If you run a contracting business — whether you’re in HVAC, plumbing, roofing, electrical, or landscaping — you’ve almost certainly heard conflicting advice: “Google Ads is the only thing that works.” Or “Facebook Ads is way cheaper.” This guide settles the debate with real data, shows you how contractors are using both platforms successfully, and explains the keyword strategy your customers are actually searching.
Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads for Contractors: The Core Difference
The fundamental difference between Google Ads and Facebook Ads for contractors comes down to intent:
- Google Ads: You show up when someone is actively searching for your service right now. “Emergency plumber near me.” “AC repair tonight.” “Roof damage inspection.” These people need help today.
- Facebook Ads: You show up in someone’s feed based on their demographics, interests, and behavior — but they weren’t necessarily looking for you. You’re interrupting, not responding.
For most home service and trade contractors, Google Ads generates higher-quality leads with higher closing rates. But Facebook Ads serves a complementary role — especially for less-urgent services and brand awareness. The best contractor marketing strategy uses both, strategically.
Google Ads for Contractors: How It Works and What It Costs
How Contractor Google Ads Work
When someone in your service area searches for your service type on Google, your ad can appear at the top of the results — above the organic listings. You pay only when someone clicks. The cost per click varies by how competitive your market is and how much other contractors are bidding.
Contractor Google Ads Cost Per Lead Benchmarks (2025)
| Contractor Type | Avg Industry CPL | Well-Managed CPL | Average CPC |
|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC | $220 – $280 | $88 – $140 | $15 – $30 |
| Plumbing | $230 – $300 | $95 – $150 | $14 – $28 |
| Roofing | $180 – $240 | $75 – $130 | $10 – $22 |
| Electrical | $200 – $260 | $85 – $135 | $12 – $25 |
| General Contractor | $250 – $320 | $110 – $170 | $18 – $35 |
| Landscaping | $90 – $150 | $40 – $80 | $5 – $15 |
| Pest Control | $80 – $130 | $35 – $70 | $6 – $14 |
Google Ads Best Practices for Contractors
What separates contractor Google Ads that work from ones that waste money:
- Tight keyword match types — use exact and phrase match, not broad match
- Service-specific campaigns — one campaign per major service type
- Dedicated landing pages — every ad goes to a page that matches the service being advertised
- Complete conversion tracking — phone calls, form fills, everything tracked
- Aggressive negative keywords — block DIY searches, job seekers, supply hunters
- Local targeting — match your actual service area, not a 50-mile radius
- Ad scheduling — run when your team is available to answer calls
Facebook Ads for Contractors: When They Work and When They Don’t
When Facebook Ads Work for Contractors
Facebook is effective for contractors in these specific use cases:
- Planned services — Kitchen remodels, bathroom renovations, landscaping redesigns, AC system upgrades. These are purchases people consider for weeks or months. Facebook ads can build awareness during the consideration phase.
- Seasonal promotions — “Summer AC tune-up special: $79.” Running this to homeowners in your area in May can generate solid volume.
- Retargeting website visitors — Showing Facebook ads to people who already visited your Google Ads landing page but didn’t convert is powerful and cheap. These warm leads are 3–5x more likely to convert.
- Local brand building — Regular presence in your community’s Facebook feeds builds recognition. When people need a plumber, they’ll think of the name they’ve seen consistently.
When Facebook Ads Don’t Work for Contractors
Facebook Ads consistently underperform for:
- Emergency services — When someone’s basement is flooding, they’re not scrolling Facebook. They’re searching Google. Don’t expect Facebook to replace Google for emergency calls.
- Low-awareness services — Very technical or niche services that customers wouldn’t recognize if they saw an ad for them
- Very small budgets — Facebook’s algorithm needs data to optimize. Under $500/month, Facebook often can’t gather enough data to find your ideal customer efficiently.
Facebook Ads CPL Benchmarks for Contractors
| Contractor Type | Facebook CPL Range | Lead Quality vs. Google |
|---|---|---|
| HVAC (planned services) | $45 – $120 | Lower — 40-60% close rate vs 60-75% Google |
| Roofing (storm damage) | $35 – $90 | Moderate — storm season timing critical |
| Home Remodeling | $60 – $180 | Lower — longer consideration cycle |
| Landscaping | $25 – $75 | Moderate — seasonal campaigns effective |
Important caveat: Facebook CPL looks cheaper, but close rates are often significantly lower. A $60 Facebook lead that closes 25% of the time has an effective customer acquisition cost of $240. A $130 Google lead that closes 60% of the time has an effective CAC of $217. Google wins on total ROI in most cases.
The Best Marketing Strategy for Contractors: Using Both Together
The smart contractor marketing approach in 2025 isn’t Google OR Facebook — it’s a layered strategy:
Layer 1: Google Ads (Your Lead Generator)
Google Ads is your primary lead generation engine. Budget 60–70% of your digital ad spend here. Focus on high-intent searches: emergency services, specific service + city searches, branded competitor terms.
Layer 2: Google Local Services Ads (Top-of-Page Trust)
LSA appears above regular Google Ads with a Google Guaranteed badge. You pay per lead, not per click. Budget 15–20% here if LSA is available in your trade and market.
Layer 3: Facebook Retargeting (Capture the Almost-Customers)
Set up a retargeting audience of everyone who visited your Google Ads landing pages in the last 30 days but didn’t convert. Run Facebook ads to this audience at $5–$15/day. These are warm leads who already showed intent — they just need another nudge.
Layer 4: Facebook Brand Awareness (Local Presence)
Allocate 10–15% of budget to Facebook brand awareness targeting homeowners in your service area. Run educational content, before/after photos, customer testimonials. Don’t ask for immediate action — build recognition so when they need your service, they already know your name.
What Keywords Are Contractors’ Customers Actually Searching?
This is critically important — and where most contractor Google Ads campaigns miss the mark. Your customers aren’t searching in marketing language. They’re searching in problem language. Here are the actual search terms contractors should be targeting:
HVAC Customer Search Terms
- “AC not cooling house” → target with emergency AC repair campaign
- “how much does AC replacement cost” → target with AC replacement campaign
- “best HVAC company near me” → brand discovery keyword
- “AC tune up [city]” → maintenance campaign
- “heating not working” → emergency heating campaign
- “furnace repair cost” → consideration-phase searcher
Plumbing Customer Search Terms
- “water heater not working” → water heater campaign
- “drain clogged what to do” → drain cleaning campaign (mix of DIY and service intent)
- “best plumber in [city]” → brand discovery
- “burst pipe emergency” → emergency campaign, highest urgency
- “bathroom remodel plumbing” → remodel campaign
- “how much to repipe a house” → research phase
Roofing Customer Search Terms
- “roof leak repair” → urgent service need
- “storm damage roof inspection” → post-storm campaign, highly seasonal
- “roofing companies near me” → brand discovery
- “cost to replace roof” → research phase
- “best roofing contractor [city]” → high-intent comparison
- “roof inspection after hail” → storm-triggered urgency
Contractor Digital Marketing: Beyond Google and Facebook
Google Business Profile (Free Leads)
Your Google Business Profile is the most underutilized asset in contractor marketing. A fully optimized GBP with 50+ reviews appears in the local pack — the map section at the top of local search results. This drives free calls alongside your paid ads. Setup takes 2–4 hours; maintenance takes 1–2 hours per month. The ROI is extraordinary.
Nextdoor Ads
For local contractors, Nextdoor reaches homeowners in specific neighborhoods who are already talking about home services. This is relatively low-cost and highly targeted. Best for landscaping, pest control, general handyman — services where neighbors recommend each other frequently.
Email and SMS to Past Customers
Your existing customer base is your cheapest source of new business. A seasonal email or text to past customers (“Time for your annual HVAC tune-up — book now and save $30”) consistently generates leads at near-zero cost. This requires maintaining a customer database and a simple email/SMS tool.
Review Generation
Reviews are one of the highest-ROI investments in contractor marketing. Companies with 50+ 4.8-star Google reviews consistently convert more calls from all marketing sources — paid and organic. Every completed job should trigger an automated review request via SMS.
Contractor Marketing: Common Questions
What’s the best marketing for a contractor just starting out?
Start with Google Business Profile (free) and Google Local Services Ads. You only pay for verified leads with LSA, making it lower-risk for new businesses. Add traditional Google Ads once you have 20+ reviews and a solid landing page.
How much should contractors budget for Google Ads?
Minimum effective budget for most markets is $1,000–$1,500/month. Below this, data accumulates too slowly to optimize effectively. The sweet spot for most medium-market contractors is $2,500–$5,000/month.
Can I run contractor Google Ads myself?
Yes, but the learning curve is steep and mistakes are expensive. The most common outcome for self-managed contractor accounts is spending $2,000/month for 3–4 months with disappointing results before deciding to hire a specialist. If you want to learn it properly, take Google’s free certification courses first.
Is Facebook advertising worth it for contractors?
As a standalone strategy for lead generation, usually not. As a complement to Google Ads for retargeting and brand awareness, yes. Don’t replace Google Ads with Facebook Ads — use Facebook to reinforce and extend your Google Ads strategy.
Get a Free Contractor Marketing Audit
If you’re a contractor currently running Google Ads and want to know if you’re getting good results — or if you’re starting fresh and want to know what’s realistic in your market — we offer a free, no-obligation audit.
Request your free audit here. We’ll analyze your current campaigns (or your competitors’ if you’re not running yet) and show you exactly what a well-optimized contractor Google Ads strategy looks like for your trade and market.
Check our contractor benchmark data to see what your CPL should be.