How To Optimize Google Ads For Your Home Service Business

With the warmer months finally approaching, the home service industry will be booming with advertising. A common platform for these advertisers is Google Ads. Many pavers, roofers, plumbers, & other contractors use Google Ads to place their ad in front of the right customer. With so much competition however, it can be challenging at times to run a successful Google Ads campaign in the home and garden industry. We’ll be looking at three Google Ads strategies that can help your home service client succeed on Google.

Ad Rank

Ad Rank is essential in the home service industry. Many consumers are looking for a quick and easy resolution to any repair or installation they might need. In some cases such as flood or fire damage, users require an emergency service which means they are likely not scrolling down to the ads below the fold, which is why rank is so important.

With the bid strategy “Target Impression Share”, you can set your goal to achieve as much ad rank and visibility as possible. Advertisers have the option to set the strategy to “Top of Page Results” or “Absolute Top of Page Results”. The former aims to rank your ad above the fold, which is usually the 1st-4th spot on desktop and 1st-3rd spot on mobile.

This is best for non-emergency service clients or clients with not much competition in their area. The latter aims to rank your ad in the 1st spot always. This is best for emergency-based clients (i.e. restoration/septic) or clients with heavy competition in their area. The CPC will be higher when using Target Impression Share, so make sure you have a solid budget!

Call Only Ads

The second strategy would be Call Only ads. Calls are very valuable to a home service client and based on previous experience, calls have closed better than any type of lead for the majority of SmartSites’ home service clients.

Call Only ads allow users to call your business directly by simply clicking on the ad. This ad type is great for 1) clients who highly value calls over forms/emails, 2) clients who may not have an optimized landing/splash page.

These ads only appear on mobile devices and have a higher CPC than Text Ads since it’s a direct interaction with your business. Mobile traffic has increased over time and many people who need emergency services are searching on their phones for them. Call Only ads are a solid way to capture that mobile audience.

Google Local Service Ads

The final tip for all home service clients would be to experiment with Google Local Service Ads. This is technically a different platform as these ads cannot be created within Google Ads. Google Local Service Ads are smaller ads that appear above Standard Text Ads. They contain details such as the business name, hours, & service area. (You can find an example of a service ad below).

Local Service Ads run on a pay-per-lead basis rather than pay-per-click. You’ll only be charged when you receive a text, voicemail, call, email, or form regarding your services. Clients will need to provide background and insurance information when setting up an account. Upon completion, their ads will be marked with a Google Guarantee Badge. When backed by the Google Guarantee, customers that are not satisfied with the service provided to them, may receive reimbursement from Google. This only applies to customers acquired through Google Local Service Ads.  

With the home service season approaching, it’s important to make sure you’re equipped with the proper strategy to ensure a successful campaign and season. With a solid budget and campaign structure, the tips above can assist your client or business in capturing more leads.

The seasonality of these services differ based on location, so make sure you’re all set up before your campaign goes live! If you are looking to start or optimize a Google Ads campaign, we at SmartSites can help! We utilize our years of digital advertising expertise in the home service space to establish a solid lead source for your business. Schedule a free discovery meeting to see how we can help you today!