Google Ads for Roofing Companies: A Complete Beginner’s Guide

You’ve decided it’s time to start advertising your roofing company online. Smart move. But when you log into Google Ads for the first time, you’re hit with a wall of options, settings, and confusing terminology that makes you want to close your laptop and go back to door hangers.

Campaigns. Ad groups. Keywords. Match types. Quality Score. Bidding strategies. Conversion tracking.

It’s overwhelming—especially when you’re a roofing contractor, not a marketing expert.

Here’s the good news: Google Ads for roofing companies doesn’t have to be complicated. Yes, there’s a lot you can do, but there’s a much smaller set of things you need to do to start generating leads profitably.

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to launch your first Google Ads campaign as a roofing company. No jargon. No fluff. Just the practical steps to start getting your phone ringing with qualified roofing leads.

By the end of this article, you’ll understand:

How Google Ads actually works
Why it’s so effective for roofing companies
What it costs and what ROI to expect
How to set up your first campaign
Common mistakes to avoid

Let’s start with the basics.

What is Google Ads? (The Simple Explanation)

Google Ads (formerly called Google AdWords) is Google’s advertising platform that lets you pay to appear at the top of search results.

Here’s how it works in plain English:

Someone in your area searches Google for “roof replacement [your city]”
Google holds an instant auction among all advertisers bidding on that keyword
Google shows 3-4 paid ads at the top of the search results (marked “Sponsored”)
If your ad wins the auction, it shows up
When someone clicks your ad, they go to your website
You pay Google a fee for that click (that’s the “pay-per-click” or PPC model)

The key: You only pay when someone actually clicks on your ad. If your ad shows but nobody clicks, it’s free.

Why Google Ads Works So Well for Roofing Companies

Unlike traditional advertising (billboards, radio, direct mail), Google Ads lets you show up exactly when someone needs you.

Think about it:

When someone searches “emergency roof repair near me” at 2 AM, they have an urgent problem RIGHT NOW. They’re not browsing. They’re not researching. They’re looking for a roofer to call IMMEDIATELY.

That’s called high-intent traffic—people who are actively looking for your service at the exact moment you can help them.

Compare that to:

Billboard: They’re driving to work, not thinking about their roof
Direct mail: Arrives when they don’t need a roofer
Radio ad: They’re listening to music, not roof shopping
Facebook ad: They’re scrolling cat videos, not searching for roofers

Google Ads puts you in front of people who are ready to buy.

The Google Search Results Page (What Your Customers See)

When someone searches for a roofing service, here’s what they see:

[Search bar: "roof replacement near me"]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🔷 SPONSORED | Ad #1
ABC Roofing - Roof Replacement
Top-Rated Roofer | Free Estimates
www.abcroofing.com

🔷 SPONSORED | Ad #2  
XYZ Roofing Company
Licensed & Insured - Call Today
www.xyzroofing.com

🔷 SPONSORED | Ad #3
Smith & Sons Roofing
500+ 5-Star Reviews | Financing Available
www.smithroofing.com
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

📍 LOCAL MAP PACK
[Map with 3 roofing companies]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Organic Result #1
Top Roofers in [City] | Roofing Guide

Organic Result #2
Best Roofing Contractors | Reviews & Ratings

The top 3 ads (marked “Sponsored”) get 40-50% of all clicks.

The Local Map Pack (if it shows) gets another 30-35% of clicks.

Everything else shares the remaining 15-30% of clicks.

If you’re not in those top 3 ads OR the map pack, you’re mostly invisible.

How Much Does Google Ads Cost for Roofing Companies?

This is the first question everyone asks, so let’s tackle it upfront.

Cost Per Click (CPC)

How much you pay each time someone clicks your ad depends on:

Your location (competitive markets cost more)
The keyword (emergency keywords cost more than informational ones)
Your ad quality (better ads cost less)
Time of day/season (storm season = higher costs)

Typical CPC for roofing keywords:

Keyword Type	Average CPC
Emergency repair keywords	$25-$45
Roof replacement keywords	$15-$30
Informational keywords	$8-$18
Branded keywords (your company name)	$3-$8

Example: If you bid on “roof replacement [your city]” and win the auction, you might pay $22 every time someone clicks your ad.

Monthly Budget

How much should a roofing company spend on Google Ads?

Realistic starting budgets:

Market Size	Monthly Budget	Expected Results
Small market (under 50K population)	$1,500-$2,500	4-8 leads/month
Mid-sized market (50K-200K)	$3,000-$5,000	8-15 leads/month
Large market (200K-500K)	$5,000-$10,000	15-30 leads/month
Major metro (500K+)	$8,000-$15,000+	25-50+ leads/month

These are guidelines, not rules. You can start smaller and scale up as you see results.

Cost Per Lead

More important than CPC is cost per lead (CPL)—how much you pay to get one qualified contact.

Typical roofing CPL:

Emergency repairs: $200-$350 per lead
Roof replacement: $250-$450 per lead

Why the range?

Better ads and landing pages = lower CPL
Competitive markets = higher CPL
Mobile-optimized = lower CPL
Poor targeting = higher CPL

ROI: What You Get Back

Let’s do the math on actual ROI:

Example: Roof Replacement Campaign

Monthly ad spend: $5,000
Average CPC: $25
Total clicks: 200
Landing page conversion rate: 10%
Leads generated: 20
Cost per lead: $250
Your close rate: 30%
Jobs closed: 6
Average job value: $12,000
Total revenue: $72,000

ROI Calculation:

Revenue: $72,000
Ad spend: $5,000
Return: 14.4×

Even at a conservative 40% profit margin:

Gross profit: $28,800
Ad spend: $5,000
Net profit: $23,800

You spent $5,000 to make $23,800 in profit. That’s a 4.76× ROI.

How Google Ads Works: The Auction System

Every time someone searches, Google runs an instant auction. Here’s what determines if your ad shows:

1. Your Bid

This is the maximum you’re willing to pay per click.

Example:

You bid $30 max for “roof replacement dallas”
Competitor A bids $25
Competitor B bids $35

Does Competitor B always win? Not necessarily…

2. Quality Score (This is Huge)

Google doesn’t just show the highest bidder. They also consider ad quality.

Quality Score is rated 1-10 based on:

Click-through rate (CTR): Do people click your ad when they see it?
Ad relevance: Does your ad match what they searched?
Landing page experience: Is your landing page relevant and well-designed?

Why this matters:

A lower bid with a higher Quality Score can beat a higher bid with a lower Quality Score.

Example:

Your ad: $25 bid × Quality Score 8 = Ad Rank 200
Competitor: $35 bid × Quality Score 5 = Ad Rank 175

You win with a lower bid because your ad is higher quality.

This means you can actually pay LESS than competitors if your ads are better.

3. Ad Rank

Ad Rank = Bid × Quality Score (simplified)

The ads with the highest Ad Rank show in positions 1-4.

Position matters:

Position 1: 35% of clicks
Position 2: 25% of clicks
Position 3: 15% of clicks
Position 4: 10% of clicks

The Anatomy of a High-Performing Roofing Ad

Let’s break down what makes a roofing ad effective.

Example Ad:

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🔷 Ad

Headline 1: Emergency Roof Repair | [City]
Headline 2: Same-Day Service | Call 24/7
Headline 3: Licensed & Insured Roofers

Description 1: Storm damage? Leak? We respond fast. 
Licensed local roofers with 20+ years experience.

Description 2: Free emergency inspection. Most repairs 
completed same day. Call now: (555) 123-4567

Sitelink 1: Emergency Repairs →
Sitelink 2: Roof Replacement →
Sitelink 3: Free Quote →
Sitelink 4: Our Reviews →

Callout: 500+ 5-Star Reviews
Callout: Same-Day Service
Callout: Lifetime Warranty

📞 Call: (555) 123-4567

www.yourroofingcompany.com
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Let’s break down each element:

Headlines (3 required)

Include your primary keyword
Add your location
Mention your unique selling point (24/7, licensed, etc.)

Good headlines:

“Emergency Roof Repair | [City]”
“Same-Day Service | Call 24/7”
“500+ Five-Star Reviews”

Bad headlines:

“Roofing Services” (too generic)
“Call Us Today” (not compelling)
“Quality Work” (everyone says this)

Descriptions (2 required, 90 characters each)

Expand on your value proposition
Include trust signals
Add a clear call-to-action

Good descriptions:

“Storm damage? Leak? We respond fast. Licensed local roofers with 20+ years experience.”
“Free emergency inspection. Most repairs completed same day. Call now: (555) 123-4567”

Bad descriptions:

“We are a roofing company.” (generic)
“We do good work at fair prices.” (vague)

Ad Extensions (Critical for Roofing)

Extensions make your ad bigger and more clickable. Use these:

1. Call Extensions

Shows your phone number
Click-to-call on mobile
Tracks calls as conversions

2. Sitelink Extensions

Links to specific pages
“Emergency Repairs”
“Roof Replacement”
“Free Quote”
“See Our Work”

3. Callout Extensions

Short phrases highlighting benefits
“Licensed & Insured”
“Same-Day Service”
“Free Estimates”
“Lifetime Warranty”

4. Location Extensions

Shows your address
Displays distance from searcher
Integrates with Google Maps

5. Review Extensions (if eligible)

Shows your star rating
“Rated 4.9/5 on Google”

Ads with extensions get 15-25% higher CTR than ads without them.

Keywords: The Foundation of Your Campaign

Keywords are the search terms you want to show up for.

Types of Roofing Keywords

1. Emergency/High-Intent Keywords

“emergency roof repair”
“roof leak repair”
“24/7 roofer near me”
“same day roof repair”

Characteristics:

High cost ($30-$45 per click)
High conversion rate (8-15%)
Fast decision timeline

2. Service-Specific Keywords

“roof replacement [city]”
“asphalt shingle installation”
“metal roofing contractors”
“roof repair near me”

Characteristics:

Medium cost ($20-$35 per click)
Medium conversion rate (5-10%)
Longer decision timeline

3. Informational Keywords

“how much does roof replacement cost”
“when do I need a new roof”
“roof replacement vs repair”

Characteristics:

Low cost ($10-$20 per click)
Lower conversion rate (2-5%)
Still researching, not ready to buy yet

4. Branded Keywords

“[Your company name]”
“[Competitor name]” (yes, you can bid on this)

Characteristics:

Low cost ($3-$8 per click)
Very high conversion rate (20-40%)
Protect your brand

Keyword Match Types

Google gives you control over how closely a search must match your keyword:

Broad Match

Keyword: roof replacement
Shows for: “metal roof installation,” “roofing contractors,” “fix my roof,” etc.
Use with caution: Wastes budget on irrelevant searches

Phrase Match

Keyword: “roof replacement”
Shows for: “affordable roof replacement,” “roof replacement cost,” “residential roof replacement”
Recommended: Good balance of reach and relevance

Exact Match

Keyword: [roof replacement]
Shows for: “roof replacement” and very close variants
Most targeted: Less volume but highest relevance

For roofing, start with phrase match and exact match. Avoid broad match until you know what you’re doing.

Negative Keywords (Critical)

Negative keywords tell Google what NOT to show your ad for.

Essential roofing negative keywords:

“free” (attracts tire-kickers)
“DIY”
“how to”
“jobs” (people looking for employment)
“contractor license” (people researching how to become a contractor)
“salary”
“training”
“courses”
“cheap”
“materials” (looking to buy supplies, not hire a roofer)

Example of why this matters:

Without “DIY” as a negative:

Your ad shows for “DIY roof repair”
Someone clicks (you pay $30)
They want to do it themselves (never hiring you)
You just wasted $30

Add “DIY” as a negative, and you never show for those searches.

Campaign Structure: How to Organize Your Ads

Don’t just throw everything into one campaign. Organize strategically:

Recommended Structure for Roofing Companies

Campaign 1: Emergency Repairs

Ad Group 1: Emergency Repair (broad)
- Keywords: “emergency roof repair,” “24/7 roofer,” “roof leak emergency”
Ad Group 2: Storm Damage
- Keywords: “storm damage repair,” “hail damage roof,” “wind damage roofer”

Campaign 2: Roof Replacement

Ad Group 1: General Replacement
- Keywords: “roof replacement,” “new roof installation”
Ad Group 2: Material-Specific
- Keywords: “asphalt shingle replacement,” “metal roof installation”

Campaign 3: Branded

Ad Group 1: Your Company Name
- Keywords: “[your company name],” “[your company] roofing”
Ad Group 2: Competitor Names (optional)
- Keywords: “[competitor name]”

Why organize this way?

Better ad relevance: You can write ads specific to each service
Better tracking: You know which services drive the most leads
Budget control: Allocate more to high-converting campaigns
Quality Score: More relevant ads = higher Quality Score = lower costs

Landing Pages: Where Clicks Become Leads

Your ad is only half the battle. Where you send people matters just as much.

Rule #1: Don’t Send Ads to Your Homepage

Why not?

Your homepage tries to do everything:

Show all your services
Tell your company story
Display recent projects
Link to blog posts
Etc.

Someone who clicked an ad for “emergency roof repair” doesn’t want to explore your site. They want to call you NOW.

Rule #2: Match Landing Page to Ad

If your ad says: “Emergency Roof Repair | Same-Day Service”

Your landing page should say: “Emergency Roof Repair | Same-Day Service”

When the headline matches what they searched + what the ad promised, conversion rates skyrocket.

Elements of a High-Converting Roofing Landing Page

1. Headline matching the ad

“Emergency Roof Repair in [City]”

2. Clear, prominent phone number

Top of page, large font
Click-to-call on mobile

3. Short form

Name, phone, zip code, service needed
4-5 fields maximum

4. Trust signals

“Licensed & Insured”
Years in business
Review badges

5. Social proof

1-2 customer testimonials
Photo of the customer (builds trust)

6. Urgency (for emergency pages)

“We typically respond within 2 hours”
“Available 24/7”

7. Before/After photos (for replacement pages)

Show your work quality
4-6 recent projects

8. Single, clear CTA

“Call Now” or “Get Free Quote”
Don’t give them 10 options

Landing page mistake most roofers make:

❌ Ad about emergency repair → sends to homepage
✅ Ad about emergency repair → sends to emergency repair landing page

❌ Ad about roof replacement → sends to generic “services” page
✅ Ad about roof replacement → sends to roof replacement landing page with photos, pricing info, financing

Tracking: Know What’s Working

You can’t improve what you don’t measure.

Essential Tracking Setup

1. Conversion Tracking

Set up tracking for:

Phone calls from your ads
Form submissions
Clicks on your phone number

Google provides code to paste on your website that tracks these actions.

2. Call Tracking

Use a service like:

CallRail
CallTrackingMetrics
LeadPixl (Pixelocity’s system)

What it does:

Gives you unique phone numbers for each campaign
Records calls so you can listen
Tells you which keyword drove the call
Tracks if the lead booked a job

Why this matters:

Without call tracking:

“I got 10 calls this week”
No idea which came from Google Ads
Can’t optimize campaigns

With call tracking:

“I got 7 calls from ’emergency roof repair’ keyword”
“Those 7 calls generated 4 booked jobs”
“That keyword is profitable, increase the bid”

3. Key Metrics to Watch

Vanity metrics (don’t obsess over these):

Impressions
Clicks
CTR

Metrics that matter:

Cost per lead
Cost per booked job
Lead-to-close rate
Revenue per campaign
ROI

Common Google Ads Mistakes Roofing Companies Make

Mistake #1: Setting Itas-and-Forget-It

Google Ads requires active management.

What to check weekly:

Which keywords are converting?
Which keywords are wasting money?
What’s your Quality Score?
Any new competitor ads?

Mistake #2: Not Using Negative Keywords

Without negatives, you waste 30-40% of your budget on irrelevant clicks.

Start with a list of 50+ roofing negative keywords and add more as you see search terms coming in.

Mistake #3: Ignoring Mobile Users

70-80% of roofing searches happen on mobile, especially emergency searches.

Your mobile experience must be perfect:

Click-to-call button prominent
Page loads in under 2 seconds
Form is easy to fill on phone
No tiny text or buttons

Mistake #4: Generic Ad Copy

“Quality Roofing Services | Call Today” tells me nothing about why I should choose you.

Better: “Emergency Roof Repair | [City] | 2-Hr Response | Licensed & Insured | Call 24/7”

Specific. Local. Trustworthy. Urgent.

Mistake #5: No Landing Page

Sending traffic to your homepage kills conversion rates.

Build dedicated landing pages for:

Emergency repairs
Roof replacements
Each major service

Mistake #6: Competing on Price

Avoid mentioning specific prices in ads unless you’re truly the cheapest (and want only price shoppers).

Compete on:

Speed (same-day, 24/7)
Trust (reviews, certifications)
Experience (years in business)
Quality (warranties, guarantees)

Mistake #7: Giving Up Too Soon

Google Ads has a learning period.

Expect:

Week 1-2: High costs, gathering data
Week 3-4: Starting to see patterns
Month 2-3: Campaigns optimized, costs decrease
Month 4+: Hitting stride

Don’t judge performance after 1 week.

Getting Started: Your Action Plan

Ready to launch your first Google Ads campaign? Here’s your step-by-step:

Week 1: Foundation

Day 1-2: Research

List your services
Research competitor ads (search your keywords)
Identify 20-30 keywords to target

Day 3-4: Setup

Create Google Ads account
Add billing information
Install conversion tracking code on website

Day 5-7: Build

Create campaigns and ad groups
Write 3-4 ads per ad group
Add negative keywords
Set daily budget

Week 2: Launch & Monitor

Day 1: Launch

Turn campaigns on
Start with modest daily budget ($50-$100/day)

Day 2-7: Watch & Learn

Check daily for first week
Watch which keywords trigger ads
Add more negative keywords
Note which ads get clicks

Week 3-4: Optimize

Pause keywords with no conversions
Increase bids on keywords generating leads
Test new ad copy
Improve landing pages based on data

Month 2+: Scale

Increase budget on winning campaigns
Add new keywords
Expand to new services
Test remarketing

Should You Hire an Agency or Do It Yourself?

DIY Google Ads:

Pros:

Save on management fees
Full control
Learn the system

Cons:

Steep learning curve
Time-consuming (5-10 hours/week)
Easy to waste money while learning
Miss advanced strategies

Best for: Small budgets (under $2,000/month), companies with time to learn

Hire an Agency:

Pros:

Expertise from day 1
Save time
Better results faster
Advanced optimization

Cons:

Management fees ($450-$1,500/month typically)
Less direct control

Best for: Budgets over $3,000/month, companies that want to focus on roofing (not marketing)

Hybrid Approach:

Run campaigns yourself for 2-3 months
Learn the basics
See if it’s working
Then hire agency to optimize and scale

The Bottom Line

Google Ads for roofing companies works. Period.

When done right:

You show up when people need you
You generate predictable leads
You can scale as fast as you want
You control your growth

The keys to success:

Target the right keywords (high-intent, local)
Write compelling ads (specific, local, trustworthy)
Send traffic to dedicated landing pages (not homepage)
Track everything (know your numbers)
Optimize constantly (pause losers, scale winners)

You don’t need to be a marketing genius. You need to follow the fundamentals, track your results, and improve over time.

Start small. Test. Learn. Scale what works.

Your competitors are already doing this. The question is: are you?