The Truth About AdWords (PPC) for Plumbing & HVAC Contractors

Today, let’s tackle one of the biggie questions—and great mysteries—of the universe: Are Google Ads worth it for HVAC contractors and plumbers?

Well, yes. Yes, they certainly are. But only if:

• You’re targeting the right keywords . (By the way, here's our list of most popular HVAC keywords and plumbing keywords.)
  
• Your website is properly optimized for search (SEO).
  
• You’re willing to invest some money.
  
• You have reasonable expectations for return on that investment.
  

If I were you, I’d be thinking, “Those are some big ‘ifs.’” They sure are. So let’s talk about them.

Wouldn’t it be super fantastic if there were a tool to help you choose the best keywords for your Google Ads? The keywords people are actually searching for? The keywords people are actually clicking on?

There is such a tool, and it’s Google’s Keyword Planner. If you have a Google Ads account, you have access to it for free, but I’m going to be honest: It’s a bit of a beast to sort through. To make the best use of the data, you’ll find yourself digging through a miles-wide spreadsheet. Gross, right? So, please allow me to summarize for you.

• In the United States over the past 12 months (December 2017 - November 2018), Google logged, on average, 5.7 million plumbing- and HVAC-related searches per month .
  
• The five most-searched keywords for HVAC include (monthly averages):
  
  • “air conditioner” (1.5 million)
    
  • “portable air conditioner” (1 million)
    
  • “window air conditioner” (550,000)
    
  • “hvac” (165,000)
    
  • “ac unit” (110,000)
    
• The five most-searched keywords for plumbers include:
  
  • “plumber” (301,000)
    
  • “water heater” (246,000)
    
  • “plumbers near me” (246,000)
    
  • “tankless water heater” (201,000)
    
  • “bathroom remodel” (135,000)
    

Now, if a keyword has a high search volume, does that mean it’s the right keyword to target in your Google Ads? Maybe. But also, maybe not. If your competitors are targeting the same high-volume keywords—and if you don’t have the budget to outpace them—you’re likely better off going after slightly less popular, less competitive keywords.

Also, don’t go switching up your Google Ads strategy based on the lists I just provided. Just because a keyword is popular on average across the nation doesn’t necessarily mean it’s popular in your particular service area.

OK, well, that’s a smart question. To answer it, I have to get a little nerdy, so bear with me.

Just because you’ve set up a brilliant Google Ad that’s targeting the right keywords doesn’t necessarily mean Google’s going to display your ad when someone searches for that keyword.

WHAT? WHY? Because math. Keep reading.

Google determines whose ad shows up—and the relative placement of ads—based on something called a Quality Score. Google assigns your Quality Score based on your website’s performance (everything from keywords to load time), your previous Ads history and effectiveness, and your budget. Incidentally, the amount you pay per click (PPC) is determined by a fancy formula (.01 + your competitors’ Ad Rank divided by your Quality Score). The higher your Quality Score, the lower your PPC.

So let’s get back to SEO. If you have a Google Ad targeting “water heater repair” and it’s pointing to a page titled “water heater repair,” when someone searches “water heater repair,” that’ll give your Quality Score for that search a major boost. If, on the other hand, the landing page for that Ad doesn’t mention a single thing about water, heaters, or repair, you’ll be out of luck.

Of course, there’s more to HVAC and plumbing SEOthan keywords. In crowded markets, dozens of shops compete for the same business, likely using similar Ads—which means non-keyword-related SEO factors get super important: backlinks, site load speed, mobile responsiveness, security, and so on.

As you well know, there’s no shortage of marketing schemes out there. All of them can be dropped into two of the following three categories: cheap, fast, and effective. In other words, while some methods are cheap and fast, others are fast and effective. There’s no such thing as a marketing tactic that’s cheap and fast and effective.

Let’s get more specific: Traditional SEO strategies will bring you great results and are relatively inexpensive—but they take a while to work. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) strategies, like Google Ads, will bring you good results quickly—at a price.

I talk with a lot of plumbing and HVAC shops who want to “try” Google Ads. That’s smart. The problem is, they don’t want to try very hard. They want to sort of dip their toe in the water and spend just a little bit of money to see if Google Ads will “work” for them. I get it. They—and you—have worked hard for their money, and it’s tough to think about handing a wad of cash to Google without knowing, for sure, what’s going to happen. But if you don’t budget a sufficient amount, you can’t possibly know what works and what doesn’t work.

What’s a “sufficient amount”? $1500 to start. I know, I know: cha-ching. But hang with me here.

Let’s go back to Google’s Keyword Planner for a minute. In addition to telling you what terms people are searching for, the tool tells you how much it costs, on average, when someone clicks on an ad targeting each of those keywords. For example, in the last 12 months, advertisers in the U.S. have spent between $3.49 and $26.24 per click for the term “air conditioning.” For “plumber” it’s $6.69 to $40 per click.

So if you’re in a crowded market with deep-pocket competitors and you’ve only budgeted $30/day for your Google Ads, how often do you suppose your Ad will get displayed to your potential customers? Never to once.

When it comes to PPC, there’s no “dipping your toe in the water.” You either invest, or you don’t. To optimize Google Ads for your particular industry in your specific service area, you’ll need about $1500 worth of data—and you should expect to work through that budget in 1-4 weeks. No need to hyperventilate: I’m not saying you have to spend $1500 every week or every month forever (although you easily could if you’re in a large metro area). I’m only saying your initial investment will give you key insights to help streamline your campaigns.

Oh, and in case you’re curious, the most expensive keywords are “a c repair” ($78.28) and “slab leak repair” ($54.28). Who knew?

Now let’s talk about expectations. PPC Google Ads are low risk, because you only owe Google money when someone clicks on your ad. And how often does that happen? An admirable click-through rate (CTR) is 3%. That’s right. If you do all the hard work to make sure your Ad shows up to potential customers, you oughta be giddy if three out of 100 of those folks actually clicks on your ad.

Does that mean those three people will turn into paying customers? Probably not. Sure, you’ll get some conversions from PPC Ads, but the conversion rate is nowhere near 100%. So why should you bother with them? Because Google Ads are among the most effective ways to get seen—particularly if you’re still waiting for organic SEO to take hold.

By the way, if you’re interested in a better ad conversion rate, see if Google Local Services is available in your area yet. Although getting set up as a guaranteed provider is a headache, the ads are less expensive and they convert better. That’s as close as you’ll get to cheap, fast, and effective.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the whole idea of Google Ads, we can help! Start with a free strategy call today.