Like any significant business decision, determining if Google Guaranteed is the right fit for your roofing company requires careful consideration.
On the one hand, this program offers the potential to dramatically boost your credibility, build unparalleled trust with potential customers, and significantly increase your visibility within local search results.
This program can help you attract highly qualified leads actively searching for a reputable roofer while gaining valuable performance-tracking data to refine your marketing efforts.
However, it’s crucial to acknowledge the potential drawbacks.
The cost-per-lead model can be substantial, and ongoing expenses like maintaining your Google My Business profile and adhering to program requirements add up. Furthermore, the limited targeting options and fierce competition within the program can make it challenging to stand out.
Ultimately, the answer lies in thoroughly evaluating your business goals, budget, capacity, and competitive landscape. Consider these factors carefully to determine if the potential rewards of Google Guaranteed outweigh the associated costs and limitations.
What is Google Guaranteed?
In late 2018, Google boldly moved to disrupt the home services marketing industry. Recognizing the growing popularity of platforms like HomeAdvisor and Angie’s List, they introduced a powerful new solution: Google Guaranteed, now synonymous with Local Service Ads (LSAs).
This strategic initiative aimed to solidify Google’s dominance in local search, offering homeowners a compelling alternative to traditional service directories.
When it comes to Google search results, your roofing business can show up through Google Guaranteed, Sponsored ads, Google local listing, and organic listings. You can spot a Google Guaranteed ad with a Google Guaranteed badge at the top of the search results.
Only roofing businesses that have gone through the screening process can participate in the program.
What Does Google Guaranteed Mean?
When it comes to choosing a roofer, you want more than just a good price. You want peace of mind. That’s where Google Guaranteed comes in. Imagine this: You’re searching for a reliable roofer online. You see two options:
- Roofing Company A: A roofer with no special designation, leaving you to wonder about their experience and reliability.
- Roofing Company B: A roofer with the coveted “Google Guaranteed” badge. This means Google has thoroughly vetted this company, including background checks and license verification.
But here’s the real kicker: If you’re not completely satisfied with the work of a Google Guaranteed roofer, Google itself will reimburse the roofing customer up to $2,000 (subject to a lifetime limit).
With Google Guaranteed, you’re not just choosing a roofer; you’re choosing the added security and protection that comes with the Google name.
Now, which choice offers you greater peace of mind? As you can see Google Guaranteed offers a significant incentive to potential roofing customers.
What Other Factors Should You First Consider?
Are you ready to take your roofing business to the next level?
Before diving into Google Guaranteed, take a moment to assess your current situation.
How busy are you on a scale of 1 to 10? If you’ve already maxed out at a 10, this program might not be the immediate fit you need. However, if you’re operating at a solid 7 or under, Google Guaranteed can be a game-changer. It can help you build the confidence to expand your team and take on more roofing projects.
Remember, flexibility is key.
You can start with a modest budget and adjust it as you see the influx of leads. The beauty of Google Guaranteed lies in its adaptability. Pairing it with a professional roofing web design can significantly boost your online presence, making it easier for potential customers to find and trust your business.
What Are The Benefits of Google Guaranteed for Roofing Contractors?
By securing a Google Guaranteed badge, your roofing business will instantly gain a significant boost in authority, trust, and credibility. The setup process is relatively straightforward, and the pay-per-lead model ensures you only pay for real leads, not just clicks or impressions.
There is a significant advantage if you can show up in local search results with a strong presence in Google Guaranteed, Sponsored Ads, local listings, and organic search.
This multi-pronged approach can make your business appear as the go-to choice for roofing services, effectively deterring competition and capturing a larger market share.
Google Guaranteed Badge Offers Roofers Trust and Credibility
Imagine seeing your business name with a bright green checkmark next to it on Google. It’s like a digital badge of honor, a symbol of trust and credibility.
That green checkmark evokes positive associations – words like “verified,” “approved,” and “successful.” It’s a powerful visual cue that can instantly elevate your business’s reputation and attract more customers.
To make an even stronger impression, pair your Google Guaranteed badge with a professional roofing logo. A well-designed logo reinforces your brand identity and helps customers recognize and remember your business.
Your Roofing Business Could Show Up At The Top of Google Search Results
As mentioned earlier, there are four main places your business can show up on the Google search results. Google Guaranteed, Sponsored, Google local listings, and organic listings. Google Guaranteed results always show up at the top when a user searches for relevant keywords such as “roofing contractor near me”.
Relatively Simple Setup Process
Setting up Google Local Services Ads isn’t as complex as it might seem. By providing basic information like your business name, service area, hours of operation, and proof of licensing and insurance, you can be well on your way to appearing at the top of Google Search results.
However, navigating the setup process can be tricky, and many contractors have faced challenges due to specific requirements, such as providing the correct insurance documents or linking their Google My Business profile.
If you’re unsure about any step of the process, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to guide you through the setup process and ensure your Google Local Services Ads are optimized for maximum impact.
Pay Per Lead and Not Pay Per Click
Many roofing contractors have had less-than-stellar experiences with traditional Google Ads, leaving a bitter taste in their mouths. But Google Guaranteed is a different beast. With this program, you only pay for real, qualified leads.
How does Google ensure quality? By recording phone calls and texts, they can identify and filter out spam or irrelevant inquiries. If you receive a bogus lead, you can expect a credit, giving you peace of mind and protecting your investment. Remember only phone calls or texts that come from the program are recorded. Any phone calls that don’t come from the program will not get recorded.
Attract Customers That Are More Likely To Buy
Traditional advertising is good to help you reach a broad audience that may or may not need your services. With Google Guaranteed, you’re targeting people who are actively seeking a roofing contractor right now. While the pool of potential customers may be smaller, they’re highly qualified leads with a much higher likelihood of converting into paying clients.
The graphic below illustrates how you can reach more people in the awareness stage of the buying stage with traditional marketing like radio, television magazines, etc. However, with Google, you can reach people who are towards the bottom of the buyer’s funnel and are in the evaluation and intent stage of the funnel.
Low Maintenance
When compared with Google Ads, the amount of maintenance is relatively low. You mainly need to rate your leads, upload new pictures, update your insurance information periodically, and update your billing information when necessary.
What Are The Drawbacks of Google Guaranteed for Roofing Companies?
While Google Guaranteed offers significant benefits, it’s important to be aware of its potential drawbacks. These include missed opportunities to explore other marketing channels, limited targeting options, and the risk of becoming overly reliant on a single platform. Additionally, some businesses may find that the volume of leads generated doesn’t meet their expectations, leading to disappointment and frustration.
Opportunity Cost of Other Advertising Opportunities
One of the biggest drawbacks of Google Guaranteed is the potential to become overly reliant on a single platform.
By focusing solely on lead generation, you may neglect other crucial aspects of your marketing strategy, such as roofing branding and roofing SEO.
Imagine a world where your business consistently ranks high in organic search results, attracting qualified leads without the ongoing expense of paid advertising.
By investing in branding and SEO, you can build a strong online presence and generate sustainable, long-term growth. Consider allocating a portion of your marketing budget to these areas to create a well-rounded marketing strategy that ensures your business thrives, both now and in the future.
Limited Targeting Options
While Google Guaranteed offers a streamlined approach to lead generation, it may not be the ideal solution for all businesses.
Google Ads provides greater flexibility and control, allowing you to target specific keywords and demographics. This can lead to lower costs per lead and the ability to capture leads that might be missed by Google Guaranteed. By combining both strategies, you can maximize your online visibility and attract a wider range of potential customers.
Don’t Put All of Your Eggs In One Basket
Imagine the worst-case scenario: Your Google Guaranteed account is suspended, or the entire program is discontinued. What if your market gets too competitive and you get priced out?
What would you do then? Relying too heavily on a single marketing channel can be risky.
It’s essential to diversify your marketing efforts to ensure long-term success. By building a strong brand, optimizing your website for SEO, and leveraging social media, you can create a sustainable pipeline of leads, even if one channel falters.
Google Guaranteed Does Not Mean You Are Guaranteed Leads
We’ve seen the full spectrum of Google Guaranteed experiences:
- Some businesses have perfectly optimized their campaigns, only to see a slow trickle of leads.
- Others have been flooded with inquiries from day one.
- And then some have hit a dry spell for months, only to be rewarded with a surge of leads once they’ve proven their commitment to excellent customer service and positive reviews.
Ongoing and Increasing Costs
As more roofing contractors learn about this program, then more competitors are likely to jump in and try it out.
This naturally results and higher prices for everybody, because Google works like an auction. If people are willing to pay more for the lead, then the price will continue to go up until somebody says “Hey, this is too much for the lead”.
As a result, you might get approved today and get a really good price on the lead but next year might be a different story.
This is why you must monitor your campaign to make sure you are not overpaying for your leads.
How Much Money Can You Make With Google Guaranteed?
The majority of people looking for roofers on Google are looking for roofing repairs. Remember most people need to replace or repair a roof because they need to and not because they have to.
As a result, people are going to be shopping around and comparing prices and service quality. This is why we recommend allocating a portion of your marketing budget to beefing up your branding.
It’s also important that you not only focus on leads but also take into consideration your sales funnel and how you intake leads and convert them into clients.
Let’s look at the hypothetical example below:
| Roof Company A | Roof Company B | |
|---|---|---|
| Leads | 100 | 100 |
| Appointments Set | 70 | 55 |
| Leads Showed Up To Appt | 65 | 50 |
| Clients Converted | 26 | 10 |
| Average Roofing Project | $10,000 | $8,000 |
| Revenue Per Month | $260,000 | $80,000 |
| Revenue Per Year | $3,120,000 | $960,000 |
Company B in this example made an additional $2,160,000 because they have a better system of onboarding leads and converting them to paying clients.
As a result, before you start asking for more leads, you’ll want to refine your sales system. If you need help with this, then we’ll be happy to meet with you and show you how to optimize this process.
We would also encourage you to take advantage of our free roofing revenue calculator to help estimate how much revenue you can expect to make from your leads.
How Can Roofers Become Google Guaranteed?
Google will want to see that you and your team pass background checks.
Furthermore, you’ll need to enter:
- billing information
- verified Google My Business profile
- license verification
- at least 5 customer reviews
- minimum budget
- insurance verification
If you need help with this process, then please reach out to us and we will guide you through the process.
Once you become verified, then you can expect to see a message that says “Congratulations! Your Google Guaranteed ad is now live.”
Is Google Guaranteed Free for Roofers?
Yes, it’s free to set up, but it’s a pay-per-lead model.
This means you’ll need to pay for the leads. However, you can set up a weekly budget. Also, keep in mind that every market is different. The numbers you see below can be much higher or much lower depending on supply and demand.
How Much Does Google Guaranteed Cost for Roofers?
The cost per lead for Google Guaranteed can fluctuate. We’ve seen the leads ranging from a low of $35 per lead to a high of $120 per lead. This variability depends on factors such as:
- local competition
- bidding intensity
- seasonal demand.
Early adopters of the program often benefited from lower costs and higher-quality leads.
While competition has increased in many areas, there are still regions where opportunities exist. The best way to truly understand the costs and benefits for your specific market is to sign up and test the waters.
If you find the lead costs to be too high, you can adjust your bid to a more comfortable level. As competition shifts, you may see opportunities to lower your costs further.
In the example below we can see that the leads were costing roughly $38.55. However, please keep in mind that this can vary depending on supply and demand.
How Much Should You Budget for Google Guaranteed?
The optimal budget for Google Guaranteed can vary widely between businesses.
However, a general rule of thumb, as suggested by the Small Business Administration, is to allocate 7.9-11.8% of your annual revenue toward marketing.
Remember, don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
While Google Guaranteed is a powerful tool, it’s crucial to diversify your marketing efforts.
What if the program changes or your listing faces unexpected issues?
Let’s consider a hypothetical scenario: If your annual revenue is $500,000, a 7% marketing budget would be around $35,000 per year or approximately $2,916 per month. To effectively utilize Google Guaranteed, you might allocate about a third of this budget, or roughly $1,000 per month, to this platform.
Should You Get On Google Guaranteed?
Hopefully, you’ve now weighed the pros and cons of Google Guaranteed and considered how it aligns with your business goals, budget, and local market.
If you’re ready to take the next step and create a comprehensive marketing strategy, we’re here to help. We’re known for creating excellent roofing websites, roofing seo, and roofing Google Ads Let’s schedule a strategy call to discuss your specific needs and explore how Google Guaranteed can be a powerful tool for your business.
