Solved: Need help understanding online advertising for plumbing.

Hi there,

Thanks for getting in touch. I'm happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance based on what you've told us about your plumbing business and your desire to start advertising.

It sounds like you're currently relying on word-of-mouth, which is great, but you're right, you need to get online to grow and generate new leads. Stepping into the world of online advertising can feel overwhelming, especially if you're starting from scratch. You're not alone there!

First off, a lot of businesses make the mistake of investing in the wrong ads platform.

We'll need to look at which ads platform will work for you...

For a plumbing business, Google is pretty much where you need to be. People don't generally head to Facebook or Insta when they've got a burst pipe at 2 AM. They're gonna Google "emergency plumber near me". If you're not visible when they search, you're missing out on potential customers actively seeking your services.

Google Ads (formerly AdWords) is your starting point. You need to make sure that when someone has a plumbing emergency or a planned project, your business is right there in front of them. Social media ads will probably be a waste of money.

Now, you can target people by location with social media ads as well, and try to sell them on your services. This isn't wrong, and it might work if they were planning to renovate their house and looking for a plumber. But people don't use social media for plumbing in general.

So, really focus on Google ads. I wouldn't start anywhere else, and I definitely wouldn't bother with social media. You don't want to waste your money on the wrong place.

I'd say you should focus on search-specific keywords...

Now, don't go chasing after broad keywords like "plumber" or "plumbing services". That's gonna be a black hole for your budget. You need to get laser-focused on the specific services you offer and the areas you cover.

Think about what people actually type into Google when they need a plumber. "Boiler repair Kensington", "leaky tap Notting Hill", "blocked drain Earl's Court". The more specific, the better. These are your keywords. Each needs its own ad group.

I remember one campaign we ran for an HVAC company. We focused our targeting on the areas within a 30-minute drive of their office, ensuring we weren't paying for clicks from outside their service area.

Your ad copy needs to echo these keywords. If someone searches for "leaky tap Notting Hill" your ad should say "Leaky Tap Repair in Notting Hill". Make it super relevant and you'll see a big jump in your click-through rate and quality score.

You don't want to use fancy branding campaigns for now, you need to keep things focused.

You probably should set up conversion tracking...

This is absolutely vital. You need to know which keywords and ads are actually driving calls or form submissions (if you have a form on your site). Without conversion tracking, you're flying blind. You're just throwing money at Google and hoping for the best.

Google Analytics can help you with this, but tbh it's a bit of a pain to set up properly. If you are struggling with it, get someone to help you out. It'll pay for itself many times over.

Set up goals in Analytics for phone calls (if you're using call tracking) and form submissions. Then, import these goals into Google Ads as conversions. Now you can see exactly which keywords are generating leads, and which are just wasting money. Then you can optimise and increase budget on the winners.

One of the first things you should do is make sure that Google Analytics is set up. Otherwise you can't do any data analysis. Google Ads is pretty useless without analytics, you can't track anything.

You'll need to think about location, location, location...

This is another big one. Make sure your Google Ads campaigns are heavily focused on your service area. There's no point paying for clicks from people who are miles away and you can't service. That's just throwing money down the drain. Use location targeting in Google Ads to narrow it down. Use radius targeting around your location.

Make sure your Google Business Profile is up-to-date and accurate. This is what shows up in the local search results when people search for plumbers near them. Claim your listing, add photos, and make sure your contact information is correct. Encourage customers to leave reviews on your GBP. These reviews will help you rank higher in the local search results.

I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:

Getting all of this right can be a bit fiddly and time-consuming, especially if you're new to online advertising. While I hope this has been helpful and you can implement it yourself, I understand you might want to hand it over to an expert.

Paid advertising really does require a deep understanding of the platforms. It also takes time, which you might not have if you want to focus on your business. Plus, a poorly managed campaign can quickly become a money pit.

We help businesses like yours get the most out of their advertising budget. We start with a free consultation where we can take a look at your situation, work out a bespoke plan, and give you an idea of what results you can expect. If you're interested in finding out more, get in touch, we're always happy to have a chat.

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh