The ultimate goal of any PPC campaign is very clear and that’s to improve visibility to achieve conversions. One of the most frustrating things of running a PPC campaign is to follow all of the best practices from guides on the internet and trial-and-error, only for it to fail in the end.
With that said, is your campaign generating lots of impressions that aren’t turning into conversions? If so, then you have a very common problem. Achieving impressions is simple.
It’s literally as simple as using the keywords Google Ad say will lead to specific traffic volume. However, you can never anticipate conversions, which makes successful campaigns hard to achieve.
Nonetheless, there are several effective strategies for transforming watchful eyes into paying customers. This guide will delve into a bunch of different high-octane strategies that will help you receive more conversions from your campaign, optimize your ad spend, and improve your ROI.
Let’s get started.
The age old proverb says that no one should “judge a book by its cover”. However, this is misleading when it comes to digital marketing and paid search. As a matter of fact, many people actually choose books based on the title, which isn’t completely unreasonable.
In the same way, the headline or title of your ads will play an integral role in its success. Case in point — if you come across a digital ad with a boring or irrelevant headline, are you going to click?
Of course not, and that doesn’t even matter if the product or service is phenomenal. Likewise, if the headline is engaging, you’ll be more likely to click and convert. It’s essential to pour a lot of time and effort into making sure that your headlines are perfect, and here’s how:
Your headline is arguably the most important aspect of your ads, and it can make a great first impression for your campaign.
The most successful PPC campaigns are segmented into different types of prospects based on who they are and how far they’re in your sales funnel. In order words, use a different landing page for different types of customers.
For example, let’s say that you’re selling accounting software. Clearly, different kinds of people will respond to this ad, ranging from freelancers to large businesses. Freelancers may have different questions, pain points, and expectations of what your product will provide as compared to large businesses.
Therefore, create a different landing page for different parts of your target audience. This is true even for specific products, such as accounting software for small businesses.
For instance, you can produce a landing page to reach freelancers, restaurant owners, and entrepreneurs. By achieving this level of personalization, you can create highly-relevant copy for incoming leads and convert them more efficiently.
Here’s a scenario that may sound familiar. You’ve conducted A/B tests for your ads, tried different photos and headlines. You’ve even rewritten most of your ads all to no avail.
If you’ve done this much work to repair your ads, ad copy, chances are that your ads aren’t the problem. The problem is most likely your landing pages. It doesn’t matter how much money you spend on Google ad/Google Ads conversion and how many high-performance keywords you’re bidding on, & Avoidind negative keywords.
If your landing pages aren’t correctly optimized, your ads will simply waste money. To avoid this possibility, make sure you employ these four strategies to properly fine tune your landing pages for success:
Single keyword ad groups (SKAGs) is a common paid search strategy that allows advertisers to create specific campaigns for single keywords. This results in highly-targeted and relevant campaigns.
You may be wondering, “how will SKAGs help my campaign”. Let’s say that you’re selling athletic equipment, which include:
When you use SKAGs, you can ensure that your ads for water bottles will only reach people who were searching for it. This way, you can avoid wasting money on ads that aren’t properly targeted to the right audience.
So, how will using SKAGs improve your conversion rates? The answer is that it will improve the quality score of your campaign. Thus, you can achieve a higher ROI. Basically, if I want to buy yoga pants, then I’m going to click on an ad that sells the product.
In the early 2000s, desktop computers ruled the world. Nowadays, mobile devices like smartphones and tablets are in control. In fact, most people use mobile devices to surf the internet today.
This isn’t all too surprising since you can’t go a full day without seeing people use their phones to check their emails, use social media, call friends and family, find businesses, and shop for online products.
Now, why does all of this matter in regards to Google Ads management?
People use the internet with different goals in mind with mobile devices. For example, a person is more likely to research the best mattresses on the market on a desktop computer.
This way, they can sit in a comfortable chair and read all of the content they want. Think about it — there aren’t a lot of people who will read a 2000-word blog post on “how to select the right mattress” on a smartphone.
Instead, a person using a smartphone will most likely try to buy something almost immediately. Therefore, mobile users usually have a higher buyer’s intent. Thus, you should customize your ads accordingly.
By using mobile-only ads, you can reach an audience that is more likely to convert. This will produce more sales opportunities for your business. It’ll also give you a great advantage over competitors who haven’t made this adjustment.
Run mobile only ads and start creating content (ad copy) that will appeal to people using their smartphones over desktop computers to interact with you.
Not all sales funnels are created equal, and they certainly don’t always look the same. Many businesses stick with the standard sales funnel format: online ad → landing page → purchase.
If your campaigns don’t have much more imagination than this, then you could be wasting opportunities that will help your organization achieve higher sales or brand loyalty.
To put it simply, not everyone is willing to visit a landing page and make an immediate purchase. To open the door to more conversion opportunities, try targeting keywords with low buyer intent & remove negative keywords.
Next, drive traffic to landing pages that will offer valuable resources in exchange for their email address. This way, you can advertise to these leads any time you want and keep close tabs on them.
You can promote content such as:
144 million Americans listen to podcasts everyday. This is a great way to reach and educate people that aren’t ready to buy yet. If you’re running a SaaS company, you can promote eBooks to educate leads on how your service will benefit them.
Google Ads don’t always have to be one-dimension. When used correctly, they can also elevate your inbound marketing strategy.
Here’s another common scenario — your ads and landing pages are working well but your conversion tracking rate is still in the toilet. What’s the issue? The problem could be that your target audience just isn’t interested in the services and products you’re providing.
That’s a targeting issue.
For example, let’s use the previous example of selling accounting software. Let’s say that you’ve targeted freelancers and even created a separate landing page that addresses all the information they’ll need to know about your product.
The problem is that you aren’t getting as many conversions as you’d hope. Try refining your audiences to fix this problem. Not all freelancers are the same. Some may make more money than others, and it’s very easy to just call yourself a freelancer if you’re in between jobs.
For this reason, your targeting needs to be more specific. Instead of targeting freelancers, target entrepreneurs. Use Google’s custom affinity audiences feature to add interests and different behaviors.
For example, you could target entrepreneurs who are in the beginning stages of starting their business and pitch your product to them instead of casting a wide net to all types of freelancers.
Improving your conversion rates isn’t always about making a sale right now. Some people have a sudden impulse to buy and others do not. Your conversion rate will only soar when you can reach both types of consumers.
As a result, your goal should be to generate leads from your PPC campaign and begin the steps in nurturing them into sales. The most important aspect here is the lead magnets you’ll need to use.
Essentially, if you attract the wrong types of leads, you’ll only waste your time and money, while reducing your conversion rates even further. It was just mentioned that eBooks, podcasts, and whitepapers are great selling aids.
However, lead magnets like these have to be captivating to your target audience. No one is going to download a boring whitepaper. It has to catch their eye. With that said, visual content (ad copy) may be the key here.
After all, 80% of people are more likely to engage with content that includes vibrant visuals.
Whatever lead magnet you choose to use, make sure that it’s visually appealing. If you’re operating in a competitive industry, your lead magnets need to stand out.
One of the drawbacks about promoting products and services online is the lack of trust many people have with businesses they don’t know. For example, if you need marketing services for your company, it can be hard to take an agency’s word that they’ll provide you with the highest ROI for your budget.
Your hard-earned money is definitely on the line.
As such, you should include social proofs that showcase your credentials and qualifications in your expertise.
Displaying customer reviews have proven to increase conversions by as much as 270%.
The more willing you are to include testimonials, reviews, and logo images of the brand you have worked with, the more your audience will be capable of trusting you with their private information and money.
PPC campaigns are a wonderful way of attracting online leads to your website where they can convert. The problem is that you can still be wasting money while trying to repair your campaign on your own.
When you choose to work with us, you’ll receive help from an industry-leading PPC agency. We help with more than just PPC management, but also help with issues like recovering from a Google Ads suspension and tailoring Google PPC remarketing to tie in with your Facebook ads campaigns. Contact us today to receive a free proposal and start boosting your Google Ads conversion rate.
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When you’re a plumber relying on a steady flow of leads to be profitable, it’s not enough to get your leads through word-of-mouth alone. That may work if you’re only a two-person team, but if you plan to grow your business, you’ll need to start marketing your services, specifically with PPC advertising.
Pay-per-click (PPC) ads are a beneficial form of advertising, but they can be a source of leads or a money pit for plumbers. When done right, PPC helps plumbing companies generate targeted leads looking for services, but poorly-crafted PPC campaigns can burn through a budget without results. The good news is with smart targeting, strategic bidding, and continual optimization, plumbers can generate qualified leads at a cost that provides a positive ROI. Here’s how pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is done for lead generation for plumbing businesses.
The biggest mistake plumbers make is targeting a broad area rather than a specific local area. Hitting your target audience by demographic and location will be critical to be most efficient in your PPC ad spend. Even when your company serves customers throughout several counties, you’ll want to create ad campaigns that target each individual city or county. If your ads are reaching people outside of your service area, you’re paying for clicks that won’t turn into paying customers.
An easy way to prevent this problem is to use location targeting inside of your PPC account to set your target location by zip codes, cities, or a custom radius around your main location. This will ensure your ads will only be seen by leads you can actually convert.
You’ll also want to explicitly exclude areas you don’t serve. For example, you might serve a whole county with the exception of a couple cities or neighborhoods because of traffic congestion or licensing issues. Make sure to add these locations as exclusions in your ad campaign settings to avoid wasting money.
The keywords that will bring you the best leads are keywords that signal high intent to purchase. This includes terms like “emergency plumber near me,” “24-hour plumber,” “toilet overflowing fix,” or “fix for busted pipe.” The people who search for these terms aren’t just casual browsers. They’re people who need a plumber immediately.
This type of expert keyword research isn't necessarily rocket science, but it's critical for your rankings in search engine results pages.
Prioritize these keywords and increase your bid to capture more of these leads.
Avoid using the kinds of keywords that will attract people who aren’t likely to hire you for plumbing services. For example, terms like “DIY toilet repair” or “how to fix (fixture)” will rarely lead to calls. People who search for these phrases are usually just looking for ways to fix their own problem, so filter them out.
When people need a plumber, they want to call and get someone out fast, especially if their basement is flooding or they’re dealing with a busted pipe in the house. Google offers call-only ads that let users tap to call you immediately from search results rather than click to visit your website, where they’d need to search for a way to contact you. This ad type alone will increase your conversions.
It’s crucial to use ad tracking tools like Google’s call forwarding or third-party platforms that track which ads generate your phone calls. Knowing what ads are driving your best leads will help you do more of what works and eliminate what doesn’t.
Since most leads will want to call you immediately, only schedule your ads to run when you’ll be available to answer the phone. If you don’t offer 24/7 emergency services and don’t answer your phone at 2 AM, don’t schedule your ads to run until the start of your business day.
Depending on your location and services, you might get more calls on weekdays or weekends. To find out your peak, check your reports to see when you’re getting the most calls and then adjust when you run your ads based on your actual performance data.
Don’t create complicated, wordy ads. Use simple, clear, and direct headlines that speak directly to the problems your leads may be dealing with. They’re going to be drawn to ads that promise to help them with real problems. For example, write headlines like “Broken water heater? Get 24/7 help,” “Clogged drains fixed fast,” and “Overflowing toilet? Get help now.”
In your ad copy, it helps to use location-specific phrases. For example, you might write “Serving Phoenix homes since 2001.” Doing this helps build trust and establishes relevancy.
For Google Ads that send visitors directly to your website, you’ll need to optimize your landing pages for conversion. The following elements are essential:
· Landing page copy that matches your ad. To create a seamless experience, don’t send leads to your home page. Send them to a landing page that matches your ad. For example, if your ad targets people with a clogged drain, ensure your landing page speaks to people with a clogged drain.
· An easy-to-find phone number. Your phone number should be readily visible on every page of your website, including all of your landing pages. The ideal place is in the top right corner of every page header.
· A click-to-call button. It’s easier for mobile leads to click to bring up your phone number in their dial pad rather than forcing them to write down a phone number they’ll need to then dial.
· A call-to-action (CTA). Leads need to be told what to do. Be direct and tell them to call you now for an estimate or to schedule a service call.
Your search ads will only bring you potential leads. Your landing pages are responsible for converting potential customers into paying customers.
To maximize your ROI without wasting money, you’ll want to set a realistic daily budget and scale it only when you know you’re ready. Most local service providers stick with a $10-$50/day budget, but it depends on the industry and your location.
Over time, you’ll find that some campaigns are working better than others. A varied performance can be caused by a variety of factors, and you’ll need to take a close look before making any changes. For example, underperforming keywords and plumbing ads that don’t get many clicks should be paused. However, if your ads are getting clicks, but limited conversions, you’ll want to tweak your landing page copy and/or your offer.
Sometimes irrelevant keyword searches will display your ads, so if you can come up with a list of keywords related to services you don’t provide, you can limit where your ads show up. For example, if you don’t offer sewer camera inspections, make “sewer camera” a negative keyword. If you don’t service septic systems, make “septic” a negative keyword. Doing this will prevent clicks from irrelevant leads.
Local Service Ads appear at the top of Google’s search results above the typical PPC text ads and organic listings. LSAs are pay-per-lead, not pay-per-click, which makes them even more profitable. With LSAs, you only pay when a lead contacts you directly through your ad, either by calling you or messaging you. This is a much safer way to manage your ad spend and generate qualified leads. It’s also an easier way to capture bottom-of-the-funnel leads who need emergency plumbing services.
To set up these ads, head over to Google’s LSA page and click “get started.” You’ll be prompted to go through the setup process, which includes confirming your business eligibility. To complete the process, you’ll need your business license, general liability insurance proof, and at least one Google Business Profile with positive reviews. The system will then ask you to choose the zip codes or cities you serve, list the types of services you provide, and set your weekly budget. Once you submit the form and pass Google’s screening process, you’ll start showing up in results for searches related to your business.
Try to get as many positive reviews on your Google Business Profile as possible since businesses with better reviews tend to rank higher with Local Service Ads. Also, keep in mind that Google tracks your response times, and the faster you reply, the better placement you’ll get. Unlike PPC ads, you can request refunds from leads that aren’t relevant, like leads requesting the wrong services or who are outside your service area.
It’s important to take advantage of these ads because it’s an easy way to get your business listed at the top of search results pages when people search for terms like “plumber near me.” It’s easier than waiting months for SEO to kick in, and it will bring you immediate leads. People will see your reviews and your Google Guaranteed badge, which will boost your credibility.
Getting your business verified by Google will give you a green checkmark next to your business name in your Local Service Ads. It tells customers that Google has personally verified your business, you’ve passed a background check, your insurance has been verified, and Google Ads will back your services with up to $2,000 in reimbursement if a customer isn’t satisfied with your services.
Getting this badge can boost your visibility and credibility, which can get you more clicks, leads, and paying customers. It will also help you rank higher in the list of LSAs.
To get this green checkmark, you need to get approved for Google LSAs. Once you’re approved for LSAs, you’ll get the “Google Guaranteed” checkmark badge automatically. Just make sure you renew your insurance policy on time, maintain a high review rating, and keep responding to leads quickly. If you don’t maintain these things, Google Ads might remove your badge.
You can’t improve what you don’t track. Track your critical metrics, including call tracking, form tracking, and chat tracking. Run regular reports and check in with your ad campaign performance on a regular basis. It will take a little bit of time to gather enough data to make informed decisions, but the sooner you catch underperforming ads, the sooner you can make necessary changes.
It’s important to split test ads to see what elements drive the most conversions. Split testing, also called A/B testing, is where you run two nearly identical ads, but with one small difference between them. The difference could be a headline, colors, an image, the main copy, or the CTA. Once you run the ads long enough, take the winning ad and change one more element to test. Repeat this process by changing just one element at a time to see which version performs better. Use Google keyword planner to help navigate this. When done correctly, your clicks should increase over time.
Getting satisfied customers to review you is crucial, and as previously discussed, it can impact how your Local Service Ads show up. Reviews can also impact how you show up in the Local Pack. The more high-quality, genuine, recent reviews you have, the more likely you are to show up in search results. You’re also more likely to get clicks.
Positive reviews act as social proof that helps customers choose which business to call. You could have the best ad copy in the world, but if your competitor has 150 five-star reviews and you only have 6 reviews from 2019, customers will choose them over you.
It’s easy to get clicks, but getting real leads from search engines– the kind that book your plumbing services – takes work. For plumbers, a strong PPC strategy can make the difference between getting steady jobs or wasting cash. By targeting high intention search terms, targeting narrow service areas, and optimizing your ads, you can create high-performing ads that deliver real results without burning through your marketing budget.
Lead generation is critical for your plumbing business, but when done without a positive return on investment, it's foolish.
Whether you’re new to PPC ads, or you’re tired of wasting money on ads that don’t generate calls, we’d love to help you get real results. Our PPC experts specialize in helping local service businesses in the plumbing industry just like yours attract high intent plumbing leads, reduce wasted ad spend, and grow predictable revenue.
Contact us now for a free evaluation for your lead generation strategies, PPC campaigns and search engine optimization services – we’d love to help.
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is the lifeblood of modern digital marketing, a finely tuned machine designed to separate serious advertisers from those who enjoy setting their money on fire. At its core, PPC is about buying attention—whether it’s from Google Ads, Facebook (or should we say Meta?) Ads, LinkedIn’s overpriced clicks, or whatever ad network is currently promising “unprecedented results.” The trick, of course, is making sure that the attention you’re paying for actually turns into conversions, and not just a collection of clicks that lead nowhere.
This guide is for marketers who already know the basics and are ready to squeeze every last drop of ROI from their PPC campaigns. If you’re looking for a “Beginner’s Guide to Google Ads,” this isn’t it. But if you’re tired of watching your ad spend disappear into the void and want to start running PPC like a ruthless efficiency machine, read on.
There’s nothing quite as tragic as a PPC campaign with no clear objective. Running ads without goals is like throwing darts blindfolded—sure, you might hit the board occasionally, but mostly you’re just making a mess. Before you even think about setting up a campaign, define what success looks like. Are you driving leads? Pushing e-commerce sales? Increasing brand awareness (ugh, we’ll get to why that’s usually a waste of money later)? If your goal is just “more clicks,” congratulations—you’ve just fallen for the ultimate PPC scam: paying for traffic that doesn’t convert.
Every campaign should have a quantifiable, measurable outcome tied to business KPIs. That means actual revenue, leads that don’t ghost you, or at the very least, cost per acquisition (CPA) that doesn’t make your CFO break out in hives.
Google Ads is the undisputed king of PPC, but let’s not pretend it’s the only game in town. Depending on your audience and objectives, Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram) can still be a goldmine—if you’re willing to put up with Meta’s ever-changing rules and the occasional algorithmic meltdown. LinkedIn Ads? Great if you enjoy paying $12 per click for someone who will never fill out your lead form.
And then there’s the rising trend of alternative ad platforms. TikTok Ads are fantastic if you’re targeting Gen Z and have the budget to experiment. Microsoft Ads (formerly Bing Ads) may be the underdog, but they offer cheaper CPCs and a surprising number of high-intent users. If you’re in e-commerce, don’t ignore Amazon Ads—they print money for sellers who get their targeting right.
Google would love for you to just use broad match keywords and let their algorithm “figure things out.” Spoiler alert: this is a terrible idea. Broad match means your ad could show up for searches so unrelated to your business that it’s practically performance art.
Instead, focus on high-intent keywords—the ones that indicate users are actually ready to buy. Long-tail keywords often convert better because they signal more specific intent. The goal is not just to drive traffic, but to attract users who already have their wallets half-open.
Want to know what works? Look at your competitors. Tools like SEMrush, SpyFu, and Google’s Auction Insights let you see what keywords they’re bidding on, which ones they’re ranking for, and—most importantly—where they’re burning money so you don’t have to.
If a competitor is bidding on specific high-intent keywords, that’s your signal to investigate. Either they’re seeing a positive ROI, or they’re making an expensive mistake that you can learn from. Either way, it’s free intelligence.
Great PPC ads aren’t just about catchy headlines—they’re about aligning with search intent, making a compelling offer, and convincing users that clicking your ad is the smartest decision they’ll make today. A well-optimized ad uses clear, persuasive language with a direct CTA, because vague CTAs like “Learn More” are about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.
A/B testing is non-negotiable. Your gut instinct is probably wrong, so test different headlines, CTAs, and descriptions to see what actually drives conversions. If you’re not actively testing, you’re just guessing.
You have about three seconds to convince visitors that they made the right choice clicking your ad. If your landing page loads slowly, looks like it was designed in 2008, or makes users hunt for the CTA, they’re gone.
Your landing page should have a singular focus: conversion. That means no distractions, no unnecessary links, and definitely no autoplay videos that scare people away. A strong landing page aligns perfectly with the ad copy, ensuring a seamless experience from click to conversion.
Nothing kills conversion rates faster than misleading ad-to-landing page alignment. If your ad promises “50% off running shoes” and your landing page is a generic homepage with no mention of that discount, expect a bounce rate that makes your campaign ROI cry. Every landing page should reinforce the ad message, use clear headlines, and make it painfully easy for users to complete the desired action. If a user has to think, they’re already gone.
If you’re still using manual CPC bidding across all campaigns, congratulations—you’re officially working harder, not smarter. Google’s automated bidding strategies have their place, but blindly trusting the algorithm is like handing your credit card to a stranger and hoping for the best.
Smart bidding, when done correctly, can optimize conversions and lower CPA, but it requires constant monitoring. Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) and Maximize Conversions can be effective, but only if you have historical data to feed the algorithm. If you’re running a new campaign, manual bidding still gives you more control.
Running PPC without proper tracking is like driving blindfolded and hoping you’ll reach your destination. You need to track not just clicks, but actual conversions, customer lifetime value (CLV), and return on ad spend (ROAS). Google Ads’ built-in tracking is decent, but combining it with Google Analytics, heatmaps, and call tracking will give you a full picture of what’s working.
Scaling PPC isn’t as simple as increasing your budget and watching conversions skyrocket. If you scale too fast, you’ll tank your ROI. The right approach is incremental scaling—gradually increasing spend while monitoring CPA and conversion rates. If your CPA starts climbing faster than your revenue, it’s time to reassess. And if your PPC manager insists that “everything is going great” while your ROAS tells a different story? It might be time for a new PPC manager.
