Google Ads for waterproofing companies: budgets, the campaigns that book inspections, and the ones that burn money
How a waterproofing company should run Google Ads and Local Services Ads, with realistic cost per inspection, the negative keyword list and a real test budget.
Google Ads is the fastest way for a waterproofing company to get inspections and the fastest way to burn $3,000 on clicks from people looking for a can of sealer paint. The difference is structure. This guide covers the two campaign types that work, the search terms that waste money, what a lead really costs in this trade, and what to expect in the first two weeks.
The math that makes Google Ads worth it
A tracked call from Google Search that turns into a booked inspection costs between $90 and $250 in most US metros, more in Chicago, the New York suburbs and the Northeast corridor where franchise dealers bid hard. That number frightens owners who compare it to a $40 plumbing lead. Compare it to the ticket instead. An average waterproofing job runs $4,000 to $12,000, and a company closing one inspection in three is paying roughly $300 to $750 per sold job. At a 40% gross margin on a $6,000 job, that is a marketing cost of about 10% of revenue. That is a working account.
The account stops working when the cost per booked inspection climbs past $400, and in almost every case the reason is one of three things: broad match, no negatives, or the home page as the landing page.
Local Services Ads first
Local Services Ads are the green-checkmark listings above the regular ads. You pay per lead, not per click, usually $60 to $200 for a waterproofing lead depending on the metro, and you can dispute leads that were spam or outside your area. Google ranks them partly on review count and response time, which is why only 13.8% of waterproofing companies with 100 or more reviews dominate them in most markets.
Get verified. It takes license, insurance and a background check and usually two to four weeks. Set the weekly budget to about four leads. Answer every call live, because response rate is a ranking factor and a missed LSA call still gets billed.
Search: two campaigns, not one
Build two Search campaigns.
Campaign one: wet basement and sump. Exact and phrase match on terms like "basement waterproofing," "basement waterproofing near me," "wet basement repair," "sump pump installation," "sump pump replacement," "water in basement." Schedule it for the hours someone answers, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. is typical. Landing page is your interior drainage or wet basement page with a price range and the inspection form at the top. Bid higher the day after heavy rain; Google's weather-based scheduling is manual, so just raise the budget when the forecast says two inches.
Campaign two: foundation and crawl space. "Crawl space encapsulation," "crawl space encapsulation cost," "foundation crack repair," "bowing basement wall repair," "foundation waterproofing." These are higher ticket and slower to decide, so the copy should mention financing and the warranty. Landing page is the matching service page.
Keep the two apart so budgets and bids can differ. Crawl space terms often cost less per click and close bigger jobs.
The negative keyword list
Add these on day one, as phrase match negatives: paint, sealer, drylok, diy, how to, kit, roof, roofing, deck, boat, jacket, boots, spray, home depot, lowes, products, membrane roll, job, jobs, salary, hiring, training, course, franchise. Then read the search terms report every week and add what you find. Every owner who does this for the first time finds that a third of last month's spend went to terms on that list.
Skip Display and Performance Max for the first three months. Display sends your ad to a weather app for a penny a click and the clicks never book inspections. Performance Max can work later once Search has taught you which terms convert.
Ad copy that books inspections
The headline is the service and the town. The description is the offer and the proof. "Basement Waterproofing in Grand Rapids. Free inspection, written quote, transferable lifetime warranty. Financing available. 4.8 stars from 140 reviews." Add call assets with your main number, sitelinks to crawl space and sump pages, and the price asset with ranges. Do not write "we care about your home." Write what you do, where, and what it costs.
Tracking, or you are guessing
Put a call tracking number on the ads and a different one on the website so you know which calls Google sent. Count a conversion only when a call lasts 60 seconds or a form is submitted. Record the calls and listen to ten a week; that is how you find out the receptionist is quoting prices instead of booking inspections. Without this, you are judging the account by clicks, and clicks mean nothing.
What two weeks looks like
Week one is noisy. Expect clicks, a few calls, and a search terms report full of junk to negative out. By the end of week two a one or two crew company spending $2,000 to $4,000 a month should see 10 to 25 tracked calls, a cost per call under $200, and a few booked inspections. If after four weeks the cost per booked inspection is above $400 with the structure above in place, the problem is usually the landing page or the person answering the phone, not Google.
What a real test costs
Under $1,000 a month in a competitive metro buys too few clicks to judge. $2,000 to $4,000 a month across Local Services Ads and Search is a fair test for a one or two crew company. Spend goes to Google on your card; nobody should be marking up your ad spend. The calculator is useful here: a company missing a quarter of its calls will not fix that with a bigger budget.
Frequently asked
Should I bid on my competitors' names? No. Those clicks are expensive, the homeowner was looking for someone specific, and Google has restricted the practice. Spend the money on "sump pump installation" instead.
Does Google Ads work in winter? Search volume drops from December to February but so does competition, and the homeowners searching then are the ones with a real problem. Keep a smaller budget running and the seasonality guide covers the rest.
How many reviews do I need before Local Services Ads rank? You can run with any number, but the top spots in most metros go to companies past 50. The benchmark report shows where that line sits in your state.
Google Ads management is one of the services in the free 14-day trial, no card, text or call. Details on the free trial page.
Steven has spent the last several years running growth campaigns for local service businesses, waterproofing companies among them, and builds the benchmark datasets on this site from public Google listings. About the editor