5 Google Adwords Tips for Contractors

Bailey Earls July 24, 2023

With how competitive the digital landscape is, contractors need to adopt effective marketing strategies to stand out from the crowd and attract their ideal customers. Among the various online advertising platforms, Google Ads offers contractors a powerful tool for local targeting in their contractor marketing. By understanding and harnessing the potential of Google Ads, contractors can reach their local audience with precision and maximize their chances of success. In this blog post, we will explore the key strategies that contractors can employ to master local targeting using Google Ads. From defining target audiences to optimizing ad campaigns, we will provide actionable insights to help contractors enhance their online presence and drive qualified leads.

Understanding Local Targeting

Local targeting is a fundamental aspect of successful advertising for contractors. It allows them to focus their marketing efforts on specific geographic areas where their services are offered, maximizing their chances of reaching their ideal customers. When it comes to local targeting, Google Ads provides an array of powerful tools and features that contractors can leverage to their advantage.

One of the primary ways contractors can implement local targeting in Google Ads is by specifying geographic locations. They can choose to target a particular city, state, region, or even a specific zip code. This level of precision ensures that their ads are displayed only to users in those selected locations, eliminating wasted ad spend on audiences outside their service area.

In addition to selecting specific locations, contractors can employ radius targeting. This allows them to target users within a certain distance from their business location. For instance, a contractor offering roofing services may want to target users within a 20-mile radius of their office. This method enables them to focus their advertising efforts on areas where their services are most relevant and likely to generate conversions.

Another effective feature of Google Ads for local targeting is location extensions. By utilizing location extensions, contractors can display their business address, phone number, and directions alongside their ads. This makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact them, especially when using mobile devices. Location extensions not only enhance the visibility and credibility of contractors' ads but also facilitate convenient engagement with interested prospects.

Understanding the demographics and behavior of the local audience is crucial for effective local targeting. Google Ads provides valuable insights into user behavior, search trends, and interests, enabling contractors to tailor their ad campaigns to resonate with their target audience. By analyzing this data, contractors can identify the most opportune times to display their ads and optimize their bids accordingly.

Defining the Ideal Customer

One of the key elements in mastering local targeting with Google Ads is to have a clear understanding of your ideal customer. Defining your ideal customer profiles enables you to tailor your ad campaigns to effectively reach and engage with the right audience. Here are some steps to help you define your ideal customer:

Market Research: Conduct thorough market research to gain insights into your target market. Identify the demographics, psychographics, and behavioral patterns of your potential customers. Understand their needs, preferences, and pain points related to contracting services.
Customer Data Analysis: Analyze your existing customer data to identify common characteristics among your most valuable customers. Look for patterns in demographics, location, purchase behavior, and any other relevant data points. This analysis will help you identify your target audience more accurately.
Customer Surveys and Feedback: Engage with your customers through surveys, interviews, or feedback forms to gather firsthand information. Ask questions about their preferences, their decision-making process when hiring a contractor, and what they value most in a contracting service. This direct feedback will provide valuable insights into your customers' motivations and expectations.
Competitive Analysis: Study your competitors who operate in the same local market. Identify the types of customers they are targeting and the messaging they are using in their ad campaigns. This analysis will help you differentiate yourself and identify underserved customer segments that you can target effectively.
Develop Customer Personas: Based on the information gathered from your research and analysis, create customer personas that represent your ideal customers. Give each persona a name, demographic details, goals, challenges, and motivations. This exercise will help you visualize and empathize with your target audience.
Refine and Validate: Continuously refine and validate your customer profiles as you gain more insights and data. Regularly review and update your personas to ensure they accurately reflect your target audience.

By defining your ideal customer profiles, you can create tailored ad campaigns that resonate with your audience. You can choose keywords and ad copy that align with their needs and preferences, ensuring that your ads appear in front of the right people at the right time. This focused approach will increase the relevance and effectiveness of your Google Ads campaigns, leading to higher click-through rates, conversions, and ultimately, more qualified leads.

Setting Up Local Campaigns

Setting up local campaigns is a crucial step in leveraging Google Ads for effective local targeting. By customizing ad groups, selecting relevant keywords, and tailoring ad copy to resonate with the local audience, contractors can maximize the impact of their campaigns and increase their chances of reaching their ideal customers. Here are some key considerations when setting up local campaigns:

Creating Specific Ad Groups: Ad groups allow contractors to organize their ads and keywords based on specific themes or target locations. For local targeting, it's important to create ad groups that align with different geographic areas or specific neighborhoods within the contractor's service area. By segmenting campaigns based on location, contractors can deliver more tailored messaging to different local audiences.
Selecting Relevant Keywords: Keyword selection plays a crucial role in reaching the right audience. Contractors should focus on using location-specific keywords that are relevant to their services and their target audience's search queries. For instance, if a roofing contractor operates in Miami, they might consider using keywords like "roof repair Miami" or "roofing services in Miami." Utilizing Google's keyword planner tool can help identify relevant keywords and their search volumes.
Customizing Ad Copy: Ad copy is the first impression potential customers have of a contractor's services. To resonate with the local audience, contractors should include location-specific information, such as city names or neighborhood references, in their ad copy. This helps establish relevance and increases the likelihood of attracting clicks from users who are searching for services within that specific area. Incorporating unique selling propositions, such as competitive pricing or exceptional customer service, can also help differentiate the contractor from competitors.
Optimizing Ad Scheduling and Bid Adjustments: Ad scheduling allows contractors to control when their ads are shown based on the time of day or specific days of the week. By analyzing data and understanding peak times when their target audience is more likely to engage, contractors can schedule their ads to appear during those periods. Bid adjustments enable contractors to increase or decrease their bids for specific locations. For example, if a contractor finds that certain neighborhoods generate more qualified leads, they can increase their bid for those areas to ensure higher ad visibility.

Optimizing Website Pages

Once contractors have attracted potential customers through their Google Ads campaigns, it is essential to optimize website pages to ensure a seamless and engaging user experience. Landing pages play a crucial role in converting visitors into leads or customers. Here are some key strategies for optimizing landing pages for local targeting:

Relevance and Consistency: The website page should align closely with the ad copy and keywords used in the campaign. When visitors arrive at the site page, they should find the information they were expecting based on the ad they clicked. Ensure that the headline, content, and visuals on the site page are consistent with the ad and provide relevant information about the contractor's services in the local area.
Clear Calls to Action (CTAs): A well-designed site page should have a clear and compelling call to action that encourages visitors to take the desired action, whether it's requesting a quote, scheduling a consultation, or contacting the contractor. The CTA should be prominently displayed, visually appealing, and use persuasive language that prompts visitors to take immediate action.
Localized Content: Incorporating localized elements into the site page can enhance its effectiveness for local targeting. Include references to the contractor's location, highlight local testimonials or success stories, and showcase projects completed in the local area. This helps build trust and credibility among visitors who are seeking contractors with local expertise.
Mobile Optimization: With the increasing use of mobile devices, it is crucial to optimize website pages for mobile users. Ensure that the site page is responsive and displays properly on various mobile devices. The page should load quickly, have easy-to-read content, and provide a seamless browsing experience.
Trust Factors: Including trust elements on the web page can instill confidence in potential customers. This may include displaying certifications, awards, client reviews, ratings, or affiliations with local industry associations. Trust factors help to establish credibility and differentiate the contractor from competitors.

Tracking and Measuring Success

To gauge the effectiveness of their Google Ads campaigns, contractors need to track and measure key metrics. The ability to analyze data and make data-driven decisions is crucial for optimizing ad campaigns and maximizing their impact. Here are some essential steps contractors can take to track and measure the success of their local targeting efforts:

Utilize Google Ads Metrics: Google Ads provides valuable insights and metrics to help contractors evaluate their campaign performance. Metrics such as impressions, clicks, click-through rates (CTRs), and conversions can provide valuable information about the effectiveness of ads and their ability to generate leads. By regularly monitoring these metrics, contractors can identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement.
Set Up Conversion Tracking: Tracking conversions is essential for attributing leads and sales directly to ad campaigns. By implementing conversion tracking, contractors can understand which ads and keywords are driving the most valuable actions, such as form submissions or phone calls. Conversion tracking can be set up through Google Ads by placing a tracking code on the thank-you page or by using Google Analytics.
Implement Google Analytics: Integrating Google Ads with Google Analytics provides a more comprehensive view of campaign performance. Google Analytics offers in-depth insights into user behavior, including bounce rates, time on page, and goal completions. By linking these two platforms, contractors can gain a deeper understanding of how users interact with their website after clicking on ads, allowing for better optimization of landing pages and user experience.
Use A/B Testing: A/B testing involves creating multiple versions of ads or landing pages and testing them simultaneously to determine which version performs better. By experimenting with different ad copy, images, headlines, or calls to action, contractors can identify the most effective variations and optimize their campaigns accordingly. A/B testing can help contractors fine-tune their targeting strategies and improve conversion rates over time.
Analyze Geographic Performance: Since local targeting is the focus for contractors, analyzing geographic performance is crucial. Contractors should evaluate which locations are generating the most engagement, conversions, and return on investment. By identifying top-performing geographic areas, contractors can allocate their budget more effectively and optimize their targeting strategies to prioritize high-value locations.
Regularly Review and Optimize Campaigns: Tracking and measuring success is an ongoing process. Contractors should regularly review campaign performance and make data-driven optimizations. This includes adjusting bidding strategies, refining keywords, updating ad copy, and optimizing landing pages based on the insights gained from tracking metrics and analyzing data. Continuous optimization is key to maximizing the effectiveness of local targeting efforts.

In addition to the strategies discussed, partnering with a reliable Google Ads management program can further streamline the process and ensure optimal results. At Footbridge Media, we offer a comprehensive Google Ads management program designed to handle all the intricate details for you, so you can focus on what you do best—running your contracting business.

With our program, we take care of every aspect of your Google Ads campaign, starting with creating ads that are tailor-made for your specific business. Our team of experts conducts detailed keyword analysis to ensure your ads are targeting the right audience and appearing in relevant search results.

But our job doesn't stop there. We continuously monitor your campaigns, collecting valuable data and making necessary updates to optimize their performance. As the campaigns go live, you'll receive reports directly in your inbox every two weeks. These reports will provide comprehensive statistics, allowing you to review the progress and effectiveness of your campaigns.

What sets our program apart is the commitment to ongoing success. We understand that digital marketing is an ever-evolving landscape, which is why we provide you with two reports every month. These reports enable us to identify your highest-performing campaigns and make continuous modifications over time based on their success. By analyzing the data and making data-driven decisions, we ensure that your campaign is always fine-tuned for maximum results.

By partnering with Footbridge Media, you can trust that your Google Ads campaigns are in capable hands. We combine our expertise, industry knowledge, and commitment to excellence to deliver results that drive qualified leads and help you grow your contracting business.

Don't let the complexities of Google Ads hold you back. Let us handle the management and optimization while you reap the benefits of reaching your ideal customers and expanding your local presence. Contact Footbridge Media today and take your contracting business to new heights with our reliable and affordable Google Ads management program.

About Bailey Earls

Bailey Earls is a Business Development and Marketing Associate at Footbridge Media. With a background in sales and marketing, Bailey is focused on helping Footbridge continue to grow and providing great marketing experiences for their clients.