Google Ads for plumbers that pay for calls, not clicks
Google Ads for plumbers is mostly a phone game. A burst pipe or no hot water means someone wants a plumber now, they search, they ring the first one that looks local and legitimate. If the account can't see which clicks became calls, it can't tell a good keyword from a bad one.
100 calls a month, or you don't pay us that month.
If our call tracking records fewer than 100 calls from your Google Ads in a calendar month, we waive our management fee for that month. It applies while the campaign runs at the ad spend we agree on together. Ad spend goes to Google for clicks already delivered, so that part isn't refunded. Full terms.
Urgent jobs pay for the account.
- Emergencies: burst pipe, blocked toilet, no hot water, gas leak. Phone-first and worth the highest bids.
- Hot water: repairs and replacements, often the most profitable ticket for a residential plumber.
- Drains: blocked drains, camera inspections, relining. Frequent, good margins.
- Planned work: bathroom rough-ins, renovations. Lower urgency, quote-led.
The waste that's specific to plumbing.
- DIY fix searches: how to unblock a toilet, how to fix a dripping tap.
- Parts and products: tap washers, hot water system prices at hardware stores.
- Plumbing apprenticeships, TAFE courses and plumbing jobs.
- Searches for a specific hot water brand's own support line.
A starting list we'd add on day one.
- how to, diy, youtube, yourself
- parts, washer, bunnings, reece, tradelink, price list
- apprenticeship, tafe, course, jobs, salary, licence
- manual, warranty claim, customer service
Calls, by job type.
We track calls from the ads themselves and calls from the website, and split them by campaign so you can see whether hot water or drains is actually paying. Emergency calls after hours get their own schedule, because a plumber who doesn't answer at 10pm shouldn't be paying for 10pm clicks.
Campaigns by job, schedules by hour.
- Emergency plumbing. Burst pipes, leaks, blocked toilets. Call-only style ads, highest bids, run only in the hours someone answers.
- Hot water. Repairs and replacements, split by gas, electric and heat pump if you do all three. Often the best-margin campaign in the account.
- Blocked drains. Unblocking, CCTV inspections, relining. Steady demand all year.
- Gas fitting. If you hold the licence. Its own campaign so it doesn't mix with general plumbing.
- Your business name. A small brand campaign.
Only pay for hours you answer.
Emergency plumbing searches don't stop at 5pm, and some of the best jobs come in at night. But a click that rings out at 11pm is money gone and a customer who rings your competitor next time. The account runs an after-hours schedule only if someone's actually picking up, and the ads say so.
What a good plumbing ad says.
- Headline: Blocked Drain? Plumber Today · Description: Local licensed plumbers. Camera inspection to find the cause, upfront price before we start.
- Headline: Hot Water Replacement, [Area] · Description: Gas, electric and heat pump. Most systems replaced same day.
- Headline: Burst Pipe? Call Now · Description: We answer after hours. Licensed plumber to your door, fast.
What the page needs.
- A tappable phone number at the top. Most plumbing clicks are on a phone and want to ring.
- Your plumbing licence number.
- The job they searched for, named in the heading. A hot water click should land on a hot water page.
- Whether you charge a call-out fee, said plainly.
- Reviews that name the job: hot water, drains, leaks.
What you get told each month.
Calls by campaign, how long they lasted, cost per call, and which hours they came in. Short calls under a minute are usually wrong numbers or price checks, so they're counted separately from real enquiries. That's how you can see whether hot water or drains is actually paying the bills.
The plumbing searches we'd start with.
Phrase and exact match to start, so you only pay for searches that mean what you think they mean. Broad match comes later, if at all, once the negative list has had a month of real search terms fed into it.
| Search | Match | Why it's in |
|---|---|---|
| emergency plumber [area] | Phrase | The highest-intent plumbing search |
| blocked drain plumber [area] | Phrase | Frequent and urgent |
| hot water repairs [area] | Phrase | Often the best margins |
| hot water system replacement | Phrase | High value, same-day decisions |
| burst pipe repair | Phrase | Urgent, phone-first |
| gas fitter [area] | Phrase | Only with a gas licence |
| blocked toilet plumber | Exact | Urgent, short calls, quick jobs |
Mistakes we find in plumbing accounts.
- Broad match on the word plumber. It matches DIY guides, plumbing courses and parts searches, all paid for.
- Running 24/7 when nobody answers at night. Night clicks that ring out cost money and hand the customer to a competitor.
- Hot water and drains mixed together. You can't tell which one is paying, so the budget can't follow the money.
- Counting every call as a lead. Ten-second calls and wrong numbers inflate the numbers and hide what's working.
- Ads with no location in them. People want a local plumber, and an ad that doesn't say where you are loses to one that does.
Straight answers.
Do Google Ads work for plumbers?
Yes, especially for emergency, hot water and blocked drain searches. They stop working when the account pays for DIY and parts searches, or when nobody can see which clicks became calls.
Should plumbers run ads after hours?
Only if someone answers. If you take after-hours jobs, emergency searches at night are some of the best you can buy. If you don't, switch those hours off.
What's the biggest waste in plumbers' Google Ads?
DIY searches. People search how to fix a problem themselves far more than they search for a plumber, and broad keywords pay for those clicks.
How much do Google Ads cost for a plumber?
The clicks cost what your area and competition make them, and the management is separate. What matters is cost per call once the account is tuned, and that's the number you'll be shown every month.
Should plumbers use Local Services Ads too?
They can work alongside search ads where they're available. They're pay per lead and sit above normal ads, but you have less control over which jobs you get.
Do I need a website to run Google Ads as a plumber?
You can run call-only ads without one, but a page per job type nearly always converts better and gives Google a reason to rate your ads higher.
What should a plumber's Google Ad say?
The job, the area and one reason to ring you now: you answer after hours, you give an upfront price, or you're on the road nearby. Specific beats clever.
Should plumbers bid on competitor names?
Usually not. It's expensive, the people searching want that company, and it can start a bidding war that costs both of you.
Google Ads for other trades
Want more of the jobs that actually pay?
Tell me which plumbing work you want more of and your area, and I'll give you a straight answer.