Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out. Happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance on trying to get leads for your pressure washing business, especially when you're just starting out with advertising.
You mentioned you've tried Facebook and Google with a very low amount of responses on a $10/day budget. Let's break that down.
We need to think about where your ideal customer is searching...
For a local service business like pressure washing, people are usually searching for help when they *need* it. They've decided their driveway is minging or their patio needs a clean up, and they go looking for someone to do it. In terms of online advertising, that usually means you'd want to go with platforms where people have high intent – they're actively looking for a solution right now. That's typically Google Search Ads or maybe Google Local Service Ads if they're available and a good fit for your specific service.
Social media like Facebook or Instagram is much harder for this kind of business. People are scrolling through their feeds, looking at photos of their mates or funny videos. They aren't usually in the mindset of finding a pressure washer right then. You *can* run ads on social to build awareness or maybe try lead generation ads, but getting someone to convert from a cold social ad for a service they didn't know they needed five seconds ago is much trickier and often more expensive per qualified lead than catching someone on Google who is typing "pressure washing service near me".
I'd say you need to give it more time... and budget.
Honestly, $10 a day is going to be really tough on pretty much any paid platform, especially Google Search Ads for a service like pressure washing. Think about it this way: you pay per click. How many clicks do you think $10 will get you? Maybe a few quid per click depending on how competitive your area is? You might only get 2 or 3 clicks a day, maybe none on some days.
For local services, the cost per lead (CPL) can vary loads, but based on campaigns we're running or have run for similar local services like HVAC or cleaning, you're probably looking at somewhere from $10 to $60+ per lead. A campaign we ran for a home cleaning company got leads for around £5 each, which was brilliant, but our HVAC client in a competitive area sees costs around $60 a lead. Childcare signups were about $10. It really depends.
But even at the low end, if a lead costs $10, and you only have $10 total budget for the day, you're hoping to get one lead. And you need multiple clicks (often 10-20 or more) to get one lead, assuming your website even converts well. With $10 a day, you might go days or even weeks without getting a single lead. That doesn't give you any meaningful data to figure out what's working and what isn't, or how to optimise anything. It's like trying to learn to swim by dipping a toe in the water for five seconds a day.
If you can possibly manage it, I'd usually recommend starting with maybe $30-$50 a day minimum just to have enough traffic and data to see patterns and make improvements. The number of leads you need per month multiplied by the estimated cost per lead will give you a rough idea of the budget required.
We'll need to look at traffic quality and your website...
If you are actually getting clicks on your ads (check your dashboard metrics) but aren't getting enquiries (responses), then the issue is likely happening after someone clicks. This points to either:
-> You're getting the wrong kind of traffic (maybe your targeting or keywords aren't quite right on Google, or the audience is wrong on FB).
-> Your website isn't doing its job.
Your website needs to look professional and trustworthy – remember, people are inviting you to their property. It needs to have really clear calls to action, like prominent buttons or forms saying "Get a Free Quote" or "Book Now". Make it super easy for people to contact you. Have your phone number clearly visible, use a simple contact form, or maybe even use call extensions in Google Ads so people can just click a button to call you directly from the ad.
If people land on a messy, slow, or confusing website with no clear way to get a quote, they'll just leave. With a tiny budget, every single click is precious, so you need the website to convert as many of them as possible into enquiries.
So, in summary, here's a quick overview:
| Problem | Recommended Action | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Low responses from Ads ($10/day) | Increase budget if possible | $10/day is usually too low to generate consistent leads and gather data for local services. Aim for $30-$50+ if feasible. |
| Using Facebook/Social Media | Focus on Google Search/LSA first | People actively search for local services on Google when they need them (high intent). Social media is better for different goals or as retargeting. |
| Getting clicks, but no leads (low conversion rate) | Improve website/landing page | Ensure your site looks professional, is easy to navigate, clearly shows your services and contact info, and has strong calls to action. Build trust. |
| Getting clicks, but no leads (wrong traffic) | Refine ad targeting/keywords | Ensure you're targeting people who are actually likely to need your service in your specific area. Use relevant keywords on Google. |
Getting ads to work, especially on a tight budget, can be really challenging because there are so many factors at play – the platform, the targeting, the ad creative, your website, your offer, and the budget itself. It often takes a bit of testing and optimisation to find what works for your specific business in your specific area.
Sometimes having someone with experience in running these types of campaigns can help shortcut a lot of the trial and error, especially when budget is limited and you need it to be as efficient as possible from day one. If you'd like to discuss your situation in more detail and explore what might work best, we're happy to book in a free consultation.
Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh
