Google Ads for plumbers. One campaign for each kind of job you want more of.

Every build is read by Sean Cooney before it is sent.
Running Google Ads since 2001.

Urgent

The customer with water on the floor

emergency plumber · burst pipe · blocked toilet

Searching now, on a phone, at any hour. They call the first business that looks close and available, and they rarely call a second.

In the campaign: a tight service area, a schedule that matches when someone answers the phone, and ads that say how soon you can be there, if you can.

Planned

The customer replacing or installing something

hot water system replacement · gas fitting · bathroom plumbing

Getting quotes. They search by the job, the product and the price, often over several days, and they compare more than one plumber.

In the campaign: separate ad groups for people pricing it, people comparing options and people ready to book, each with ad copy that answers that question.

General

The customer who just needs a plumber

plumber near me · plumber in a suburb · local plumber

The broadest terms and the most contested, because every plumber in the area wants them. Also the loosest, because they catch everything from apprenticeships to people looking for parts.

In the campaign: the suburbs you really service, a long negative keyword list, and a budget forecast that says what the area will cost before you commit.

An example for one service. In Performance Max the groups are asset groups and audiences, and they still lead to the one page.

Three services to advertise is three builds.

Count the pages you want to send paid traffic to. That is the number of campaigns your plumbing business needs.

See the Search build →

See the Performance Max build →

Or open a complete sample build, made for a fictional retailer: Search sample · Performance Max sample. Free, no email.

Australia · licensing and consumer law

What your ads have to show, and what they can claim

• Your licence number. In New South Wales the licensee’s name and licence number must be shown in all advertising for plumbing, draining and gas fitting, and the rules cover the internet. Queensland requires the licensed name and licence number, clearly legible. A Search ad has very little room, so decide where the number goes before the headlines are written.
• Other states have their own rules. Check with the regulator that issued your licence before you launch.
• No part prices. In New South Wales you cannot state part of a price unless the full price is also clearly stated. Take care with call-out fee headlines.
• Claims you can back. Open 24 hours, same day and fixed price are promises. Consumer law does not allow false or misleading claims, and an ad is a claim.

Sources: NSW Government, building trade advertisements · QBCC advertising · ACCC, false or misleading claims.

Outside Australia · Local Services Ads

The other Google product for trades

• A separate product. In the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, Google sells Local Services Ads to trades, and plumbers are on its list. They are bought by the lead and are not part of a Google Ads campaign.
• Not listed for Australia. Google’s Local Services help centre does not list Australia among its countries. Use Google’s eligibility checker for your own area.
• We do not build them. An Omologist build is a Search or Performance Max campaign. Where you have both, it runs alongside Local Services Ads.

Source: Google Local Services Ads help.

A build fits if

• You know which jobs you want more of
• Your website has a page for each of them
• You, your office manager or your marketing person will run the account
• You want to know whether the numbers work before you spend on clicks
• You already have an agency or freelancer and want the campaigns they manage built properly

Hire an agency instead if

• You want someone to manage the account every week and report every month
• You want an audit of an account that is already running. We do not review accounts
• You want to talk it through on a call. We work by email and do not take calls
• You have no service pages yet. A campaign needs a page to send people to
• You run enough vans and locations that one person should be watching the account full time

Does Google Ads work for plumbers?

It can, and it depends on three numbers: what a click costs in your area, how many calls become jobs, and what a job is worth to you. Every build includes a budget forecast that works this through before you spend. If the numbers do not hold for a service, the build says so.

How much should a plumber spend on Google Ads?

There is no single figure, because click costs change with the service and the area. The build forecasts what your budget can buy, using live search data for your own market, so you can set the spend with the numbers in front of you.

How many campaigns does a plumbing business need?

One for each page you want to send paid traffic to. A plumber advertising blocked drains, hot water systems and emergency call-outs needs three campaigns, because the searches, the ad copy and the budgets are different for each.

Should a plumber use Search or Performance Max?

Search shows your ad to someone who has just typed what they need, which suits urgent work. Performance Max also runs across YouTube, Maps, Gmail and Display, and works best once conversion tracking is in place. You can order either, or both for the same page.

Do I have to show my licence number in a Google ad?

In New South Wales the licensee’s name and licence number must be shown in all advertising, including online. Queensland requires the licensed name and licence number. Other states have their own rules, so check with your regulator. Tell us your licence details in the brief.

Are Local Services Ads the same as Google Ads?

No. Local Services Ads are a separate Google product for trades, bought by the lead, in countries where Google offers them. Omologist builds Search and Performance Max campaigns, which run alongside them.

Do you manage the campaign after it is built?

No, deliberately. You own the campaign and run it yourself. If you later hire a freelancer or an agency to manage it, they start from a properly structured account.

We already have a marketing agency. Can they use the build?

Yes. The build is an editable spreadsheet that you own. Hand it to whoever manages your account.

Do I need to give you access to my Google Ads account?

No. You receive a spreadsheet. Access is only needed if you add the optional $79 upload, where we load the finished campaign into your account, paused.

Which countries do you work with?

Any. Builds use live search data for your own market and currency. Prices are in US dollars.