This is where micro-conversions can help. You can track smaller steps people take, such as:
Signing up for a newsletter.
Watching a key video.
Viewing a key page like Pricing.
Requesting more information but not an appointment.
Viewing design options or photo gallery.
Or using a design simulator/layout preview tool on your website.
To keep CPCs and lead costs low, any sales cycle can use portfolio bidding, which lets you set both a target CPA and max CPC.
This is helpful for highly competitive keywords that can cost $100-$200 or more per click.
However, don’t set the tCPA and max CPC too low, as it may limit your volume or result in no impressions due to unrealistic targets.
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Keywords strategy
For short sales cycles
You can bid on symptom searches or direct searches that are very specific. Options to bid on symptom keywords would include things like:
“Kitchen sink leaking water”
“AC blowing hot air”
“Roof is leaking water in attic”
Direct, very specific searches would include things like:
“Plumbing company near me”
“AC repair company”
“Painter near me”
“Roofing company in Houston”
Direct searches usually have the highest CPC because everyone is bidding on them, and they are the most obvious.
Symptom searches may not have as high of a conversion rate. Also, the call/lead quality may be a mix of good and bad, but CPCs are usually much lower, resulting in a lower CPA or cost per lead.
Grouping different keywords by theme into relevant ad groups will also help reduce CPCs and increase conversion rates, lowering your cost per lead since the ads can be customized to the keyword.
This is much more effective than having one large ad group with many keywords showing the same generic ad that goes to the same generic services page.
Sometimes, a separate branded keywords campaign may be worth testing, depending on your specific service, if competitors are bidding on your brand name and if you advertise offline or on social media channels.
You may also consider bidding on competitors’ names as keywords, as phrase or broad match. This is very experimental and is typically done in a separate campaign.
Often, home services companies receive leads from people who accidentally called them and have no interest in changing companies.
You’ll want to monitor this separate competitor campaign closely. It may work, or you may block all competitor names as negative keywords account-wide.
I suggest multiple keyword strategies simultaneously if you have a higher budget to test.
This can be done by using:
Broad match keywords for your direct terms, such as “painter services near me.”
Or the symptom search keyword itself as broad match – which would match to related searches.
When used properly, broad match keywords can find many search terms with much lower CPCs.
You do have to watch them closely and frequently add negative keywords, but this tactic can help offset the high CPCs of phrase and exact match for direct terms like “plumbing company near me.”
Many ad agencies will prepare negative keyword lists in advance to avoid wasting clicks on search terms they already know are not relevant. Testing multiple match types at the same time is also acceptable.
Add a keyword column to your Search Terms report to see which keyword and match type triggered each search term. This helps identify new keyword opportunities and block unwanted ones.
You will also have to monitor your CRM closely (or tell your client to do so) to make sure you are getting high-quality leads that are turning into more jobs for you.
Otherwise, being creative with keywords and match types may result in a lot of leads that aren’t turning into jobs.
For long sales cycles
A combination of campaign types is available for longer sales cycles, but search will still play a major role.
Search campaigns can target:
Direct keyword searches such as “bathroom remodeling services in Houston” or “contractor for kitchen remodel” at the bottom of the funnel.
Top-of-the-funnel keywords like “bathroom remodeling ideas” or “average savings of energy efficient windows,” if your budget allows for it.
You can also add a separate branded keywords campaign. For larger budgets, longer sales cycles and companies that advise online and offline, a separate branded campaign is very valuable for all stages of the funnel in a longer sales cycle.
Also, you’ll want to ensure the ad copy and the landing page the ads go to are relevant to the stage of the funnel.
Suppose they are still in the early phases of research. In that case, the keyword, ad and landing page should match ideas for remodeling, videos, examples or galleries, not necessarily “Get a quote now.”
Ads strategy
For short sales cycles
You’ll want to emphasize urgency with phrases like “same day service available” or “24/7 emergency services.”
With these ads, you also have to convince them to contact you instead of competitors.
This is done in the ad and landing page by highlighting your reviews and mentioning things like:
Licensed.
Bonded.
Insured.
Top-rated.
Coupons.
Discounts.
Years in business.
A+ Better Business Bureau rating.
Etc.
The goal is for the person to search, click your ad and then call you or book an appointment online as soon as possible. This makes for a few-minute sales cycle.
Also, for any length of sales cycle, add as many relevant ad assets as possible. The most commonly used include:
Sitelinks.
Callouts.
Calls.
Locations.
Images.
Business logos.
Structured snippets.
Lead forms.
Prices.
Promotions.
These allow your ad to take up more space on the page and give users more ways to contact you.
Dig deeper: 6 tips for better PPC ad copy
Long sales cycles
In your ads, speak to different stages of the funnel, matching with keyword searched or targeting strategy with other campaign types.
The specific ad copy will depend on where they are in the funnel, they may not want to get a quote just yet but want to remodel the bathroom soon.
The ad suggesting to “View a gallery of designs” would speak to them better.
Here are examples of different ad copy for different stages of the funnel:
“Looking for New Bathroom designs? Browse Our Gallery.”
“Get a Quote on Bathroom Remodeling Now.”
“Make Your Home More Energy Efficient with Triple Pane Windows.”
This message can be through a responsive search ad, responsive display ad or video ad. The core message would be the same, even in different ad formats.
The ad copy should match the stage of the funnel, and the landing page should also bring them to a relevant page based on the funnel stage.
Using proven landing page templates to jumpstart a new ad campaign with a pre-tested layout and design can be very effective in offsetting high CPL.
Testing a landing page vs. a website page is a common practice to see which brings in the most leads.
Other options for home service leads and phone calls
Google also offers LSAs (local service ads), and Microsoft Ads has a similar ad format called PSAs (professional service ads).
These campaign types have mostly automated targeting with very few optimization features.
A good option for small businesses or even agencies to test a different lead strategy for home services, but they don’t have a lot of options to optimize if you aren’t getting the results you want.
Most home services with short sales cycles will run these alongside Search campaigns to see which performs better.
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