Guide · 6 min read
How much should a roofer spend on Google Ads?
Most agencies answer with a number before they know anything about your company. Here is a better way: start from the jobs you want, use your own numbers, and work backwards. You need a pen, your phone and five minutes.
Step 1
Start from jobs, not from a budget
“Spend $2,000 a month” means nothing on its own. The real question is: how many extra roofing jobs do you want from Google each month, outside referrals and storm work? Pick a number you can actually handle with your crews. For a small company, 2 to 5 extra jobs a month is a lot.
Step 2
Write down three of your own numbers
- Booking rate: out of 10 people who call you, how many book an inspection?
- Close rate: out of 10 inspections, how many sign?
- Average job value: what a typical signed job is worth to you.
If you don't know them exactly, a rough guess from last year is fine. You'll replace them with real numbers after a month of call tracking.
Step 3
Do the math backwards
Jobs you want ÷ close rate ÷ booking rate = calls you need. Calls you need × cost per call = monthly ad budget.
Worked example · illustrative, use your own numbers
- Jobs you want from Google
- 4
- Close rate (inspections that sign)
- 40%
- Booking rate (calls that book)
- 60%
- Calls needed: 4 ÷ 0.4 ÷ 0.6
- ≈ 17
- Cost per call: $50 a click × 20% of clicks that call
- $250
- Monthly ad budget: 17 × $250
- ≈ $4,250
Cost-per-click and click-to-call figures from CinchLocal, “The Cost of Invisibility”. Real costs depend a lot on your city and season.
Now compare that budget with what 4 jobs bring you. If 4 jobs are worth many times the ad spend, Google is worth testing. If they barely cover it, fix your booking or close rate first. More ads won't solve that.
Starting smaller?
Aim for 2 extra jobs instead of 4: 2 ÷ 0.4 ÷ 0.6 ≈ 8 calls, × $250 ≈ $2,000 a month. You can also start with Local Services Ads only, where you pay per lead instead of per click, and add Search ads once the calls come in.
Step 4
Lower your cost per call before raising the budget
The cheapest call is the one you stop wasting money on. Three things change your cost per call more than any budget:
- Negative keywords. Block searches like “roofing jobs”, “roofing salary” or “DIY shingle repair”. They click, they never hire.
- Service area. Only show ads where your crews actually go. A call 90 minutes away is a wasted call.
- The page after the click. Phone number one tap away, real crew photos, a 3-field form. A slow, generic page turns paid clicks into nothing.
Step 5
Plan for the seasons
Demand for roof work moves with the weather. Winter is slower in most of the US, storms bring spikes. Don't keep the same budget all year: spend more when homeowners search, less when they don't, and use the quiet months to fix your pages and reviews.
Step 6
Test for 60 to 90 days, then decide
One month is too short to judge, especially with inspections that sign weeks later. Run a fixed test budget for 60 to 90 days, track every call, then compare cost per signed job with your job value. Keep, cut or grow based on that, not on clicks.
Red flags when an agency gives you a budget
- They promise a number of leads before looking at your market.
- Their fee is a percentage of your ad spend, so they earn more when you spend more.
- They report clicks and impressions, not calls and booked inspections.
- The Google Ads account is in their name, not yours.
- You need a 12-month contract to start.
Want us to run your numbers?
In the free 15-minute audit we do this math with your real numbers and your service area. No credit card, no contract. We answer Mon–Fri, 9am–6pm ET.