Roofing paid search has two states. Most of the year it is a normal local services account competing for replacement and repair demand. After a storm it becomes one of the most expensive auctions in local search, as every roofer in the metro and a wave of out-of-area operators switch on at once. The account that does well in the second state is the one that was built for it before the weather arrived.
Build the storm campaign in advance and leave it paused
Campaign structure, geography, ad copy, landing pages and daily caps should exist before the event, ready to enable. Improvising during a storm is how a quarter's budget disappears in four days at prices nobody agreed to. Ask a prospective agency what its storm playbook is and whether it has one written down for another client. A specific answer is the difference between preparation and enthusiasm.
Set the ceiling before you need it, not during
Costs spike sharply in the days after an event and the temptation is to keep bidding because the calls are coming. Decide in advance what you will stop at, in cost per booked job rather than cost per click, and write it into the plan. The discipline is not about being cautious, it is about the fact that nobody makes good budget decisions while the phone is ringing constantly.
Geography is the biggest leak and it is worse after a storm
Storm campaigns attract clicks from outside the damage area and from homeowners in neighbouring metros. Target the affected area precisely, target presence rather than interest, and review the geographic report daily during an event rather than monthly. This one routine recovers more budget during a storm week than anything else available.
Insurance claim copy is regulated and varies by state
Anything advertising about insurance claims, deductibles or what a homeowner will pay is restricted in ways that differ considerably between states, and several practices common in storm advertising are prohibited outright in some of them. Have the claim-related creative reviewed against your state's rules before it runs, and expect a competent agency to ask which states you operate in before writing any of it.
Fees and account ownership decide what happens afterwards
A percentage of spend during a storm surge means the agency's fee rises exactly when your costs do, so agree a step-down or a cap for surge periods before the season. And create the advertising account under your own ownership with the agency as manager, so the conversion history built during an expensive event stays with you rather than with whoever ran it.
Questions people ask about roofing PPC agency
How expensive are roofing clicks?
Ordinary for a local trade most of the year and among the most expensive in local search after a storm, when every competitor bids at once. Ask any agency to pull current figures for your specific area rather than working from a national average, and to model the storm case separately from the baseline.
Should we run Local Services Ads as well?
They are worth modeling alongside search ads, since they charge per lead rather than per click and leads arrive as calls and messages. Eligibility depends on verification and reviews. Ask for both to be modelled against cost per booked job rather than choosing on principle.
How do we avoid wasting storm budget?
Precise geography, daily review of the geographic and search term reports during the event, a pre-agreed stopping point in cost per booked job, and enough people to answer the phone. The last one is not a marketing item and it is usually the binding constraint.
What should the fee arrangement be?
Whatever it is, agree what happens during a surge, because a straight percentage of spend rises fastest exactly when the spend is least efficient. A step-down above a threshold, or a flat fee with a surge provision, keeps the incentive pointed at cost per booked job.