Google Ads

Step-by-step: launch a simple Google Ads campaign for Chandler roofing companies

Launch a lean Google Search campaign for Chandler roofers in one afternoon — account setup, geo, keywords, ads, tracking, and weekly tune-ups.

By Arizona Strategy · 8 min read
On this page
  1. Before you open Google Ads (15 minutes)
  2. Step 1: Create or open your Google Ads account
  3. Step 2: Install conversion tracking for calls and forms
  4. Step 3: Build a brand Search campaign (30 minutes)
  5. Step 4: Build your first non-brand repair campaign (60–90 minutes)
  6. Step 5: Create one Chandler-focused landing page
  7. Step 6: Launch, then do not touch bids for 48 hours
  8. Step 7: Monday tune-up (30 minutes weekly)
  9. What to add in month two (not day one)
  10. Common mistakes on first Chandler roofing campaigns
  11. When to hire help
  12. Bottom line
  13. FAQ

You can launch a simple, measurable Google Search campaign for a Chandler roofing company in one afternoon — not a perfect account, but a staffable one: right geography, repair-focused keywords, honest ads, one landing page, and call tracking you can review next Monday.

This tutorial assumes you already have a website, a Google Business Profile, and capacity to answer the phone when monsoon season spikes. It does not replace licensing, insurance, or crew safety — it gets you from “we should run Google Ads” to live campaigns without drowning in settings.

Before you open Google Ads (15 minutes)

Complete these checks so clicks are not wasted on a broken foundation:

  1. Google Business Profile — Primary category reflects roofing; services list includes repair, inspection, replacement as applicable; Chandler / East Valley service areas are accurate; fresh job photos from the last 90 days. Use our GBP checklist if anything is stale.
  2. Website basics — Mobile-friendly phone link, ROC number visible, contact form works, SSL active.
  3. Operations — Who answers ads-driven calls? What is callback SLA if busy on a roof? Write it down.
  4. Offer honesty — Only promise same-day or free inspection if true. Chandler homeowners remember bait-and-switch.

If GBP is a mess, fix it in parallel — Map pack calls often cost $0 per click and sit next to your ads.

Step 1: Create or open your Google Ads account

  1. Go to Google Ads and sign in with a work Google account — not a personal Gmail you might lose access to.
  2. If prompted by Google’s setup wizard, choose Skip or Expert mode when available so you control structure (wording varies; look for manual campaign creation).
  3. Confirm time zone and currency (Arizona businesses typically use United States dollar and a Phoenix-aligned time zone).
  4. Link Google Analytics later if you use GA4 — optional for afternoon launch; call tracking matters more for roofers.

Official reference: About Google Ads.

Step 2: Install conversion tracking for calls and forms

Do this before you turn on non-brand spend.

Option A — Calls from ads (extensions):
In Goals → Conversions, set up Phone calls from ads using Google’s call reporting. Follow call reporting help.

Option B — Calls from website:
Use a Google forwarding number on your roofing landing page, or your call tracking vendor’s snippet. Test on your phone — tap call, confirm it registers in Ads within 24–48 hours.

Option C — Form submits:
Thank-you page or event in GA4/GTM — only if forms are reliable; many Chandler roofers still close on the phone.

Mark one primary action: Qualified phone call ≥ 60 seconds is a common starting conversion for repair shops — adjust with your sales cycle.

Step 3: Build a brand Search campaign (30 minutes)

Protect your name before competitors bid it cheaply.

  1. New campaign → Search → Leads or Website traffic (labels vary).
  2. Networks: Search only — uncheck Search Partners and Display Network for this campaign.
  3. Locations: Presence in Chandler + your service cities (see Step 4 geo list).
  4. Keywords (exact/phrase): [Your Company Name], "Your Company Name", common misspellings.
  5. Ads: Simple RSA — headline with brand, “Chandler roofing,” license/insured line, call extension.
  6. Landing page: Homepage or About — brand searches expect you, not a leak page.
  7. Budget: Small daily cap — brand is cheap insurance.

Skip competitor names unless your attorney is fine with it — many local roofers avoid conquest on day one.

Step 4: Build your first non-brand repair campaign (60–90 minutes)

This is the core afternoon project.

4a. Campaign settings

  1. Campaign type: Search.
  2. Goal: Leads — phone calls if that is your close channel.
  3. Networks: Search only (no Display/Search Partners for learning phase).
  4. Locations: Target Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Phoenix subsets you serve — use Enter location for cities or ZIP codes, not “United States.”
  5. Location options: Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations — reduces tourists and wrong-state clicks.
  6. Ad schedule: Match office hours for call extensions; if you offer 24/7 emergency, staff accordingly or note after-hours voicemail with callback promise.
  7. Budget: Set a daily budget you can sustain two weeks — enough for clicks to learn.
  8. Bidding: Start with Maximize conversions only if conversion tracking works; otherwise Maximize clicks with a max CPC cap to prevent runaway costs until data exists.

Google’s walkthrough: Create a Search campaign.

4b. Ad groups — keep it to two or three

Ad group 1 — Roof leak / emergency repair
Keywords (phrase match examples — customize to your services):

  • "roof leak repair"
  • "roof repair chandler"
  • "emergency roof repair"
  • "fix roof leak"

Ad group 2 — Inspection / storm (optional)

  • "roof inspection chandler"
  • "storm damage roof"

Ad group 3 — Replacement (only if you want replacement leads now)
Separate from repair — different ad copy and landing section.

Do not dump all keywords into one ad group — message match suffers.

4c. Negative keywords (seed list)

Add at campaign level before launch:

  • free, cheap, diy, how to, tutorial, jobs, hiring, salary, course
  • metal, solar, gutter cleaning — if you do not offer them
  • states and cities you never serve

Expand weekly from the search terms report.

4d. Responsive search ads (RSAs)

Write 3–5 headlines and 2–3 descriptions per ad group. Include:

  • Service + city: Roof Leak Repair — Chandler
  • Trust: Licensed ROC • Insured • Local Crew
  • Action: Call for Same-Day Leak Triage (only if true)
  • Proof: Tile & Shingle Repair in East Valley (if accurate)

Pin a city headline only if Google’s combinations stay readable — avoid robotic pinning.

4e. Extensions

  • Call extension — shop cell or tracked number
  • Location extension — link GBP
  • Sitelinks — Inspection, Contact, Gallery (if pages exist)
  • Callouts — Free Estimates (if true), Storm Response, Tile Specialists, etc.

Extensions lift CTR; they also expose broken operations if nobody answers the extension number.

Step 5: Create one Chandler-focused landing page

If you only have a homepage, duplicate and simplify for ads:

  1. URL path: /roof-leak-repair-chandler or similar — stable, no dates.
  2. Hero: Match ad promise — leak repair, Chandler / East Valley.
  3. Phone button sticky on mobile.
  4. Form above the fold optional — four fields max.
  5. Photos from local jobs — tile in Sun Lakes, shingle in Ocotillo, etc., where permitted.
  6. FAQ block — “Do you work with insurance?” answer honestly without practicing law.

Point all non-brand ads to this page until you build material-specific pages.

Step 6: Launch, then do not touch bids for 48 hours

  1. Review campaign — locations, budgets, ad groups, extensions.
  2. Publish.
  3. Search your keywords on a phone (incognito or ad preview tool) — confirm ads show for Chandler, not wrong states.
  4. Click your own ad once — know it costs money; use the Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool instead for routine checks.

First 48 hours: watch impressions, clicks, and search terms — not panic CPC.

Step 7: Monday tune-up (30 minutes weekly)

Make this recurring:

  1. Search terms report — add negatives for DIY, wrong material, wrong geo.
  2. Calls recording sample — are callers asking for services you sell?
  3. Devices — if mobile drives calls, prioritize mobile page speed.
  4. Auction insights — who else shows for Chandler terms? Inform copy, not obsession.
  5. CRM sheet — Ads vs GBP vs referral booked inspections this week.

If search terms are mostly junk, tighten match types before raising budget.

Illustrative time budget for afternoon launch (planning example)
  • Pre-flight GBP + site15min
  • Conversions + call tracking30min
  • Brand campaign30min
  • Non-brand campaign + ads75min
  • Landing page tweaks45min
  • Launch QA15min

Illustrative — adjust for your site and verification status.

What to add in month two (not day one)

  • Second landing page for tile vs shingle if ad groups split
  • Remarketing only with budget and creative — storm season photo sets
  • Local Services Ads if licensed and reviewed — compare to Search with LSA vs Search for plumbers (framework applies to many trades)
  • SEO service pages for compounding — see Google Ads vs SEO patterns for channel balance

Afternoon Search launch (Chandler roofing)

Pros

  • Live coverage for leak and repair intent while SEO compounding builds
  • Clear search terms teach real Chandler/East Valley language
  • Easy to pause or throttle when crews are booked after storms
  • Pairs with GBP Map pack for blended visibility on the SERP

Cons

  • CPCs can sting if negatives and match types are neglected
  • One landing page limits message match for replacement vs repair
  • Without CRM discipline, ROI debates turn into guesswork
  • Does not fix slow answer times — operations still dominate close rate

Common mistakes on first Chandler roofing campaigns

  • Broad match roof with no negatives — pays for education and career searches
  • Ads to homepage — weak Quality Score, confused homeowners
  • National targeting — Arizona is big; exclude where trucks never go
  • No brand campaign — competitors steal branded searches for cents
  • Display Network on — burns budget on apps and games
  • Tracking off — scaling blind
  • Identical ads for repair and replacement — wrong expectations and bad reviews

When to hire help

Stay DIY if you can commit to weekly search term reviews and honest landing pages. Consider help when:

  • You need multiple cities and services without doorway spam
  • PMax, LSAs, and Search should coexist and reporting must reconcile
  • Landing pages and CRO stall while crews are busy — common in fall reroof season

Keep in-house: estimating, storm response, review asks, and job photos. Agencies should not be the voice on your customer’s roof.

Bottom line

Launch brand + one repair Search campaign, Chandler-focused geo, honest RSAs, one leak-repair landing page, and call tracking — then improve every Monday from search terms and recorded calls. That rhythm beats a perfect account that never goes live.

Keep reading: GBP checklist for Phoenix service businesses · Call tracking & speed-to-lead · Local Services Ads vs Search (comparison framework) · Google Ads vs SEO channel split

Frequently asked questions

How much budget does a new Chandler roofing Google Ads campaign need?

Start with a weekly cap you can afford to learn on, not a number copied from a Facebook group. Google Search bills per click; roofing CPCs in Phoenix and the East Valley vary by season (monsoon damage, winter rains, spring inspections).

Practical starting points for a single non-brand Search campaign focused on Chandler and nearby cities:

  • Learning phase: a modest daily budget that produces enough clicks to judge search terms in 7–14 days — often a few hundred dollars per week for competitive repair terms, less if you target narrower services first
  • Brand defense: a small separate budget — sometimes $5–$20 per day — so competitors do not own your company name cheaply
  • Avoid launching five campaigns on day one; one repair-focused campaign plus brand is enough for an afternoon setup

Raise budget only when:

  • Phones are answered and estimates are scheduled — see speed-to-lead habits
  • Search term reports show mostly relevant queries after negatives
  • Cost per booked inspection beats your gut-check vs referrals — track booked jobs, not clicks

Monsoon weeks can justify temporary increases if crews have capacity. Pull back when the board is full — paying for clicks you cannot book trains the algorithm on the wrong outcome.

Want a second opinion on structure before you spend? Request a free audit.

What keywords should Chandler roofers use in a first Google Ads campaign?

Begin with problem and service specificity, not every roofing term in Arizona. Match keywords to jobs you actually staff and want more of — not just highest volume.

Strong first-campaign themes for Chandler and East Valley roofing:

  • Repair intent: roof leak repair, shingle repair, tile roof repair, emergency roof leak
  • Inspection / storm: roof inspection, storm damage roof, monsoon roof damage (use honestly — only if you handle insurance documentation you are qualified to discuss)
  • Replacement (if you sell it): roof replacement + city modifiers — separate ad group from repair
  • Material-specific: tile roof repair Chandler, flat roof repair — if that is your crew’s skill set
  • Brand: your company name variants — own your name in a brand campaign

Match type guidance for beginners:

  • Start with phrase match on core terms; add exact match winners after you see search terms
  • Avoid broad match until negatives and conversion tracking are mature
  • Build a negative list early: DIY, jobs, salary, school, free, cheap, metal roofing if you do not install it, solar if you do not touch it

Geo: layer Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Phoenix only where trucks roll — use location options in Google Ads and exclude areas you never serve. Pair paid with Google Business Profile work so Map pack and ads tell the same service story.

Do Chandler roofing companies need a separate landing page for Google Ads?

Yes — send repair clicks to a repair page, not a generic homepage. Quality Score and conversion rate both suffer when the ad promises “same-day leak repair in Chandler” and the page shows a gallery of unrelated commercial projects.

Minimum viable roofing landing page:

  • Headline matches the ad above the fold — city + service (e.g., roof leak repair in Chandler)
  • Click-to-call prominent on mobile — most East Valley roofing searches happen on phones
  • Short form optional — name, phone, address, brief issue description
  • Trust: ROC license, insurance, local photos, review snippets — no stock house photos
  • Honest scope: what happens on a leak call vs full replacement sales process
  • Fast load on mobile networks — compress images from job sites

One page is enough for afternoon launch if you have a single campaign. Add pages later for tile vs shingle vs flat when you split ad groups.

If you also run Local Services Ads or heavy Map pack traffic, keep NAP and offers consistent across GBP, site, and ads. Inconsistent phone numbers break call tracking.

How do I track phone calls from Google Ads for my roofing company?

If you cannot attribute calls, do not scale spend. Roofing owners often guess which keyword booked a $14k replacement — that guess gets expensive.

Tracking options from simplest to stronger:

  • Google call reporting with call extensions and/or website call assets tied to the Ads account — good for proving Ads drove some calls, limited for offline CRM detail
  • One dedicated forwarding number on the landing page used only for that campaign — easy spreadsheet attribution
  • Dynamic number insertion (DNI) on the site by source — stronger, needs cleaner implementation so GBP numbers do not flicker wrong
  • CRM field: Source = Google Ads + Booked inspection Y/N + revenue bucket entered weekly by office staff

Operational rules:

  • Train dispatch to ask “What did you search for?” when polite — validates search term reports
  • Record voicemail callback time — slow callback makes Ads look “bad” when operations caused the loss
  • Compare cost per booked job, not platform “conversions” if your conversion is only a 60-second call

Read the full East Valley playbook: call tracking and speed-to-lead. Fix tracking before you launch a second campaign.

Should Chandler roofers use Performance Max instead of Search for leads?

For a first campaign you can finish in an afternoon, stick with Google Search. Performance Max (PMax) blends multiple inventories — Search, Display, YouTube, Discover, and more — with less transparent keyword control. It can work later with strong conversion data and creative assets; it is a poor learning tool on day one.

Search first because:

  • Search terms report teaches how Chandler homeowners phrase leak vs replacement intent
  • Negatives are manageable when match types are tight
  • Message match on a single landing page is easier to debug
  • You can add brand and competitor (if appropriate) campaigns without feeding everything into one black box

Consider PMax or add Display/YouTube after 30–60 days when:

  • You have 20+ real conversions in the account (calls or forms you trust)
  • Photo and video assets from real Chandler/Gilbert jobs exist — not stock
  • Someone reviews insights and search themes weekly

Map pack and SEO still matter — Ads do not replace local SEO fundamentals. Many roofers win blended strategies: Search for controlled demand, GBP for unpaid local visibility, optional LSAs if your license and reviews qualify.

Sources & further reading

Arizona Strategy

Arizona Strategy helps Phoenix Valley service businesses grow with local SEO, Google Ads, lead systems, and practical AI automation. Request a free audit.

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