Are you looking for an effective way to increase your roofing company’s online visibility and get more qualified leads? If so, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising may be the perfect solution for you. PPC campaigns are a popular form of online marketing used by many businesses to improve their search engine rankings and gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. This blog post will explain PPC advertising, how it works, and why roofing companies should consider using this marketing strategy to maximize their lead generation success. With guidance from experienced professionals with years of experience who understand the complexities of modern digital marketing, you can reap the rewards of having an effective PPC campaign focused on roofing services. Read on to learn more about Search Engine Optimization Marketing and the best way to incorporate it into your plans. 

What is the difference between PPC and SEO? 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click Advertising ( PPC) both effectively drive your website’s traffic. However, SEO is an organic approach that doesn't cost you a dime for each visitor, whereas, with Pay Per Click (PPC), every click comes at a price tag attached. It’s up to you which one makes more sense based on ROI expectations and conversion rate.

Let’s take a look at an actual Google Serp page for roofing contractors. The top of search results shown on the search engines are those that have paid for PPC ads (or Google ads), while those companies that have used SEO strategies will appear next in the list. How high they are on the list is determined by many SEO optimization tactics such as the right keywords or negative keywords on their websites, landing pages that meet Google's criteria, and the quality score of the website.

Is PPC more important than SEO? 

PPC services and SEO are both essential aspects of a solid digital marketing strategy. Many people often get confused between the concepts of PPC and SEO. It isn’t a matter of if PPC is better than SEO as they both are essential in a marketing schedule, so let’s review the Pros and Cons of each method. 

The Pros of utilizing PPC advertising 

Visibility 

Fast Conversions 

Advertisement Control 

The Cons of utilizing PPC advertising 

Constant investment 

Buyers know they are ads 

Learning Curve for business owners 

The Pros of utilizing SEO marketing 

SEO is free, sort of, however, you need to hire a professional to design your roofing website who understands SEO. SEO builds traffic over time so the longer you exist the better your odds of finding potential customers

The Cons of utilizing SEO marketing 

Google Algorithms constantly change 

Ongoing Maintenance 

SEO takes longer to see results 

Why Should Roofers use PPC Advertising? 

Roofers have much to gain by incorporating PPC advertising into their digital marketing efforts. In today's competitive business environment, businesses need to stand out online and get on the first page of search results!   Thanks to pay-per-click services, roofers can position themselves in front of new potential customers actively searching for services like theirs and increase the phone calls coming into the business. With targeted, cost-effective PPC campaigns, roofing businesses can reach their target audience and drive sales with ease. In addition, PPC allows roofers to easily monitor the performance of their campaigns and make real-time adjustments as needed to maximize results - making it a worthwhile investment for any size business.

How Quickly does PPC Work? 

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising can be a powerful form of marketing that drives immediate profits because you only pay when someone clicks on your ads. With the right bidding strategy and optimization, results can come quickly with PPC campaigns. Sometimes, your website could generate leads or sales within minutes or hours of activating campaigns! It's essential to use the right strategy and optimize them so your PPC ad campaigns successfully reach their goals. Continuous monitoring and iterating can generate higher ROI on your PPC while boosting brand awareness and growing a customer base. This is why PPC works so well – it combines speed with precision targeting, leading to higher conversion rates and more business revenue.

What factors create an effective PPC Campaign? 

One of the main variables that affect PPC cost is keyword research. Prices can soar or stay low depending on the keyword and how specific it is. That’s why it's important to hire roofing PPC experts who go through keyword research and determine which would be best for your Google Ads campaign. Narrowing down the keyword list to select keyword phrases with strong impressions and low competition will help in keeping costs lower, as well as choosing more specific keywords over generic ones that have more competition. Determining how much ad budget you want to spend for each keyword is another way of cost control when running roofing PPC ads. Consider testing out different approaches of manual bidding to find a balance between performance metrics and cost goals.

How do you understand PPC numbers for roofing companies?

 A roofing PPC campaign is nothing more than data. You have to be able to understand the data, interpret the data, find opportunities within the data, and, most importantly, expose the data.

We like to say roofer marketing is just like snowflakes; no two are the same. You can put together a $5M roofing company with 15 employees in Tampa, FL, and create the same size company in Atlanta, GA or Hartford, CT and you’ll have 3 completely unique scenarios. Yes, all three companies are precisely $5M in revenue and have the exact employee count, but let’s consider some differences. 

Variables of each Roofing Business that affect the cost 

There are many statistics and variables of each roofing business you need to account for.

Geography

• Population density
• Different competition in each market
• Higher or lower risk tolerance from the competition in each market
• Weather (hurricanes in Tampa, hail in Atlanta, snow & steep slope in Hartford)

Company Strategies

• 2 of the three do commercial
• 1 of the three has commercial business that represents 50% of their revenue
• 1 of the three wants to start getting into commercial
• One company has 5 of their team as canvassers and sales
• One company has one salesperson
• One company doesn’t have a dedicated closer

Company Ages

• Tampa has been around 15 years and has 300 Google reviews
• Atlanta has been around 5 years, has 100 Google reviews, and wants to open a new market
• Hartford scaled fast due to commercial business but only has 12 reviews and has been around three years but because of their lack of tenure, they are still figuring out their processes
• The company uses a call center vs. a dedicated in-house appointment scheduler

Technology

• 2 of the 3 have no automation
• 1 of the 3 has no CRM
• The quality of the websites varies by company and market

Brand Awareness

• All 3 are sporadic at best with their social media brand and posting
• Only one has 6 wrapped trucks
• Company #2 has only the owner’s truck wrapped and they use all subs
•  Only one has ever shot an amateur video

This list can go on and, on all day, but the point should be made by now. You should never buy into the guarantee given to you by a marketing agency that is just out to get your money.

Roofing PPC is purely a math formula. The goal at Best Roofer Marketing is to get you the best cost for a high-quality call, period. 

Still want more proof, let’s look at some typical PPC metrics for roofing companies.

Average conversion rates typically hover around 10% in the roofing industry. Cost per clicks varies widely, with small markets coming in as low as $15 - $20 (top of page) to major metros going for $50 - $100 (per click). Yes, you read that right. See the below example of setting appropriate expectations for a roofing company in Tampa, FL. These are actual results from a real client with a successful ppc campaign.

A Real-Life Roofer Marketing Case Study Scenario for PPC Marketing

Their budget of $7,000 per month yields around 30 quality calls (or a call per day). These calls vary between Commercial, Residential Replacements, and Residential Repair. This customer is a really good closer but typically has a 30-day pipeline-to-close rate of 50%. 

CPL = $233

Leads = 30

Closes = 15

Type = 7 Repair

Type = 5 Replace Shingle

Type = 2 Replace Specialty (metal and tile)

Type = 1 Commercial

Cost = $1,500 per repair (7)

Cost = $15,000 per replacement (5)

Cost = $20,000 per specialty (2)

Cost = $20,000+ per commercial (1)

Total Gross = $145,500/mo gross sales x 35% margin = $50,925 net volume or a 7.28:1 return in net sales. So, putting $7k in the bank will never return you a 7x ROI in 30 days. But you have to be able to work and understand real math.

PPC for Roofing Companies will typically yield an average return of between 4:1 and 10:1 after 90 days. There is a ramp-up in each new market with AdWords. Yes, you will get calls in your first month, but it takes time to really dial in a campaign and get the maximum results possible with Pay Per Click Advertising for Roofers.

How Much Money Should a Company Spend on PPC Roofing Ads?

Roofing companies that are established (over $3M in annual revenue) typically spend a minimum of 5% - 8%, while companies that are just starting need to spend more. Often, new companies should be spending between 10% - 15% of their gross sales on marketing

Out of your entire marketing budget, we recommend anywhere from 40% - 60% of your budget going toward ads if you are in a business growth phase. 

See the example below.

Annual revenue = $3,000,000 and you’re spending 8% of your gross sales on marketing.

8% of $3M = $240,000

Allocating 50% of your total budget towards ads means spending $120,000 annually on ads or $10k/mo.

We’ve all heard the old adage, “It Takes Money To Make Money” and in the case of growing your business with online marketing, that sentiment is very true. Trying to “dip your toe in the water” wastes money. We strongly recommend doing ads with an appropriate and competitive budget for your specific target market and company size or waiting until you can do it correctly

The Best Roofer Marketing Billion Dollar Impact PPC Program for Roofers

At Best Roofer Marketing, we treat your money as if it were our own. We take our call auditing, reporting, and coaching you on how to achieve running your business and not be trapped in just another job, very seriously. We have implemented what we call The Billion Dollar Impact, which is a strategic roadmap to help 100 Roofing Businesses achieve 1 Billion Dollars. Apply below and see if you qualify for the Billion Dollar Impact movement.