The Problem
Why Most Plumbing Search Campaigns Waste Budget
Generic PPC agencies run the same campaign structure for plumbers, roofers, and landscapers. They call it a contractor template. The keyword lists are broad. The ad copy is generic. The budgets do not adjust for whether your board is full or empty.
Plumbing search is not generic. A homeowner searching for an emergency burst pipe repair has different intent, different urgency, and different margin than one researching a whole-home repipe. Running both through the same campaign means neither converts the way it should.
Emergency and Replacement Keywords Mixed Together
A homeowner searching 'burst pipe repair' converts differently than one searching 'whole-home repipe cost.' One campaign cannot serve both without losing margin on both.
No Service-Specific Segmentation
Drain cleaning, water heater replacement, and sewer repair each have distinct intent, margin, and conversion behavior. Generic campaigns flatten all three into the same budget.
Optimized for Leads, Not Booked Calls
A form fill or inbound call that never converts to a scheduled job is a cost. Most campaigns stop measuring at the lead. We measure to the booked call.
No Geographic Priority Mapping
Not every ZIP in your service area produces equal-margin work. High-value corridors need heavier bid weight. Generic radius targeting ignores that reality.
No Capacity-Based Throttle
Scaling spend when the board is full generates calls the operation cannot run. Every overbooked week costs both money and reputation with customers who cannot be served.
No Integration With Booking Rate Data
A campaign that cannot see your booking rate is measuring clicks, not revenue. Booking rate is the only signal that tells you whether spend is producing work.
The Structure
Service-Based Campaign Architecture
Plumbing search campaigns must be separated by service type. Each service cluster has its own keyword intent, its own conversion behavior, and its own margin profile. One campaign structure cannot serve all four correctly. We build each service cluster separately and manage budgets independently.
Highest urgency: Emergency calls have the shortest decision cycle and the highest booking rate of any plumbing search type.
Emergency Plumbing Campaigns
Emergency plumbing searches are mobile-first and call-driven. A homeowner with a burst pipe or an active leak is not filling out a form. They are calling whoever appears at the top of the results in the next thirty seconds. Emergency campaigns are built for speed: call-only ads, click-to-call extensions, and after-hours bid adjustments that keep the phone ringing when the board has capacity.
What This Campaign Targets
- ✓'Emergency plumber near me'
- ✓'24-hour plumber'
- ✓'Burst pipe repair'
- ✓'Water leak plumber today'
- ✓Call-only ad format for direct mobile conversion
- ✓After-hours and weekend bid adjustments
- ✓Tight geo-radius around highest-density service areas
- ✓Negative keywords filtering low-margin or non-serviceable calls
Average time to cost-per-booked-call stability
Service-specific campaign types built per client
Campaigns connected to ServiceTitan or comparable CRM
Built for operators who measure marketing on the dispatch board, not the dashboard.
Geo Control
Geo & Territory Bid Strategy
Not every ZIP code in your service area produces the same quality of work. High-income neighborhoods generate higher average tickets on the same service types. Dense residential corridors produce more volume. Competitive zones require stronger bid defense.
We build bid structures that reflect your actual dispatch map. High-priority ZIPs receive heavier bid weight. Lower-margin areas are included but not over-invested. Competitor strongholds get defensive coverage without wasted spend.
ZIP-Level Bid Adjustments
Bid weight allocated by service density, average ticket, and competitive pressure by ZIP code.
High-Margin Neighborhood Priority
Higher-income areas with larger homes produce more repipe, water heater, and sewer line revenue per job.
Competitive Defense Zones
Markets where aggressive competitors spend heavily get defensive coverage to prevent call interception.
Multi-Truck Territory Scaling
As your fleet grows, campaign geography expands to match new dispatch capacity without wasted overlap.
Call Capture
Mobile-First Call Capture
Plumbing is one of the most mobile-driven service categories in local search. Emergency searches happen on phones, not desktops. A homeowner standing in a flooded kitchen is not sitting at a computer. They are calling from wherever they are standing.
Every plumbing search campaign we build is weighted toward mobile call conversion. Call-only ad formats, click-to-call extensions, and time-of-day bid adjustments keep your number in front of the call at the moment the decision is made.
Call-Only Ad Campaigns
Ad format designed to produce direct calls, not website visits, for emergency and same-day service searches.
Click-to-Call Extensions
Phone number prominently displayed on all ad formats so one tap connects the homeowner to your office.
Mobile Bid Adjustments
Higher bid weight on mobile devices during peak call windows and after-hours emergency periods.
Daypart Scheduling
After-hours bid increases capture emergency calls during evening and weekend windows when competitors reduce spend.
Missed Call Recovery
Call tracking identifies unanswered calls so missed-call text-back sequences can recapture jobs that went to voicemail.
What Gets Measured
Cost Per Booked Call Is the Only Metric That Matters
Most agencies report what ad platforms track. We report what shows up on your dispatch board.
What Most Agencies Report
- —Cost Per Click
- —Cost Per Lead
- —Click-Through Rate
What We Report
- ✓Cost Per Booked Call — acquisition cost tied directly to revenue
- ✓Booking Rate — answered calls converting to scheduled jobs
- ✓Close Rate — booked calls converting to sold work
- ✓Revenue Per Job — call mix quality, not just call volume
- ✓Return on Ad Spend — budget producing more than it costs
- ✓Dispatch Load — capacity used versus capacity available
CRM Connection
Plumbing Search Ads Connected to ServiceTitan
Most plumbing search campaigns produce an Google Ads report and a CRM report that never talk to each other. The agency sees clicks and leads. The operator sees booked jobs and revenue. Neither side has the full picture.
We connect search campaign data directly to ServiceTitan so every booked call, closed job, and revenue dollar traces back to the keyword and campaign that produced it. That connection is what makes cost per booked call a real number, not an estimate. Other CRMs supported. ServiceTitan is the primary integration for plumbing search advertising campaigns.
Keyword-Level Call Tracking
Every inbound call attributed to the exact keyword and campaign that produced it.
Booking Rate Measurement
Answered calls tracked through to scheduled jobs so booking rate is visible by service type and campaign.
Closed Job Revenue Attribution
Revenue from completed jobs tied back to the campaign source, not just the lead source.
Cost Per Booked Call by Campaign
True acquisition cost calculated at the campaign, ad group, and keyword level.
Dispatch Board Visibility
Campaign spend aligned with available capacity so ad investment reflects what the operation can actually fulfill.
Expanded Reach
Performance Max: When and How We Deploy It
Performance Max runs across Google Search, Display, YouTube, and Discover from a single campaign. When tracking integrity is confirmed and the core search campaigns are producing clean cost-per-booked-call data, PMax can expand reach into homeowners who have shown intent but have not yet searched directly.
We deploy PMax as a support layer, not a replacement for structured search campaigns. The reason is simple: PMax requires clean conversion data to perform correctly. Without a confirmed booking rate signal feeding into the campaign, PMax optimizes toward whatever conversion it can find, which is usually not a booked call.
Core search campaigns run first. PMax runs when the data foundation is ready to support it.
When We Deploy PMax
- ✓High-ticket repipe and replacement campaigns with longer decision cycles
- ✓Remarketing to website visitors who did not convert on the first visit
- ✓Install promotion campaigns during shoulder season pushes
- ✓Markets where tracking integrity is confirmed and booking rate is stable
What PMax Does Not Replace
PMax does not replace structured search campaigns for emergency and same-day plumbing searches. Emergency intent requires keyword-controlled search campaigns, not automated audience expansion.
The Connection
Search Ads and SEO Together Own the Market
Search ads capture the call today. SEO builds the position that reduces what the next call costs. Running both together lowers your blended cost per booked call over time because organic calls that book carry zero incremental ad spend.
When your GBP reviews are strong, your paid Quality Scores improve. Lower Quality Scores mean higher cost per click for the same position. Strong reviews do double duty: they improve organic conversion and reduce paid acquisition cost simultaneously.
Organic traffic from SEO also feeds your remarketing audiences. A homeowner who found you through a local search but did not call can be recaptured through a paid retargeting sequence at a fraction of the cost of a cold search click.
SEO Lowers Blended Cost Per Booked Call
Every organic call that books reduces the average acquisition cost across your total ad investment.
Reviews Improve Quality Score
Strong Google Business Profile signals reduce cost per click for the same ad position.
Paid Plus Organic Dominance Builds Trust
Appearing in both the Map Pack and paid results on the same search increases call preference over a competitor showing in only one.
Retargeting Supports Organic Visitors
Homeowners who found you through SEO but did not call can be recaptured through paid retargeting at lower cost than cold search.
Data Crossfeeds Between Channels
High-converting paid keywords inform SEO content priorities. Organic ranking data informs paid bid decisions.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently Asked Questions About Plumbing Search Advertising
Campaign & Budget
Results & Fit
Selective Fit
Is Plumbing Search Advertising Right for Your Company?
We work best with plumbing companies that have the dispatch capacity and tracking foundation to convert what we send them.
This Could Work Well
- ✓You run a plumbing company with an active dispatch board and real service capacity
- ✓You track booking rate or are willing to install call tracking before campaigns launch
- ✓You use ServiceTitan or a comparable CRM with booking visibility
- ✓You want to report on cost per booked call, not impressions or click-through rate
- ✓You understand plumbing search advertising is a 90-day build, not an overnight result
- ✓You have a verified, address-visible Google Business Profile with active reviews
Probably Not a Fit
- ✕You have no call tracking and are not willing to install it
- ✕Your booking rate is unknown and you have no process to measure it
- ✕You are not willing to participate in review acquisition
- ✕You expect guaranteed ranking positions or guaranteed call volumes
- ✕You are looking for the lowest cost per lead available
- ✕You are not willing to commit to a minimum 6-month engagement after setup
EXCLUSIVE MODEL
One Plumbing Company. Per Market.
We partner with one plumbing company per service area for plumbing search advertising. When you work with DemandStream, your competitors do not. The strategy we build is designed to put you ahead. Not split between you and the shop down the street. If your market is available, it is worth finding out now.
Claim Your Territory TodayReady to Capture Emergency Demand?
Tell us where you operate and what you're working toward. We'll take it from there.
One plumbing company per market. Your competitors don't get in.
"What truly sets them apart is transparency. After past experiences with agencies where SEO felt like a 'black box,' it's refreshing to work with a team that provides real, clear data and explains what's working and why."
Pure Plumbing & Air | Google Review