What generating more than 5,000 roofing leads taught one marketing company

By Rocket Marketing.

After helping roofing contractors generate 5,003 leads, Rocket Marketing shares five findings that could help contractors make smarter marketing decisions.

Every roofing contractor wants more leads. But where should they invest their marketing dollars to generate them? After generating 5,003 roofing leads across four Google marketing channels, Rocket Marketing has some numbers worth examining.

The roofing marketing company tracked leads generated through Google Local Services Ads (LSA), Google Maps, search engine optimization (SEO) and Google Ads. The findings show some interesting differences in the areas where potential roofing customers came from. 

Nearly half of all leads came from Google Local Services Ads

Of the 5,003 roofing leads recorded, 2,455 came from Google Local Services Ads, which is 49.1% of all the leads. Google Local Services Ads generated more leads than any other channel, accounting for nearly half of all recorded inquiries. This shows roofing contractors the potential of appearing in Google's Local Services Ads when homeowners are searching actively for roofing services. Yet the amount of leads alone does not give the full picture. Contractors should also take into account the cost of obtaining those leads, the number that are qualified and the number that eventually turn into paying customers.

Google Maps generated more leads than traditional SEO

One of the more interesting findings was the performance of Google Maps compared with traditional organic search. Google Maps generated 1,107 leads, accounting for 22.1% of the total. SEO generated 1,069 leads, representing 21.4%. It therefore means that Google Maps generated a slightly higher number of recorded leads than traditional SEO.

The difference was fairly small—only 38 leads—but the results show that roofing contractors should not ignore their Google Business Profile when putting together an online marketing strategy. A company which provides roofing services can put a great deal of effort into improving its website's organic rankings and thus fail to take advantage of the chances to reach homeowners who are using Google's local search results.

Organic search and maps accounted for 43.5% of leads

The total number of leads obtained through Google Maps and SEO was 2,176 roofing leads, which amounts to 43.5% of the total. This is surprising since the biggest benefit of SEO and Google Maps is that there is no cost per lead or click. But that doesn't mean they are free. Roofing SEO and Google Business Profile optimization will cost you time (do it yourself), money (pay someone else to do it), or both (hybrid). These results confirm that roofing contractors can obtain other ways of generating leads without having to pay Google for each interaction. Not only is that true, but you’re also losing out on about 43% of potential leads if you don’t prioritize a well-optimized website and a strong Google Business Profile.

Google Ads generated the fewest leads — But there's more to the story

Google Ads accounted for 372 leads, or 7.4% of the total. At first glance, that might suggest Google Ads was the least effective channel. However, comparing lead totals without considering advertising budgets, campaign durations and cost per lead would be misleading. A channel generating fewer leads could still deliver excellent results if those leads are highly qualified or convert into larger roofing projects.

Rocket Marketing saw this firsthand when several Google Ads inquiries developed into larger commercial roofing opportunities, demonstrating why lead value can matter more than lead volume. For contractors, the important lesson is to evaluate marketing channels based on business results, not simply the number of inquiries generated.

Relying on one marketing channel means missing other opportunities

Perhaps the most important finding is that 2,548 leads, more than half of the total, came from sources other than Google Local Services Ads. Although LSA generated the largest share, Google Maps, SEO and Google Ads collectively accounted for 50.9% of recorded leads. A roofing contractor relying exclusively on LSA would not be reaching homeowners through those other channels.

This doesn't mean every roofing company should invest equally in all four. Marketing budgets should reflect local competition, business goals and actual campaign performance. But the results demonstrate the value of understanding where potential customers are searching and evaluating more than one lead generation strategy.

What roofing contractors can take away

After generating more than 5,000 roofing leads, one conclusion stands out: No single marketing channel accounted for a majority of the recorded results. Google Local Services Ads was the largest individual contributor, while Google Maps and organic search together generated thousands of additional opportunities.

For roofing contractors who are deciding where to allocate their funds, the data indicates that they should begin by using Google Local Services Ads to capture homeowners actively searching for a roofer, and at the same time make investments in Google Maps and SEO to generate further lead sources that do not require paying Google for each lead.