The short answer: Google ads work for roofers when someone needs a roofer now, like a leak, a storm-damaged roof or a slipped tile letting rain in. They pay when the click lands on a fast page for that exact job, every call and WhatsApp is tracked, and someone answers quickly. Most wasted money goes on clicks to a homepage, searches that were never work and phones nobody picks up.
A straight word first. Lead Wave’s track record is on Facebook and Instagram: over 100,000 leads delivered for UK trades. We’ve only just started running Google Ads, and only for trades with a Lead Wave website. We’ll publish our Google results once we’ve measured them, not before. So this guide is what we know from reading 671 roofing lead conversations, and from Google’s own help pages, about where roofing ad money turns into jobs and where it leaks away.
Do Google ads work for roofers?
Yes, for the right jobs. Google shows your ad to someone who has typed “roof leak repair” or “roofer near me” into their phone. That person usually wants it sorted today and rings whoever looks right first.
The catch is that you pay for the click whether they ring or not. A roofer whose page is slow, whose phone rings out when they’re on a roof, or who can’t tell which ad brought which call can spend a lot and learn very little. The ad is the easy bit. Everything behind it decides whether you get the job.
When is Google better than Facebook for roofing work?
It comes down to how urgent the job is.
| The job | Where I’d lean | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A leak, storm damage, a tile off after high winds | They search and ring someone the same day | |
| A full re-roof | Facebook first, Google as well | Most homeowners think about it for months before they search |
| Flat roofs, chimneys, fascias and guttering | Both | Some people search, plenty just put it off |
On Facebook we see both kinds. Leaks and repairs come up as real jobs in our roofing clients’ lead apps alongside full re-roofs, and Connor in Blackburn and Burnley had his first Facebook lead turn into a full re-roof 8 days after going live. A re-roof is rarely a same-day decision. The leak is the job Google is built for. There’s more on the Facebook side in Facebook ads for roofers, and a side-by-side for every trade in Google ads vs Facebook ads.
What needs to be in place before you spend anything on Google?
Three things, and none of them is the ad.
A fast page for each roofing job. Someone searching “flat roof repair” should land on your flat roof page, not your homepage, with your area, your number, a WhatsApp button and photos of real jobs near the top. Most of these searches happen on a phone, standing in a hallway looking at a damp ceiling. If the page is slow, they go back and tap the next roofer. Our own site scores 96 for speed on Google’s Lighthouse mobile test (measured 15 October 2026), and we build roofers’ sites to the same standard. More on that in websites for tradesmen.
Every call and WhatsApp tracked. If you can’t tell which search brought which call, you can’t tell which part of your spend is working. Calls, WhatsApps and forms all need counting, and then you need to know which of them became booked jobs.
Someone replying fast. Roofing enquiries don’t wait for you to come down the ladder. In a year of our roofing clients’ Facebook lead forms (35,858 enquiries), 51.5% of those with a time recorded came in outside 8am to 5pm, and the busiest hour was 6pm. Google enquiries are more often phone calls, which is harder still when you’re on a roof. Even on Facebook, where most enquiries come in by form, people who phoned weren’t rung back in 12 of the 27 lead reviews we’ve done. On Google, that’s money spent on a call that went to the next roofer.
Where do roofers waste money on Google Ads?
These are the common ones, and most of them have nothing to do with the wording of the ad.
- Sending clicks to the homepage. Someone with a leak lands on a page about new builds, can’t see “roof repairs” and leaves. Each job you want more of needs its own page.
- Paying for searches that were never work. “Roofing jobs” is someone looking for employment. “How to fix a slipped tile DIY” is someone who’ll do it themselves. “Roofing courses” is someone who wants to become a roofer. These searches need blocking, every week, or you pay for clicks that were never going to book.
- Ads running when nobody answers. If the phone goes to voicemail every afternoon you’re on a roof, you’re paying for those calls anyway. Either someone picks up, every enquiry gets an instant text back, or the ads run at the times you can answer.
- Reports in clicks, not jobs. Clicks and impressions tell you how busy the ads were, not whether you got any work. Ask for enquiries, booked jobs and what each booked job cost.
- Not owning the ad account. If the account is in the agency’s name, you lose its history and everything it has learned the day you leave.
- Long contracts. Twelve months or more with an exit fee means you can’t walk away from ads that aren’t working.
The last two are about who is in control when the ads stop working.
When do people search for a roofer?
Roofing work follows the weather, and a big storm can bring a week of urgent searches in any month. To see when people search for a roofer in your own area, look up your trade and county in Google Trends; it’s free and shows the pattern over several years.
Our own data tells a related story. Across two years of our roofing clients’ Facebook lead forms, January and March ran above average both years, and October was quiet both years. The full charts are in the busiest months for trade enquiries. The practical point for Google is simple: the busy weeks are when you most need someone answering the phone, and when slow pages and missed calls cost the most.
What are Google’s local pay-per-lead listings for roofers?
Separate from normal search ads, Google runs Local Services Ads, the listings at the top of some local searches where you pay per lead rather than per click. When we checked Google’s UK help page in October 2026, Roofers was one of the UK categories, and Google says you pay only for leads related to your business and the services you offer. The leads come in as calls and messages.
To get listed you go through Google’s screening. For roofers, Google’s UK screening page lists a business check, public liability insurance and any licence the law requires, and you need a public, verified Google Business Profile. Businesses that pass show a Google Verified badge. Google describes it as a sign you’ve passed its screening, so don’t treat it as a money-back promise to the homeowner.
These listings can sit alongside normal search ads. They don’t replace the basics above. A pay-per-lead call that rings out is still a lost job.
What should you ask a Google Ads provider before you sign?
Whoever you talk to, these four questions sort out most of it.
| Ask | A good answer | Walk away if |
|---|---|---|
| What does Google actually charge? | The exact figure, on its own line and in your report | Your spend is bundled into one fee you can’t check |
| Do you take a cut of my ad spend? | No. Their fee is separate and fixed | A percentage, or a mark-up they won’t put in writing |
| What do you report? | Enquiries, booked jobs and what each job cost | Clicks, impressions and “visibility” |
| Can I leave? | Yes, after a short first term, with notice and no exit fee | A long contract with a charge for leaving early |
I’d add one more. Ask whether they run ads for another roofer in your towns. If they do, they’re bidding against you for your own customers.
How does Lead Wave run Google Ads for roofers?
We only run Google Ads for tradesmen on a website we’ve built, because we can’t promise anything about a page we can’t measure or improve. Every roofing job you want more of gets its own page and its own ads.
We set up and run the account for you. Your ad spend is billed at exactly what Google charges, with no cut taken. Every call, WhatsApp and form is tracked, every enquiry gets an instant text in your name, and you mark jobs quoted or booked in your lead app. Your report shows enquiries, booked jobs and what each job cost. It’s 3 months to start, then month to month, and we take one roofer per area on Google Ads.
What we can’t show you yet is Google results, because the service is new. Our record so far is Facebook and Instagram: over 100,000 leads delivered, and clients usually see their first enquiries within 24 hours of going live there. For how that works for roofers, see our roofing page. For the Google side, including what’s included and how we report, see how our Google Ads service works.
Thinking about Google ads for your roofing business? Message Nick with your town and the roofing jobs you want more of. He’ll tell you straight whether Google, Facebook or both makes sense for your area. See how Google Ads works with us
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