Ever logged into your Google Ads account, watched the spend tick up, and thought, “Where’s all this money actually going?” You’re not the only one. Most roofing and renovation companies pour cash into clicks that were never going to turn into a paying job.
I’m Nick, founder of Bluelight. We run Google Ads for roofing companies every single day: real accounts, real budgets, real crews waiting on real leads. So when I tell you certain keywords are quietly draining your budget, this isn’t theory. I’ve watched it play out across hundreds of campaigns.
Let me walk you through the four worst offenders.
The generic keyword trap
This one catches nearly everybody. You’re a roofer, so naturally you bid on “roofing.” You run bathroom renos, so you chase “bathroom renovation.” Makes sense, right? More volume, more leads.
Except, well, no.
Generic keywords pull the biggest search volume on the planet, sure. But most of those searchers aren’t homeowners ready to spend. They’re students looking up what a bathroom reno even is. They’re someone curious about an apprenticeship. They’re folks killing five minutes on their phone. None of them are about to hand you a deposit.
So you end up paying premium prices for clicks from people who’ll never call. Not exactly the dream.
The how-to crowd
Next up: question keywords. “How to paint a roof.” “How to remove an old kitchen.” “How to do a bathroom remodel.”
These people are deep in research mode, and honestly, most of them want to do the job themselves. They’re hunting for a YouTube tutorial, not a quote. Throwing ad money at a weekend DIYer is a bit like buying a billboard outside a hardware store and hoping the bloke with the hire-van hires you instead.
Here’s a small tangent that actually matters though. These searchers aren’t useless to your business. Far from it. They’re perfect for a blog post or a how-to video on your channel. Capture them for free, build a bit of trust, and maybe down the track, when the job turns out bigger than a Saturday allows, they remember your name. Just don’t pay Google to reach them.
The bargain hunters
Third type, and this one drains your time as well as your money: cost keywords. “Bathroom renovation cost.” “Cheap kitchen reno.” “Affordable roofing company.” “Home extension price.”
You know what those searches scream? “I want the lowest number possible.”
These are the folks who’ll collect five quotes, haggle every line item, then ghost you for the cheapest tradie in town. They’re a hassle, plain and simple. You’ll burn hours quoting jobs that go absolutely nowhere.
So do yourself a favour. Don’t bid on them. Then go one step further and add words like “cheap,” “affordable,” and “cost” as negative keywords. That tells Google to keep your ads well clear of the bargain bin. Your future self, the one not stuck writing free quotes at 9pm on a Tuesday, will thank you for it.
The “company” tell
The fourth one is sneaky. It’s whatever you do plus the word “company.” “Roofing company.” “Building company.” “Kitchen remodel company.”
Looks harmless, eh? But here’s the thing. Real homeowners rarely search like that. “Company” is the word outbound sales reps type when they’re scraping together a list of businesses to cold-call. Around ninety percent of the time, that click is someone wanting to sell you SEO, software, or some shiny new gadget; not someone wanting their roof sorted.
In all my years running campaigns, “company” keywords have never once delivered a decent lead. Not one. So I cut them from day one, no second-guessing.
So what should you actually do?
Quick recap, because these four are worth pinning to the wall:
- Generic keywords: massive volume, almost zero buying intent.
- Question keywords: DIYers and researchers, brilliant for blogs, brutal for ads.
- Cost keywords: bargain hunters who waste your time and ghost your quotes.
- “Company” keywords: sales reps wearing a homeowner costume.
Strip these out and something interesting happens. Your spend drops, your lead quality climbs, and your crew stays busy with people who genuinely want to invest in the work. That’s the whole game, really.
Look, tidying up your keyword strategy isn’t glamorous. It’s the unsexy plumbing behind a profitable campaign. But it’s exactly where most roofers and renovators leak money without ever clocking it. Sort this one thing, and you’re already ahead of nearly every competitor still bidding on “roofing” and scratching their head over why the phone’s gone quiet.
And if you’d like a fresh set of eyes on your account, that’s literally what we do at Bluelight — the keyword walls above are pulled straight from our Google Ads for roofers playbook. Book a quick call and we’ll show you where your budget’s disappearing, and how to point it squarely at homeowners ready to buy.