waste. Guides warn against rushing campaigns live to hit a deadline. Set up conversion tracking, tight keywords, negative keywords and a focused landing page first, and judge results on cost per lead or sale.
- Watch for scams. One UK agency warns about fake "free credit" offers; use Google's own page.
Skip it if
- you weren't planning to advertise on Google
- you can't measure whether ads lead to sales
Alternatives
There's no other ad credit we list. If you're a local business, start with a free Google Business Profile, which can bring in customers from Search and Maps without paying for clicks.
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