3 Google Ads Mistakes That Are Costing Roofers Money

Today, homeowners who are looking for a roofing contractor turn to the search engine. Think of Google as the modern phone book where potential customers are searching for the right home improvement professionals.

When done correctly, a Google Ads campaign has the power to drive more traffic to your website, increase phone calls from prospective clients, and improve your sales. But a Google Ads campaign containing mistakes can cost you precious marketing dollars. Make the most out of your efforts and budget by avoiding common mistakes. Read on to learn about how to avoid three Google Ads mistakes that are costing roofers money.

1. Not Using Negative Keywords

Optimizing your website and your ads with the right keywords may sound like second nature by this point in your digital marketing journey, but have you ever heard of negative keywords? Google Ads allows you to go in and define negative keywords, so you don’t waste your marketing budget on them.

Negative keywords are keywords that drive customers to your website who are not looking for roofers. Avoid spending money on these keywords by defining them in Google Ads. For example, someone looking for a contractor for a different area of their home (windows, siding, kitchen, bath, etc.) may inadvertently be targeted by a Google Ad and directed to your website. There’s no need to spend your PPC budget on those customers who aren’t looking for help with their roof. Save your budget for getting the attention of prospective customers looking for a roofer.

To define negative keywords in your Google Ads account, sign in and then click on the Keywords Section. You’ll see negative keywords, and you can add a list of them there. A good practice is to start with 50 negative keywords and add to the list as needed. You can also open up the Google Ads Editor Help for more guidance on how to add negative keywords and avoid targeting users who aren’t in your target market.

2. Using Broad Match

One big mistake you’ll want to avoid while crafting Google Ads for your roofing company is leaving all keywords set to broad match, which is the default match type. While this mistake is easy to make, it can be a costly one.

Leaving broad match as the default match type on Google Ads will result in a wide range of search terms triggering your ads for a very wide audience. This increases the number of people who see your ads, but it isn’t very effective because the audience isn’t properly targeted. Showing your ads to audiences who aren’t relevant (people who aren’t looking for a roofing contractor) won’t improve your business or increase your sales.

Always use the correct match type. The following are different match types:

· Phrase Match: Quotation marks denote phrase match keywords. There’s more control with the phrase match option because the search terms have to be in the same order as the keyword. However, other words can appear before or after the phrase. For example, the search term “roof repair service” won’t trigger ads for the phrases “roof maintenance” or “residential roofers near me.”

· Exact Match: Brackets denote exact match keywords. This option helps effectively target users who are searching for terms that match the exact term or terms that are closely related. This helps limit the number of people who see your ads to those who are searching the exact term or very closely related terms, so that you drive more relevant users to your roofing contractor webpage.

· Broad Match Modifier (BMM): A plus sign is placed in front of keywords to denote a broad match modifier. For a search term to trigger your ad, the BMM must be included in the search. For example, if your keyword is “+roofing installer” then the term “roofing” has to be in the user’s search query for your Google Ad to be triggered. This helps ensure that the users seeing your ad are looking for a roofer and not some other type of home improvement professional or contractor.

The above options are much more specific than broad match and will help you avoid your ads being triggered by searches containing words that are related but not relevant to your demographic. As you get more familiar with Google Ads, you’ll be able to test and determine which of the above match types are best for your roofing website. You can review the search terms report to see which search terms are triggering your ads.

It’s important to find a balance between restricting your keywords just enough and not letting your ads be triggered by too wide of an audience who may not be looking for your services.

3. Only Using One Ad Per Group

With marketing and advertising, your potential for your ads to push website traffic and sales is limited if you do not test out different ad copy and design on your target audience. Using only one ad and its variations on each ad group limits you. The best practice is to design at least three ads per ad group. You can then test out each of the three ads and find out which one is the most effective.

Test different ad characteristics, including headlines, calls to action (CTAs), descriptions, and extensions. Always have a clear call to action in every ad. You may find that one CTA performs better for specific ad groups.

Once you have determined the best performing ad for each ad group, you can continue using that successful ad. By replacing ads with better performing ones, you can get more out of your Google Ads campaign.

A powerful tool can only get you so far if you aren’t using it efficiently and effectively. Cut costs by honing your Google Ads strategies and stop wasting marketing budget on an audience that isn’t targeted as much as it could be.

Enjoy the benefits of a Google Ads campaign done right for roofers by appropriately defining negative keywords, changing broad match from the default to a better match type option, and use more than one ad per ad group. You’ll be able to successfully reach new customers on a tighter budget, increase website traffic to your roofing installer website, and sign up more customers.

About the author: Jeff Guthrie is the owner of Phoenix Roofing Contractors, a Prowest Roofing Company based in Phoenix, Arizona. Specializing in both residential and commercial projects, the company offers a wide range of roofing solutions to its clients. For more information, visit Phoenixroofingcontractors.com.