Plumbing is not an easy task. When you know you’re good at it, you need to let people know of the top-notch services that you offer.
Plumbing PPC helps contractors get more customers fast. This guide shows you how to win with paid ads.
While a lot of plumbers waste money on bad ads, we’ll teach you the right way to do PPC. You’ll learn to create ads that bring real customers to your business.
Google Ads can grow your plumbing business by 300% in just six months. We’ll show you exactly how to make this happen for your company.
This guide covers everything you need to know, from basic setup to advanced tricks. By the end, you’ll run profitable campaigns like a pro.
Ready to grow your plumbing business? Let’s get started.
Plumbing PPC means pay-per-click advertising for plumbers. You create ads online and pay when people click them. It’s that simple.
When someone searches for “plumber near me,” an auction happens. All plumbers with ads compete for that click, like a bidding game.
Google looks at your bid amount and ad quality. The best combination wins the top spot. Your ad shows up first when customers need help.
You only pay when someone clicks your ad. No clicks mean no cost to you. This makes PPC very cost-effective for smart plumbers.
Traditional marketing costs money upfront with no guarantee of results, but plumbing PPC is different. You see results as early as within hours of starting. Turn ads on and customers start calling the same day.
SEO takes months to work. PPC works immediately. This makes it perfect for plumbers who need customers now.
Several types of ads work well for plumbers. Each type serves a different purpose.
Google Ads is the most popular choice for plumbing PPC. Here’s why it works so well.
Search Ads
These text ads show up when people search for plumbers. They appear at the top of Google results. Most customers click these ads before looking at other results.
Search ads work because they catch people at the right time. When someone searches “emergency plumber,” they need help right away. Your ad shows up exactly when they’re ready to call.
Google Local Services Ads
These special ads appear above regular search ads. They show your business name, phone number, and Google reviews. Customers can call you directly from the ad.
Google screens all Local Services advertisers. This gives customers more trust in your business. You only pay when customers contact you, not for clicks.
Opt for a powerful Ads Optimizer Tool to create powerful ads that get your conversions. When you opt for such a tool, a higher return on ad spend (ROAS) is guaranteed.
Display ads show up on websites your customers visit. YouTube ads play before videos. These ads build brand awareness for your plumbing company.
Use these ads to show up in front of customers who aren’t ready to call yet. When they need a plumber later, they’ll remember your business.
Facebook and Instagram ads work great for residential plumbers. These platforms let you target homeowners in your area.
You can show before and after photos of your work to gain trust. Video ads perform especially well on social media. Show your team fixing common plumbing problems.
LinkedIn works better for commercial plumbers. Target property managers and business owners who are often in search of reliable and quick plumbing services.
Microsoft Advertising has fewer competitors than Google. This means lower costs per click for your ads. Microsoft Advertising users are generally older and have higher incomes.
Set up Bing ads after you master Google Ads. It’s an easy way to get more customers for less money.
PPC offers many advantages for plumbing businesses.
PPC delivers results within hours. Create an ad in the morning and get calls by afternoon. No other marketing method works this quickly.
This speed helps during busy seasons. Need more customers for winter pipe repairs? Turn on ads and start getting calls immediately.
PPC lets you choose exactly who sees your ads. Target people within 20 miles of your shop. Show ads only to homeowners aged 35-65.
You can also target by time of day. Run emergency plumber ads at night when rates are higher. Turn off ads when your trucks are full.
Set daily budgets to control costs. Start with $50 per day and increase as you get more customers. PPC platforms never spend more than your limit.
You can pause ads anytime. Going on vacation? Turn off ads so you don’t get calls you can’t handle.
PPC shows you exactly what’s working. See how many people clicked your ad. Track how many people called your business.
This real-time data helps you make smart decisions. Double down on ads that bring customers. Stop ads that waste money.
Different types of plumbers need different PPC strategies.
Residential plumbers serve homeowners. Target families who own homes in your service area. Use keywords like “home plumber” and “residential plumbing repair.”
Focus on common problems homeowners face. Clogged drains, leaky faucets, and water heater issues get lots of searches. Create separate ads for each service.
Budget around at least $30 per day to start. Residential jobs have lower values but higher volume.
Commercial plumbers work with businesses and property managers. These jobs pay more but happen less often.
Target decision-makers at companies. Use keywords like “commercial plumber” and “office building plumbing.” LinkedIn ads work well for this audience.
The suggested budget is $100-300 per day for commercial PPC. You need fewer clicks but each customer is worth more.
Emergency plumbers charge premium rates. Run ads 24/7 to catch people with urgent problems. Use keywords like “emergency plumber” and “24-hour plumbing.”
Make sure your ads mention quick response times. “30-minute response” gets more clicks than generic ads.
Budget extra for emergency campaigns. People will pay more when they have flooding or no hot water.
Follow these steps to create your first PPC campaign.
Decide what you want your ads to accomplish. More phone calls? More service requests? More customers for a specific service? Or a combination of more than one of these?
Clear goals help you create better ads. They also help you measure success later.
Use Google Keyword Planner to find words customers search for. Look for terms with good search volume but reasonable competition.
Good plumbing keywords include:
Opt for AI-powered SEO tools to find unique keyword opportunities that make your ads stand out.
Go to ads.google.com and sign up for a free Google Ads account. Google will walk you through the setup process step by step.
Connect your account to Google Analytics for better tracking. This helps you see what happens after people click your ads.
Your ad needs three parts: headline, description, and call-to-action.
Headlines should grab attention; they should be something catchy, like “Emergency Plumber – 30 Min Response Time”
Descriptions explain your value: “Licensed plumbers available 24/7. Free estimates. Call now!”
Always include a clear call-to-action (CTA): “Call Now” or “Book Online”
Don’t send ad clicks to your homepage. Create special landing pages for each service that you advertise.
Landing pages should match your ad message. If your ad talks about drain cleaning, the page should focus on drain cleaning services.
Include your phone number at the top of every landing page. Make it easy for customers to call you.
Track phone calls from your ads. Use Google call tracking or a third-party service. This shows you which ads bring real customers.
Also track form submissions on your website. Count every lead that comes from your PPC campaigns.
Start with a small daily budget. Monitor your ads closely for the first week. Look for keywords that waste money and pause them immediately.
Gradually increase spending on ads that bring customers. PPC success comes from constant testing and improvement.
Use these tips to improve your campaign performance.
Google rates your ads with a Quality Score from 1-10. Higher scores mean lower costs and better ad positions on search engine results page (SERP).
To improve Quality Score:
Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing for bad searches. Add words like “free,” “DIY,” and “how to” as negatives.
This stops people looking for free advice from clicking your ads. You only pay for clicks from people who might hire you.
Create multiple versions of each ad. Test different headlines and descriptions. Google will automatically show the best-performing ads more often.
Change one thing at a time. This helps you understand what makes ads work better.
Most people needing plumbing services are in a rush and search for plumbers on their phones. Therefore, it’s crucial to make your ads look good on mobile devices.
Use short headlines that don’t get cut off. Include click-to-call buttons so people can call you easily.
Given the market conditions and the competition in the plumbing industry, it makes sense to hire help, such as a plumbing PPC company, for your PPC campaigns.
Consider hiring a PPC company if:
Good PPC companies should:
Most agencies charge 15-20% of your ad spend as a management fee. Some charge flat monthly fees instead.
Note that this varies from one plumbing PPC company to another, and the billing cycle may also vary. Just be sure to pick a reliable one.
Avoid these costly mistakes when running PPC plumbing campaigns.
Don’t try to serve everyone everywhere. Focus on your actual service area. Clicks from people 100 miles away are the fastest way to waste money.
Only show ads only in areas you serve by using location targeting services.
Over 70% of plumber searches happen on mobile phones. If your ads and landing pages don’t work seamlessly on mobile, you’ll lose customers.
Test everything on your phone before launching campaigns.
Many plumbing customers prefer to call rather than fill out forms. If you don’t track phone calls, you can’t measure success properly.
Use call tracking numbers to see which keywords and ads drive calls.
PPC campaigns need constant attention. Check performance weekly at minimum. Pause bad keywords and increase bids on good ones.
Successful PPC plumbing campaigns require ongoing optimization.
Sending ad clicks to your homepage wastes money. Create specific landing pages for each service you advertise.
Landing pages should load fast, work on mobile, and make it easy to contact you.
Track these metrics to measure your campaign performance.
This tells you how much you pay for each potential customer. Calculate it by dividing total ad spend by number of leads.
If you spend $1,000 and get 20 leads, your cost per lead is $50.
This shows what percentage of ad clicks become leads. Higher conversion rates mean your ads and landing pages work well together.
If 100 people click your ad and 5 become leads, your conversion rate is 5%.
This measures how much profit you make from PPC campaigns. Track revenue from PPC customers and subtract your ad costs.
If you spend $1,000 on ads and make $3,000 in revenue, your ROI is 200%.
Some customers call you once. Others become regular customers who call every year. Track the long-term value of PPC customers.
This helps you decide how much to spend acquiring new customers. The best way to predict the behavior of your customers so you can focus on retention of your top customers, choose a powerful Customer Lifetime Value Model.
PPC continues to evolve. Here’s what to expect in 2025 and beyond.
Google will likely use more artificial intelligence to optimize campaigns automatically. Smart bidding strategies get better at finding profitable customers.
This means less manual work for campaign management. But you still need to set clear goals and monitor performance.
More people are likely to use voice search to find local services. “Hey Google, find a plumber near me” becomes more common.
Optimize for conversational keywords. Think about how people actually talk when they need a plumber.
Video ads become more important. Interactive ads let customers book appointments without leaving Google.
Expect new ways to showcase your plumbing services. Stay flexible and test new ad formats as they become available.
When done right, plumbing PPC can transform your business in just a few hours and only get better from there. Start with clear goals and a small budget. Focus on keywords that bring real customers.
Test everything and optimize constantly. Track your results and use what has proven to work. Consider hiring a plumbing PPC company if you need help scaling up.
The plumbers who master PPC will dominate their local markets.
Empowering businesses to optimize their conversion funnels with AI-driven insights and automation. Turn traffic into sales with our advanced attribution platform.
