Roofing is competitive, and if you want to scale your business, you need high visibility. Word-of-mouth will only get you so far – to get big results, you need to actively market your services.
The majority of your potential customers aren’t just casually browsing around – they need your services now. While some people will be looking for a new roof before there’s an emergency, those people aren’t feeling any sense of urgency and are less likely to buy. Your ideal, most profitable customers are dealing with urgent problems like shingles ripped off in a storm, water leaks or stains on the ceiling, and damage from trees. To capture these customers, your roofing business needs to show up in a Google search, and that’s where pay-per-click ads (PPC) come into play.
When you use PPC ads, you’ll show up at the very top of the page above organic search results. That means your customers don’t have to scroll to find you. All you need is a compelling ad that leads to a landing page that converts clicks into cash.
PPC advertising is the easiest way to get visibility in Google search results, but only if you do it right. Done wrong, PPC ads are a money pit. Done correctly, PPC ads can become a lead-generating machine.
This guide will walk you through a proven, high-performance PPC strategy tailored for roofing contractors ready to scale.
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PPC ads are a roofing contractor’s best online advertising method. While search engine optimization (SEO) is powerful – especially with local SEO – it takes time to see results. PPC gets you results (clicks, paying customers) now, putting your roofing business in front of hot leads the moment they search for your services.
Just like local SEO, you can use local-intent keywords with your PPC ad campaigns to create a higher conversion rate. Since roofing services are local, you’ll want to target specific zip codes or service areas to make sure your ads reach the right people in the areas you serve.
Search intent consists of two things: keywords and urgency. Let’s break these down:
· Commercial v. informational intent. The keywords people use will tell you everything you need to know about their intent. While some people are only looking for information, others are searching for services. For example, phrases like “roof leak repair near me” is gold. “How to fix a leaky roof” is not. Focus your ad budget on high-converting, purchase-intent queries. Another good phrase to bid on is “[your company] reviews.”
· How to use match types. When running paid ads, you can choose broad match or phrase and exact match. Broad match will waste your budget because it will include a ton of unrelated queries. Stick to phrase match and exact match to zero in on qualified traffic, and then refine your campaign through negative keywords.
If you aren’t sure what phrases are considered high-intent, here’s a simple list you can use as a starting point:
· Emergency roof repair near me
· Roof repair [city or zip code]
· Roofing companies in [city or zip code]
· Licensed roofers near me
· Storm damage roof repair
· Roof leak repair services
· Hail damage roofing contractor
· Roof replacement [city or zip code]
There are also a handful of service-specific keywords you can target, including:
· Metal roofing installation
· Shingle roof repair
· Flat roof replacement
· Tile roofing contractor
· Commercial roofing company
· Residential roofing services
Don’t forget the comparison/estimate phrases:
· Roof repair cost [city]
· How much does a new roof cost
· Roof replacement cost calculator
· Compare roofing contractors [city]
Suggested negative keywords:
· DIY
· How to
· Free
· Tutorial
· Home Dept
· Jobs
· Careers
· Courses
· Trainings
· Rent
· Rentals
By adding these to your negative keywords list, you’ll avoid having your ads show up for people who are looking for DIY solutions who are not likely to hire a professional roofer.
You should also bid on your own company name since there’s a possibility people will be searching for your company specifically, either to research or compare prices. Google allows you to bid on your competitors’ brands, but make sure you don’t violate Google’s trademark rules. You can bid on a competitor’s brand name even if it’s trademarked, but you can’t use it in the ad text unless you are the trademark owner, an official reseller, or providing informational content about the trademark.
If you’re running paid ads and not getting good results, it’s possibly because you’re targeting queries that indicate curiosity rather than urgency and need (purchase intent).
When you run an ad, clicking will take users to the web page of your choice. Many people send traffic to their home page by default, but that’s a bad idea. Home pages don’t convert well because there is no targeted message.
You want to give people every reason possible to call you immediately and request a consultation, inspection, or buy your services. To do this, you need a dedicated sales page with copy that speaks directly to your leads and matches your ad. For example, if you’re running an ad that uses the phrase “fix a leaky roof,” your sales page should be written to get people with a leaky roof to call you for an emergency tarp, free inspection, or whatever you offer.
It will take time to test and adjust your sales pages to get them to convert optimally, but you can start by clearly stating what you offer (e.g., “24-hour emergency roof repair”), using trust signals, like Google reviews, Home Advisor ratings and reviews, badges, partnerships with financing companies, and warranties offered. Once you have a solid, basic sales page, you can start running ads and then use split-testing to fine-tune the elements one-by-one to increase conversions.
Targeting local areas is the key to running a successful PPC ad campaign. Target your audience by zip code or a specific radius around your service area. Combine this with custom ad copy (“Serving the Greater Houston area!”) to boost your click-through rate (CTR).
When running PPC ads, it’s crucial to avoid overreach. Unless you are a statewide business with multiple teams and a huge budget, don’t waste your money on markets you can’t effectively service. Keep your ads confined to the service areas you can support while staying profitable.
Your best leads want to talk to you – they don’t want to send emails back and forth. When you can generate calls from your ads, those leads will convert better than clicks. The good news is that Google Ads offers the ability to run ads that will generate calls instead of clicks. It’s called call extensions, and this feature uses tracking numbers to monitor and optimize conversations with leads.
Once you run and track these ads for a while, you’ll see a pattern emerge regarding which ads are driving the most calls. Take that data and invest more of your ad budget into what is working best and cut what is not.
Google is the king of search, but your customers are on other platforms, too. Don’t just stick with Google. If all your leads come from a single source, you’re one algorithm update away from a slow season. Winter is already tough for the roofing industry, so you can’t afford to risk slowing down in peak season. Having a high-performing PPC campaign means running ads on multiple platforms.
Facebook is a powerhouse for roofing companies to generate leads. You can advertise your services to locals, post in local community groups, and have people share your sponsored ads. You might be surprised at how much positive activity reputable local roofers get on their Facebook ads. That activity feeds the algorithm and gets your ads shown to more people. With Facebook Ads, you can target by zip code, homeowner status, and even income level.
Getting a PPC audit is one of the best ways to get better results. If you’re winging it, experimenting, or you aren’t sure why you’re not getting good results, a simple audit from a professional PPC marketing agency can help you pinpoint exactly what isn’t working and offer a more effective strategy.
Depending on what platform you advertise on, you might be required to invest a minimum amount of money to get in the game. In any case, you’ll need to set a daily budget. Most roofers start with at least $50-$100 per day. If you go any lower, you risk not getting enough impressions to get results. Businesses willing to spend more money will get the most ad placements. A higher daily limit makes it possible for the system to bid higher to get your ads seen more often.
When you first run a campaign, start with manual cost per click (CPC) to see what works. Once you have enough information, test Google’s Smart Bidding feature to scale. For instance, test the Target CPA or Maximize Conversions features.
Never let a hot lead go cold. Even though leads might need your services immediately, not everyone converts on the first visit. Some people take their time to research competitors, price compare, and think about their needs. When you use retargeting, your ads will display for people who have already visited your website, reminding them that you exist and nudging them to act.
Since retargeting ads can be run independently from your main campaign, you can tailor the ad copy to speak directly to people who have clicked on your ads previously. For example, you can run a headline that reads, “Still need a roof repair?” or “Storm damage? Book before the next rain!” These types of headlines work really well with remarketing.
Since 90% of local roofing searches happen on phones, it’s crucial that you optimize your ads for mobile. Don’t lose leads because of a clunky, difficult website. One of the most important things to do is use click-to-call buttons. This is a must for roofing contractors. It’s a simple HTML button that will bring up your phone number in a user’s dial pad when they click.
If you aren’t tracking your ROI, you’re flying blind. To know your ROI, you’ll need to know your cost per leads (CPL). To get this, track your cost per call, per form fill, and per booked job. It also helps to use a customer relationship management application (CRM) to track sales attributions. For instance, when you sync your PPC data with your CRM, you can see the entire customer journey for every lead that turns into a contract.
While it’s possible to run your own pay-per-click ads, there are many reasons not to go down that path. The learning curve is extremely steep, and the consequences of making a mistake are costly.
If you don’t have the time to learn from scratch, or the money to waste experimenting, hire a pro. But make sure they have real world experience running ads for roofing contractors. You’ll want a company that knows your market, how and where to reach them, and what keywords and phrases get them to convert.
When you find a marketing agency that does PPC, ask about their experience with roofing contractors or other home service businesses. If they have the right experience, ask for their fees and minimum ad budget recommendations or requirements to make sure it’s within your budget.
High-performance PPC for roofing isn’t about throwing money at google and hoping for the best. It’s about targeting your ideal customers with the right message that gets them interested in your services. Done right, PPC can bring you a predictable, steady flow of leads, jobs, and revenue. Done wrong, it’s a fast way to burn through your marketing budget.
At PPC.co, we specialize in creating high-performance PPC campaigns for roofing contractors who are serious about scaling their business. We build razor-sharp strategies that bring in high-intent leads, cut wasteful ad spend, and turn Google Ads into a lead generating engine. Our team of PPC specialists understand the roofing industry and we know how to target leads ready to book with you now.
Stop gambling with your marketing budget. Let’s work together to build a system that delivers high-value leads. Contact us today to request a proposal or to learn more about the advertising services we offer. You don’t need more clicks – you need more conversions. Let’s make it happen.
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Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising isn’t an optional marketing accessory – it’s a serious tool for law firms that want measurable results fast. Whether your practice areas involve personal injury, criminal defense, family law, federal crimes, or estate planning, PPC gives you access to leads who need your services now. But throwing money at Google and Facebook without a plan will only drain your budget. If you’re tired of seeing competing law firms outrank you, this guide is for you.
Let’s explore the 10 key aspects of PPC campaigns that will bring you paying clients without wasting your ad spend.
PPC only works if you get the foundation right. That means finding keywords and phrases that your ideal clients type into search engines when they need help. If you choose the wrong keywords, you could end up wasting your ad spend fast. Law firm PPC is highly competitive and one of the most expensive PPC markets around. Small mistakes can cost a lot of money.
To get this done, use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, Google Autocomplete, and Semrush to get a list of 30-50 keywords related to your location and practice area.
Remember that PPC keywords will differ from general keywords used to get traffic to your website. You’re paying for each click, so for PPC, you only want to target keywords that indicate the user is likely to become a paying client. High-intent keywords are the ideal target, like “DUI attorney” or “drug charge defense attorney.” These phrases indicate the user is facing charges and needs an attorney now.
Use long-tail keywords related to your practice areas. These are phrases like, “how to beat a DUI charge in [state],” “how much does a child support lawyer cost in [county]?,” and “what should I do after being arrested for [offense]?”
Long-tail keywords are less likely to be cannibalized by your other paid ads, AI-generated summaries, and featured snippets. They’re also more likely to send you hot leads who become clients.
When a user searches for the phrase “how to beat a DUI charge in California,” the algorithm will know the user’s zip code, and will serve them ads for local DUI law firms who have successfully optimized their ads for DUI-charge-related phrases.
Avoid generic keywords, like “lawyer in [city].” While there’s a possibility someone searching for a generic lawyer might need your services, there’s also a chance they’re looking for someone outside of your practice areas. It’s not worth wasting ad spend to find out.
Understand that optimizing your ads for certain searches doesn’t necessarily mean using those exact words in your copy. For example, to optimize for the search “DUI attorney near me,” you’d use the phrase “DUI attorney” and include locations by city name, county, or zip code. You don’t need to include the words “near me” because ad algorithms interpret those words as a command to return local results. Google is good at discerning intent from searches.
Your PPC ads should direct users to a specific landing page created just for that ad. Don’t send people to your home page because it will make conversions harder. Home pages are too generic and will break the user’s sense of continuity and flow.
Each landing page should be specifically relevant to the user’s search query. For example, if your ad talks about services related to divorce, clicking should send users to a web page that outlines your divorce-related services.
Most attorneys create one page for every practice area and send paid ad clicks to those pages. This strategy is good since it serves visitors regardless of their origin. However, in order to track PPC ad conversions, it helps to have landing pages that don’t show up in search results and only get shown via ads. All you need to do is make a copy of your practice area pages, give them friendly URLs, and use them for your ad destinations.
A good landing page will encourage the user to call your law firm right away. To accomplish this, you need the following elements:
Your landing pages serve one purpose: to get users to call your law firm. With that in mind, make sure your phone number is visible on every page above the fold, preferably in your header. To make it clickable use the following markup:
<a href="tel:1234567890">(123) 456-7890</a>
Use this markup for every instance of your phone number throughout your website so mobile users can click to call. This seemingly small convenience will get you more leads.
People need a reason to trust you, so include client testimonials, previous settlement wins, Google and Trustpilot reviews, and links to your Avvo or Martindale profile.
Your copy should aim to convert clicks into leads that either contact you via phone, a contact form, or chat bot. Don’t be wordy – mention your specialty, location, what makes you different, and instruct people to contact you now. For example, your drug charge landing page might state you have 20+ years of experience and that you offer free consultations. Copy doesn’t need to be long to be compelling. For law firms, shorter is better – people don’t have time to read an essay when they’re just trying to get help.
Your CTA should be visible above the fold and on every page throughout your website. It should be clear, short, and direct. For example, tell visitors to call you for a free case evaluation.
Paid ads only work when you’re willing to spend money. If your daily budget isn’t high enough, your ads won’t get served to many people. To increase your impression share and therefore increase ad visibility, you need a good ad Quality Score and a decent budget. Higher bids can push your ads into favorable positions, which can increase your click-through rate (CTR) and generate more conversions.
Legal keywords can cost more than $100 per click, so you need to invest in your ads. However, if you’re doing ads on your own, start with a conservative budget and ramp up once you identify the campaigns that are converting. If you’re working with a reputable PPC agency, you can go all-in from day one without worry.
Even though lawyers typically pay more per lead than other industries, PPC ads are still considered a low-cost, effective form of marketing. Compared to other options, paid ads are cost-effective and excellent for capturing relevant leads immediately. As long as your ads are running, you’ll get clicks to your website.
When you identify your high-performing ads, cut the fat and pause keywords or ads that are underperforming and reallocate that money to your winners. PPC ads need to be managed weekly to ensure optimal performance.
The time your ads run matters; not every hour in the day is equal. There’s no need to advertise 24/7 unless you’re going to answer calls at 3:00 a.m. People might call you, get your voicemail, hang up, and call someone else in the morning. Even if you have a contact form on your website, someone who is stressed out and facing serious criminal charges may not go back to your site to look for an alternate way to contact you. They’ll go to bed and search for someone else in the morning.
So, what are the best hours to run ads? Most law firms see the most conversions during business hours and early evenings, so that’s when your ads should run in local time. Schedule your ads to run during peak hours for mobile searches. This is easy with Google Ads. To avoid paying for junk clicks, turn off your campaigns on holidays, weekends, or hours you aren’t available unless you have someone ready to take calls.
Location targeting is how you’ll get better conversions. You only want people in your local service area to see your ads, but you need to tell the ad platforms where you want your ads to be served.
Target high-value zip codes based on income, need, and proximity. If you work on a contingency basis, you might want to target people regardless of income since you’ll get paid if and when you win their case. However, if you don’t work with contingency fees, you need to be specific about your targets.
It’s equally important to exclude irrelevant locations from your ads. If you notice you’re getting clicks from neighboring states or areas you don’t serve, set your negative geotargeting rules to block them.
To get more clicks from relevant leads, use location-specific copy in your ads. Mention your city or county in the ad headline to catch people’s attention.
Negative keywords are your secret weapon for reducing wasted ad spend on irrelevant clicks. Add negative keywords that would indicate a user is not searching for actual legal services. For example, standard words like “free,” “pro bono,” “advice,” “template,” “blog,” “forum,” or “DIY” are a good place to start. People searching for these words are unlikely to become paying clients.
Other negative keywords to include are phrases and words that:
· Indicate a person is just looking for information or resources, but they don’t need a lawyer
· Are related to legal areas outside of your practice areas
The back end of your PPC platform will track clicks, but you need to track leads. The easiest way to do this is by hiring a PPC agency to manage your entire campaign from top to bottom. However, if you’re running ads in-house, here are some tracking strategies:
· Use call tracking software. You need to know which ads are generating calls. Tools like CallRail and WhatConverts will show you exactly where your calls are coming from.
· Tie form submissions to campaigns. If you just collect general form data, you won’t know where people came from. Connect each form to the ad group or keyword so you can track clicks and conversions.
· Ignore vanity metrics. A high click-through rate doesn’t mean much if you’re not getting conversions. Focus on cost per lead and cost per signed case. If your CTR is exceptionally high compared to conversions, adjust your campaign until you get better results.
Remember that you can’t improve what you don’t track.
While some people will call right away, not everyone looking for legal help will convert immediately. People facing criminal charges are more likely to make immediate phone calls, but when the matter isn’t urgent, people tend to research their options for a bit. This is where remarketing comes into play.
Remarketing ads help you convert more leads by targeting individuals who have already interacted with your ad or website, keeping your law firm at the top of their mind. You can customize your ad based on the web pages they visited for an even more personalized experience. However, you should limit the frequency so your ad doesn’t follow them for weeks or months.
Google Ads Assets are one of the most under-utilized PPC features, but they’re packed with power that can help you generate more high-quality clicks that convert to leads. The most useful assets for law firms include:
· Lead form assets. If you want to advertise during non-business hours, lead form assets will allow users to fill out a form directly within the ad, skipping the landing page completely. This will allow you to gather leads after hours without disappointing users when you don’t answer the phone.
· Location assets. This will display your physical address, hours, phone number, and map with your ads, including on YouTube. You’ll need a Google Business profile to set this up.
· Call assets. This allows users to call you directly from an ad. It displays a click-to-call button for mobile users, and displays your phone number for desktop users. This only works on the Google Search Network.
If you want to enhance your Google Ads performance, Ads Assets are essential.
PPC isn’t something you want to wing, especially when each click can cost $100 or more. If you’re not getting leads, you need a better strategy. Managing legal PPC campaigns requires a lot of time, constant optimization, and a solid understanding of how to attract leads that will become clients. That’s where a PPC agency becomes your competitive advantage.
At PPC.co, we help law firms build high-performance PPC campaigns that convert clicks into paying clients. If you’re tired of wasting your money and want results you can see, contact us today for a free consultation. We won’t just bring you traffic – we’ll get you qualified leads who need your help now.
When this apartment complex client partnered with PPC.co, their goal was clear: generate more qualified leads through Google Ads. In just 60 days—from January to March 2025—we transformed their paid acquisition performance. Total conversions more than tripled, jumping from 10 to 32, while the overall conversion rate soared by over 300%. At the same time, we drove down the cost per conversion by 44%, delivering significantly more leads at a much lower cost.
By strategically combining Performance Max and high-intent Search campaigns, we not only increased lead volume but improved overall efficiency and ROI. This rapid and measurable improvement underscores the value of data-driven optimization and expert campaign management.
This case study is a testament to what can happen when a well-structured campaign meets expert strategy and continuous optimization. Whether you're launching a new property or looking to boost occupancy in a competitive market, PPC.co delivers real results—fast.
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