presents
The Roofing Ads Report 2026
$336,000 of roofing Google Ads spend in New Zealand, followed from the click to the quote. This report shows who searches for a roofer, what a lead really costs, and how many clicks turn into quoted jobs.
Read the reportRoofing Google Ads statistics and benchmarks · Published by Bluelight, , New Zealand
Key findings
- Up to 27%of real leads are missed by Google Ads, even with tracking set up properly.Finding 9 →
- 7.5% vs 6.8%Google’s «Good» ads out-clicked its «Excellent» ones: the grade measures completeness, not quality.Finding 12 →
- 42 daysis how long roofers wait to get paid, on a job worth a median $22,000.Finding 22 →
$336,000 in roofing ads from click to invoice.
Most roofers know Google Ads works. Few know what a lead really costs, or which leads turn into jobs.
So we counted. Every click, call and form from the roofing accounts we have run or audited since 2020, followed through to the quote and the invoice.
I hope it shows you where you stand, and what is possible.
What this report is built on.
The 25 findings below cover what a roofing lead actually costs, when they arrive, who is sending them, and what a quoted job costs to buy. They rest on:
- 53,508
- Ad clicks analysed
- 1.26M
- Ad impressions
- 1,652
- Days of campaign dataNovember 2020 to September 2026
- 4,809
- Phone calls and forms tracked independently of Google
- 31,989
- Distinct search queries that triggered a roofing ad
- 2,520
- Written inquiry messages read and classified
- 1,014
- CRM records followed from lead to quote
- NZ
- Markets
25 findings in five parts.
Who is searching
When they get in touch
Where the money leaks
From lead to job
What it takes
Roofing clicks cost 20% more every year.
Since 2020 the cost of an Auckland roofing click has nearly tripled. The last twelve months were the steepest yet: +35% at a fixed budget.
See the numbers
| Year | Cost per click against 2020 |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 100% |
| 2021 | +9% |
| 2022 | +29% |
| 2023 | +52% |
| 2024 | +80% |
| 2025 | +129% |
| 2026 | +192% |
Part 1 · Who is searching
Finding 1: 10% of clicks become a lead.
Across 3,763 tracked leads, about one click in ten became a phone call or a form.
See the numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Clicks that became a call or a form | 1 in 10 |
Finding 2: Emergency-type clicks convert at 17%.
Out of every 100 clicks, how many became a phone call or a form, by what was searched.
See the numbers
| Search | Leads per 100 clicks |
|---|---|
| Emergency and leak | 17.2 |
| Roof inspection | 12.8 |
| Repair | 12.2 |
| Re-roof | 11 |
| Materials | 2.5 |
Finding 3: 60% of clickers are over 55.
Where Google knows the age, for roofers focused on repairs.
See the numbers
| Age | Share of clicks |
|---|---|
| Under 55 | 40% |
| 55 and over | 60% |
Finding 4: 35% of «new roof» clickers actually want a repair.
Going the other way, 12% of people who click a repair ad want a whole new roof.
See the numbers
| Ad clicked | Asked for the other job |
|---|---|
| New roof ad | 35% wanted a repair |
| Repair ad | 12% wanted a new roof |
Part 2 · When they get in touch
Finding 5: Leads peak in March, not in winter.
March brings about 50% more leads than an average month. June to August sit below average.
See the numbers
| Month | Leads against an average month |
|---|---|
| Jan | +4% |
| Feb | +15% |
| Mar | +54% |
| Apr | +29% |
| May | −14% |
| Jun | −23% |
| Jul | −10% |
| Aug | −17% |
| Sep | −22% |
| Oct | −6% |
| Nov | +13% |
| Dec | −30% |
Finding 6: Morning clicks convert ×3 better than evening clicks.
Same ad, same price per click. The morning is the best time to run roofing ads.
See the numbers
| Hour | Leads per 100 clicks | Clicks |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | 2.2 | 230 |
| 01:00 | 1.8 | 171 |
| 02:00 | 2.3 | 128 |
| 03:00 | 1.6 | 126 |
| 04:00 | 3.0 | 133 |
| 05:00 | 2.9 | 208 |
| 06:00 | 5.0 | 457 |
| 07:00 | 6.7 | 1,062 |
| 08:00 | 11.4 | 2,067 |
| 09:00 | 14.6 | 2,860 |
| 10:00 | 12.8 | 2,952 |
| 11:00 | 14.9 | 2,946 |
| 12:00 | 12.7 | 2,687 |
| 13:00 | 13.2 | 2,581 |
| 14:00 | 13.7 | 2,427 |
| 15:00 | 13.2 | 2,205 |
| 16:00 | 12.2 | 1,928 |
| 17:00 | 8.9 | 1,106 |
| 18:00 | 6.8 | 810 |
| 19:00 | 4.9 | 774 |
| 20:00 | 4.9 | 777 |
| 21:00 | 4.4 | 766 |
| 22:00 | 4.1 | 493 |
| 23:00 | 2.0 | 306 |
Finding 7: 79% of leads come in during work hours.
Monday and Tuesday are the busiest days. The peak hour is 11am.
- 97%of calls come in work hours
- 40%of leads come Monday or Tuesday
- 33%of forms come after hours
- Mon 19%
- Tue 20%
- Wed 18%
- Thu 17%
- Fri 15%
- Sat 6%
- Sun 5%
See the numbers
| Day | Share of the week’s leads |
|---|---|
| Mon | 19.4% |
| Tue | 20.1% |
| Wed | 17.6% |
| Thu | 17.3% |
| Fri | 14.5% |
| Sat | 5.6% |
| Sun | 5.3% |
Finding 8: Half of all leads come via phone call.
Calls and website forms split the leads almost exactly in half, and have done for six years.
Part 3 · Where the money leaks
Finding 9: Google can’t see 1 in 4 of your leads.
Up to 27%, even with tracking set up properly. And Google’s automatic bidding only learns from the leads it counts, so every missed call teaches it to chase the wrong clicks.
See the numbers
| Month | Real leads | Counted by Google |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 25 | 22 | 20 |
| Aug 25 | 37 | 25 |
| Sep 25 | 33 | 21 |
| Oct 25 | 45 | 40 |
| Nov 25 | 49 | 38 |
| Dec 25 | 46 | 39 |
| Jan 26 | 63 | 49 |
| Feb 26 | 50 | 43 |
| Mar 26 | 61 | 62 |
| Apr 26 | 67 | 63 |
| May 26 | 49 | 40 |
| Jun 26 | 47 | 43 |
| Jul 26 | 32 | 25 |
| Aug 26 | 27 | 24 |
Finding 11: High-quality keywords bring leads 63% cheaper on average.
Google scores every keyword from 1 to 10. On average, a lead from a keyword scored 8 to 10 cost $61; from one scored 1 to 3, $165.
See the numbers
| Keyword quality score | Cost per lead |
|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | $165 |
| 8 to 10 | $61 |
Finding 12: Google’s «Excellent» ads lost to its «Good» ones.
Google Ads ad strength measures how complete an ad is, not how good it is.
See the numbers
| Ad strength | Click-through rate | Ads |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 6.8% | 23 |
| Good | 7.5% | 138 |
| Average | 5.4% | 45 |
| Poor | 5.3% | 42 |
Finding 13: Problem-first headlines get 23% more clicks.
The two most-used themes, the city name and years of experience, do nothing.
Clicks a headline theme earned, against its own ad (100%)
- 126%Leak, repair or fix headlines
- 103%City name headlines
- 96%Years of experience headlines
See the numbers
| Headline theme | Click rate against its ad |
|---|---|
| Leak, repair, fix | 126% |
| Gutters, spouting | 126% |
| Speed, emergency, today, 24 hours | 122% |
| Reviews, rating | 117% |
| Material named | 115% |
| Price, free quote | 109% |
| City or local | 103% |
| Licensed, trusted, insured | 98% |
| Years of experience, experts | 96% |
| Guarantee, warranty | 87% |
| Commercial and residential | 78% |
Finding 14: 5% of keywords bring in 62% of leads.
Leads concentrate in a small handful of searches.
See the numbers
| Share of keywords | Share of leads |
|---|---|
| Top 5% | 62% |
Finding 15: One Google setting sends 1 in 3 clicks out of town.
Google’s default, «presence or interest», shows your ad to anyone interested in your area, not just people in it: someone in Sydney searching «roofer auckland» counts.
See the numbers
| Location setting | Clicks from outside the area |
|---|---|
| Presence or interest | 34% (4.9% overseas) |
| Presence only | Under 1% |
Part 4 · From lead to job
Finding 16: Up to 40% of website leads get a written quote.
Re-roof leads get quoted most. Leak repairs almost never do.
See the numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Website leads that got a written quote | Up to 40 in 100 |
Finding 17: Leads logged automatically get quoted ×4 more often.
Where the website writes every lead into the CRM, 40% got a written quote. Where leads were typed in by hand, 9%.
See the numbers
| How the lead reached the CRM | Got a written quote |
|---|---|
| Typed in by hand | 9% (14 of 153) |
| Logged automatically | 40% (37 of 92) |
Finding 18: Leads planning ahead get quoted ×2 more often.
Web leads choose a timing on the form. Those who want it within a month are the bigger group. Those planning ahead are the ones who get quoted.
See the numbers
| Timing chosen on the form | Got a written quote |
|---|---|
| Wants it within a month | 26% (15 of 57 quoted) |
| Planning ahead | 56% (22 of 39 quoted) |
Finding 19: A written quote costs up to $330 in ads.
At a 2026 roofing cost per lead of $80 to $130, it takes about two and a half leads to win one quote, on a job worth a median $22,000.
See the numbers
| Item | Ad cost, 2026 |
|---|---|
| One lead | $80–130 |
| One written quote | $200–330 |
Finding 20: $22,000 is the median Auckland re-roof quote.
What a re-roof costs in Auckland, from 714 quotes, and steady every year since 2021.
- $7kor less: the bottom tenth
- $22kthe median quote
- $49kor more: the top tenth
See the numbers
| Quote value | Quotes |
|---|---|
| <$5k | 49 |
| $5–10k | 37 |
| $10–15k | 66 |
| $15–20k | 129 |
| $20–25k | 137 |
| $25–30k | 77 |
| $30–40k | 85 |
| $40–50k | 46 |
| $50–75k | 43 |
| $75k+ | 21 |
Finding 21: 10% of every re-roof quote is scaffolding.
A median $2,200 on a $22,000 job, on the quotes that list it.
See the numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Scaffolding share of a re-roof quote | 10.6% |
| Median scaffolding cost | $2,200 |
Finding 22: Roofers wait 42 days to get paid.
The invoice matches the quote almost to the dollar. Getting the money is the slow part.
See the numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median days from invoice to payment | 42 |
Part 5 · What it takes
Finding 23: 92% of audited accounts have broken conversion tracking.
Of the 182 roofing accounts we audited, almost every one was counting something other than real leads.
See the numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Audited accounts with broken conversion tracking | 92% |
Finding 24: 72% of audited accounts pay for the wrong searches.
Broken tracking tops the list of what we find. Wrong search terms and poor ad quality come next.
See the numbers
| Problem | Share of audited accounts |
|---|---|
| Broken conversion tracking | 92% |
| Wrong search terms | 72% |
| Poor ad quality | 56% |
| Broad match keywords | 35% |
Finding 25: Unoptimised accounts pay at least ×2 more per lead.
Roofing accounts we have run for six months or more, against the 182 accounts we audited.
- $80–200per lead, optimised
- $400–850per lead, unoptimised
See the numbers
| Account | Cost per lead |
|---|---|
| Optimised | $80–200 |
| Unoptimised | $400–850 |
Takeaways for roofing companies.
- Answer the phone.Every weekday, mornings first: 79% of leads come in during work hours, peaking at 11am, and half of them by phone.
- Use an ad schedule.Once you can see when inquiries come in, run your ads in the hours you can answer the phone.
- Set up call and conversion tracking.Google misses up to 27% of leads, and its bidding learns only from what it counts.
- Plan for March, not July.March brings about 50% more leads than an average month. Have the crew and the budget ready.
- Set location targeting to «presence» only.Google’s default sends 1 in 3 clicks out of town.
- Name the problem in the headline.Leak, repair and fix headlines get more clicks than your city or your years in business.
- Fix the ad and the page before adding budget.Most roofing ads that do not show are ranked too low, not out of money.
- Decide on repair leads before you pay for them.A third of «new roof» clicks want a repair.
- Follow up the planners.Leads planning a few months ahead get quoted twice as often as the urgent ones.
- Ask for a deposit.Roofers wait 42 days to get paid on a job worth a median $22,000.
How to read these numbers.
Sources
Google Ads data provided by the Google Ads API. Leads from a call and form tracking platform that records every ad call through dynamic number insertion and every website form, independent of Google. CRM data based on CRM records. All money in New Zealand dollars, nominal. New Zealand time throughout.
Qualified leads
New Zealand origin, not a test, not empty, not spam, not a supplier, recruiter or marketer. «Ad lead» also requires a Google click marker. Junk rates exclude the businesses' own test submissions and set aside two concentrated spam attacks.
Statistics
Complete calendar months only for monthly and seasonal statistics. September 2026 is partial and excluded from those. Two structural breaks (an account rebuilt in mid-2022; a change of management in mid-2026) are treated as era boundaries. Rates computed from sums, never averaged from row-level ratios. Proportions carry 95% confidence intervals where quoted. Impression share is impression-weighted, then averaged. Every figure was re-derived by a second analyst before publication.
Limitations
Most of the data is Auckland. Search query shares reflect what these advertisers chose to bid on. CRM outcomes are recorded inconsistently by the businesses, so win rates are not published. Phone calls cannot be matched to CRM records reliably, so quote rates cover web leads only. Auction insights were not available. Google's own conversion counts are used only to measure their accuracy.
Optimisation
Findings 23 and 24 come from 182 roofing Google Ads accounts Bluelight audited; an account counts towards a problem if the audit found it at least once. In finding 25, “unoptimised” is the cost per lead in those 182 audited accounts. “Optimised” is the cost per lead in roofing accounts Bluelight has managed for six months or more, either taken over and optimised or set up by Bluelight and running for over six months.
For media and researchers.
The Roofing Ads Report 2026 follows $336,000 of roofing Google Ads spend in New Zealand, 53,508 clicks from November 2020 to September 2026, from the click to the phone call, the form and the written quote, alongside audits of 182 roofing ad accounts. It has 25 findings, each with its chart and sample size.
- Report
- The Roofing Ads Report 2026
- Published
- Data
- November 2020 to September 2026
- Use
- Free to quote and reuse, with a link to this page (CC BY 4.0)
“Most roofers judge their ads on Google’s count, and Google misses up to a quarter of the leads. You can’t fix what you can’t see.”
Want the campaign that produced these numbers?
Everything in this report is what we do for roofing companies every day: independent tracking, an ad schedule from day one, and a landing page built for the person who is actually searching.