Google Ads Campaign for Metal Roof Replacement
The 30-second recipe
- Start with
- Google Search campaign targeting metal roof replacement and metal roofing cost keywords
- Add next
- Google Demand Gen campaign using before/after creative and testimonial video — add it once the Search campaign has logged 20–30 quote-form conversions and you have a retargeting audience of at least 500 users
- Not yet
- Performance Max — not until you have 30–50 conversions in the account; without that history PMax has nothing to optimize toward and will burn budget on low-intent placements
- Wait for
- Roughly 20–30 quote-form or call conversions from Search before adding any second campaign layer
- Measure
- Cost per qualified lead (quote form submission or tracked inbound call), lead-to-appointment rate reported by your CRM, and impression share lost to budget on your top 5 keywords
The whole recipe is below ↓
This is a recipe, not a guarantee. How well any ad campaign performs depends on things no recipe can control: your budget, how crowded and expensive your industry's auctions are, the products you sell and what you charge for them, how well your website actually converts visitors, the quality of your customer support, your reviews and reputation, your creative, and plain timing. A perfect recipe on top of a weak offer or a broken website will still lose money — ads amplify what's already there, good or bad.
The budgets shown are suggestions only — yours could and should vary with your available funds and your goals. Follow this recipe with caution: make sure every step lines up with your budget and your business, and edit where necessary. We explain why each step exists, but nothing here is one-size-fits-all. Before you spend a dollar, be blunt with yourself about the list above — get your house in order, then use the recipe to learn and test. That's what it's for.
Check the rules that govern your industry before you run anything. Plenty of businesses carry advertising obligations that have nothing to do with the ad platforms: licensing boards, professional advertising standards, rules about what you may claim and how you must substantiate it, age restrictions, and consent laws covering email, texting, and calling. Those rules are yours to know, they vary by state and country, and they override any step in this recipe.
If you work in a licensed or regulated field — health and medical, legal, financial and lending, insurance, real estate, alcohol, firearms, cannabis, childcare, education, anything with a board or a license behind it — confirm what applies to you before you spend a dollar, and ask your attorney or your licensing body if you are not certain. Nothing on this site is legal advice.
This recipe runs entirely on Google Ads, starting with a tightly themed Search campaign to intercept homeowners actively researching metal roof replacement, then layering in a Demand Gen campaign once conversion data exists. Search comes first because metal roof replacement is a high-intent, search-driven purchase — buyers are already typing specific queries before they ever call anyone. Social platforms can work for this category but require a different creative approach and deserve their own recipe.
This is for roofing companies that already have an ad account, conversion tracking, and a landing page — and want one well-built campaign specifically for metal roofing, not a general roofing catch-all. Metal roof replacement sits at $15,000–$30,000+ for most residential jobs, carries a 4–12 week consideration cycle, and competes against asphalt shingle re-roofing on price and against other metal roofing contractors on trust and warranty. The recipe is built around those realities.
What can you afford to pay for a customer?
Advertising can only cost what's left after everything else. Put in what a typical order looks like and this works out the rest.
These are your numbers as you've typed them. Connect your store and we'll work this out from your actual orders instead — including the costs most people forget.
Prerequisites Checklist
Before spending a dollar, confirm every item below is in place. If you are missing more than one or two of these, stop and build the foundation first using a from-scratch roofing company recipe before returning here.
- Google Ads account — active, billing confirmed, no policy holds
- Conversion tracking — at minimum: quote form submission (Google tag or imported GA4 goal) and a call conversion from the website phone number (Google forwarding number or tag-based call tracking), both firing correctly in Tag Assistant
- Dedicated landing page — a page specifically about metal roof replacement (not your homepage), with a headline, 3–5 trust signals (years in business, warranty length, financing available), a short photo gallery, and a form above the fold; page load under 3 seconds on mobile
- Google Business Profile — claimed, verified, and showing your service area; this feeds Local ad extensions
- Call tracking number — a trackable number on the landing page, distinct from your main business line, so calls from ads are attributable
- Offer clarity — you know what you are leading with: free inspection, free estimate, financing, warranty length, or a combination; this must be on the landing page before ads go live
- Licensing note — roofing contractors are licensed trades in most U.S. states and Canadian provinces; verify that your advertising claims (warranty language, workmanship guarantees, financing offers) comply with your state contractor licensing board's advertising rules and any applicable consumer protection regulations, as these vary by jurisdiction and override anything in this recipe
Make sure your tracking is actually working before you spend money. A quote form that fires a conversion tag, a tracked phone number, and a landing page built specifically for metal roofing — not your homepage — are the minimum. If any of those are missing, fix them first or your data will be garbage from day one. Also check that your license and any warranty or financing claims you plan to advertise are compliant with your state's contractor advertising rules.
New to "funnel" talk? What top, middle, and bottom mean
Think of every person who could ever buy from you as water moving through a funnel. Top of funnel is strangers — people who've never heard of the business. Campaigns here buy attention and first visits, not sales, so expect cheap clicks and few purchases. Middle of funnel is people who've shown interest — they visited, engaged, or are comparing options. Campaigns here re-engage and build the case. Bottom of funnel is people ready to buy right now — searching for exactly what you sell or abandoning a cart. Campaigns here convert; the clicks cost the most because the intent is worth the most. Full funnel means automated campaigns that work every stage at once. One thing that surprises people: recipes usually start at the bottom — capture the demand that already exists before spending money creating new demand at the top.
Search Campaign — Metal Roof Replacement Intent
This is the core campaign. It targets homeowners who are already in research or decision mode for metal roofing — the highest-value traffic you can buy. Use a single campaign with two tightly themed ad groups: (1) metal roof replacement / re-roofing, and (2) metal roof cost / pricing. Keep them separate so you can write ads that match the specific intent of each group and see which converts at a lower CPL. Bid strategy starts on Maximize Conversions with a target CPA set only after you have 20+ conversions; before that, let it spend to gather data.
Ad copy must speak to the metal-specific value proposition — longevity (40–70 years), energy savings, insurance discounts, and never replacing a roof again — not generic roofing language. Every ad should include price anchoring ("Roofs starting at $X" or "Free estimate — most metal roofs run $15K–$30K") to pre-qualify clicks and reduce wasted spend from budget-shoppers who will never convert at your price point.
Google Search ads for roofing are not subject to a Special Ad Category, but if you advertise financing, ensure your financing disclosures comply with Regulation Z / Truth in Lending Act requirements in your jurisdiction.
Reminder: budget figures are suggestions — scale to your funds and goals.
Targets high-intent queries from homeowners actively researching or ready to request a metal roof quote — the bottom of the funnel where purchase intent is explicit.
- In Google Ads, click + New campaign → select the 'Leads' goal → choose 'Search' as the campaign type → click Continue.
- Name the campaign 'Search — Metal Roof Replacement | [City/Region]'. Set the network to Search only — uncheck 'Include Google search partners' for the first 30 days (add it back later if CPL is acceptable), and uncheck 'Display Network'.
- Set location targeting to your actual service radius — use 'Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations' (not 'Presence or interest'). Target by zip codes or a radius around your office, not the whole state.
- Set language to English (add Spanish if you serve Spanish-speaking homeowners). Set start date to today, no end date.
- Bidding: choose 'Conversions' → select 'Maximize conversions'. Do NOT set a Target CPA yet — leave it blank until you have 20+ conversions. Check 'Set a maximum CPC bid limit' and enter $25 to cap runaway bids while learning.
- Create Ad Group 1: name it 'Metal Roof Replacement'. Add the phrase and exact match keywords from the keyword list for replacement intent. Set ad group default bid to $15.
- Create Ad Group 2: name it 'Metal Roof Cost & Pricing'. Add the phrase and exact match keywords from the keyword list for cost/pricing intent. Set ad group default bid to $12 (cost queries convert slightly lower).
- In each ad group, create one Responsive Search Ad (RSA): write 10–15 headlines and 4 descriptions. Pin Headline 1 to your primary value prop ('Metal Roofs That Last 50+ Years') and Headline 2 to a local trust signal ('[City]'s Trusted Metal Roofing Contractor'). Include price anchoring and a clear CTA ('Get Your Free Estimate Today') in descriptions. Do not use trademarked brand names (e.g., specific metal panel manufacturers) in ad text unless you are an authorized dealer with written permission.
- Add extensions: Location extension (linked to your Google Business Profile), Call extension (your tracked number, set to your business hours), Sitelink extensions (4 minimum: 'Metal Roof Cost Guide', 'Our Metal Roof Gallery', 'Financing Available', 'About Our Warranty'), Callout extensions ('50-Year Warranty', 'Free Estimates', 'Licensed & Insured', 'Energy Star Rated').
- Add all negative keywords from the negative keyword list at the campaign level before launch. Set conversion actions to 'Quote Form Submission' and 'Phone Call from Ad' — both must be active.
"metal roof replacement"
"metal roofing contractor"
"metal roof installation"
"replace roof with metal"
"metal roof replacement cost"
"cost of metal roof replacement"
"metal roofing cost per square"
"how much does a metal roof cost"
"metal roof estimate"
"metal roofing company near me"
[metal roof replacement]
[metal roofing contractor]
[metal roof installation cost]
[replace shingles with metal roof]
[metal roof estimate]
[standing seam metal roof cost]
[metal roofing companies near me]
[residential metal roofing contractor]
metal roofing jobs
metal roofing careers
DIY metal roof
metal roof repair
metal roofing sheets wholesale
metal roofing screws
metal roofing panels for sale
metal roofing training
how to install metal roof yourself
free metal roof
metal roofing apprenticeship
This campaign catches people who are already Googling things like "metal roof replacement cost" or "metal roofing contractor near me" — the closest thing to a hand-raiser you can buy. Two ad groups keep the messaging tight: one for people looking to replace their roof with metal, one for people researching what it costs. Separate groups mean you can write ads that match exactly what each person is thinking. Start with Google controlling the bids to gather data, then dial in a target cost-per-lead once you have enough conversions to make that meaningful. Be honest about price in the ads — it filters out people who will never pay for a metal roof and saves you money on wasted clicks.
Conversion Rate Audit — Before Scaling Budget
After the first 2–3 weeks, pull a Search Terms report and a conversion path report before touching bids or budget. This phase is not a campaign — it is a mandatory checkpoint that determines whether scaling will make money or just burn more of it.
- Search terms: add any converting terms not already in your keyword list as exact match; add any irrelevant terms as negatives. Expect to find 10–20 new negatives in the first month.
- Ad strength: RSAs should be 'Good' or 'Excellent'; if they are 'Poor', add more unique headlines.
- Landing page: check bounce rate and form completion rate in GA4. If fewer than 3–5% of clicks become leads, the landing page — not the ads — is the problem. No amount of bid adjustment fixes a broken landing page.
- Lead quality: call or email every lead and log whether they are in your service area, own their home, and have a realistic budget. If more than 40% of leads are unqualified, tighten geo targeting or add more price anchoring to ads.
- CPL reality check: metal roofing CPL typically runs $80–$250+ in competitive markets. If your CPL is in that range and leads are qualifying, the campaign is working. If CPL is under $50, check that your conversion tags are not double-firing.
Results here depend heavily on your landing page quality, offer strength, and local competition — the campaign settings alone do not determine CPL.
Reminder: budget figures are suggestions — scale to your funds and goals.
Two to three weeks in, stop and look at what is actually happening before you spend more. Pull the search terms report — you will almost certainly find searches you need to block (roofing jobs, DIY installs, repair-only queries). Check whether people who click are actually filling out the form. If your close rate on leads is low, figure out whether the leads are bad quality or whether your sales follow-up needs work. A $150–$250 cost per lead is normal for metal roofing in a competitive city — if your numbers are in that range and the leads are real homeowners, the campaign is doing its job.
Smart Bidding Transition — Target CPA
Once you have 20–30 conversions recorded in the account (form submissions plus calls combined), switch the Search campaign from Maximize Conversions to Target CPA. Set the initial Target CPA at 20–30% above your actual average CPL from the first 30 days — do not set it at your ideal CPL immediately, or Smart Bidding will throttle impressions too aggressively while it adjusts.
Example: if your average CPL over the first 30 days is $180, set Target CPA at $220–$230. After 2 more weeks of stable data, reduce it by $10–$15 increments toward your actual target. Never reduce Target CPA by more than 15–20% in a single change — large drops cause the algorithm to pull back spend sharply and restart the learning period.
At this stage you can also enable Search Partners if you turned them off at launch — test for 2 weeks and compare CPL to Google Search alone. Cut Search Partners if CPL is more than 30% higher.
Scaling rule: once Target CPA is stable and CPL is at or below your target for two consecutive weeks, increase daily budget by 15–20% increments. Do not double the budget in one move — it restarts the learning period.
Reminder: budget figures are suggestions — scale to your funds and goals.
Once you have about 20–30 leads tracked in the system, switch from 'spend as much as you can' mode to 'spend efficiently' mode by giving Google a target cost per lead. Set that target a bit higher than what you actually want — Google needs room to work — then nudge it down slowly over the following weeks. Think of it like adjusting a thermostat: small moves, wait for the system to settle, then move again. When your cost per lead is consistently where you want it, you can start increasing the daily budget in modest steps.
Demand Gen Campaign — Nurture and Retargeting Unlock
This campaign exists because metal roof replacement has a 4–12 week consideration cycle. Many homeowners who clicked your Search ad and did not convert are still in-market — they are comparing contractors, getting multiple estimates, or waiting for budget approval. Demand Gen keeps your brand visible to those people across YouTube, Gmail, and Discover without requiring a separate Display campaign.
Unlock criteria: do not launch this until (a) your Search campaign has 20–30 conversions, (b) your website audience in Google Ads has at least 500 users (check Audience Manager → Your data segments), and (c) you have at least one video asset — even a 30-second smartphone walkthrough of a completed metal roof job is sufficient.
Audience strategy: use 'Your data' segments (website visitors, quote form abandoners) as the primary audience. Layer in Google's in-market segment 'Home Improvement > Roofing' as a secondary audience to reach new prospects who match the buyer profile but have not visited your site yet.
Creative: before/after roof photos, a short testimonial video (homeowner on camera, 20–45 seconds), and a 'Is a metal roof right for your home?' angle that addresses the cost objection directly. Do not use competitor brand names in creative or targeting.
Reminder: budget figures are suggestions — scale to your funds and goals.
Re-engages homeowners who visited the site or requested a quote but did not book, keeping the business visible during the 4–12 week metal roofing consideration cycle.
- In Google Ads, click + New campaign → select 'Leads' goal → choose 'Demand Gen' as the campaign type → click Continue.
- Name the campaign 'Demand Gen — Metal Roof Nurture | [City/Region]'. Set location and language to match your Search campaign exactly.
- Bidding: choose 'Maximize conversions'. Do not set a Target CPA until this campaign has its own 15–20 conversions.
- Set daily budget at 20–30% of your Search campaign budget (e.g., if Search runs $100/day, set this at $20–$30/day). This is a support campaign, not the primary driver.
- Create Ad Group 1 — 'Site Visitors Retargeting': add your 'All website visitors — last 90 days' audience and 'Quote form abandoners — last 90 days' audience (both from Your data segments in Audience Manager). Set audience match type to 'Targeting' (not Observation).
- Create Ad Group 2 — 'In-Market Prospecting': add Google in-market audience 'Home Services > Roofing' and 'Home Improvement > Exterior Improvements'. Set to 'Targeting'. This reaches new prospects who have not visited your site.
- Upload creative assets: at minimum one landscape image (1200×628) showing a completed metal roof, one square image (1200×1200), and one video asset (16:9, 15–30 seconds). Write 5 headlines (40 chars max) and 5 descriptions (90 chars max) focused on longevity, warranty, and energy savings — not generic roofing language.
- Set the final URL to your metal roof replacement landing page (same page as Search campaign). Enable URL tracking parameters so you can distinguish Demand Gen traffic in GA4.
- Add brand safety exclusions: exclude 'Sensitive content' categories and any placement topics irrelevant to homeowners. Review placement reports after 2 weeks and exclude low-quality sites manually.
- Monitor this campaign separately from Search. If CPL from Demand Gen exceeds 2× your Search CPL after 30 days, pause the prospecting ad group and run retargeting only until you can improve creative.
After your Search campaign is running well and you have a real audience of past visitors, this campaign follows those people around YouTube, Gmail, and Google's news feed with your before/after photos and customer testimonials. Metal roofing is not an impulse buy — homeowners often take weeks to decide. This keeps you top of mind during that window. You need at least 500 past visitors before this is worth running; below that the audience is too small and the budget gets wasted. A simple phone video of a finished roof job is enough to start.
Scaling Rules and When to Cut
- Scale (increase budget 15–20%): Target CPA stable for 14+ days, CPL at or below target, impression share lost to budget above 15%, lead-to-appointment rate above 50%
- Hold (no changes): CPL within 20% of target but fluctuating, fewer than 20 conversions in the last 30 days, recent bid strategy or budget change still in learning period (watch the 'Learning' status badge)
- Cut or restructure: CPL more than 2× target for 3+ consecutive weeks with no improvement after negative keyword additions and landing page changes; search terms report showing majority of spend on irrelevant queries despite negatives; lead quality below 50% qualified (in-area homeowner, realistic budget) for 4+ weeks
- Seasonal note: metal roofing demand peaks in spring (March–May) and early fall (September–October) in most North American markets. Increase budgets 20–30% entering those windows. Reduce budgets in December–January when homeowner decision-making slows, but do not pause entirely — winter clicks are cheaper and can fill your spring pipeline.
- Competitor context: if a large national roofing brand enters your market and CPCs spike, do not match their bids dollar for dollar. Tighten geo targeting to your highest-converting zip codes and let them overpay for broad coverage.
Reminder: budget figures are suggestions — scale to your funds and goals.
Scale when your cost per lead is consistently where you want it and you are losing ground just because your budget runs out. Hold when things are working but you do not have enough data yet to be sure. Cut when you have genuinely tried to fix the campaign — better negatives, better landing page, better ads — and the numbers still do not work after 6–8 weeks. Seasonally, push harder in spring and early fall when homeowners are most likely to pull the trigger on a big project, and ease off in deep winter — but stay on, because winter clicks are cheaper and the people who do convert in January often become your first spring jobs.
The recipe card
- Before anything else: confirm the advertising rules for your own industry and location — licensing board requirements, professional advertising standards, what you may claim, age restrictions, and consent rules for email, texting, and calling. They override every step below.
- Start with a tightly themed Google Search campaign split into two ad groups: replacement intent and cost/pricing intent — keep them separate to match ad copy to buyer mindset.
- Metal roof replacement CPCs run $8–$25+ in most metros; budget at least $75–$150/day or you will not generate enough clicks for Smart Bidding to function.
- Price-anchor your ads ('most metal roofs run $15K–$30K') to pre-qualify clicks and filter out budget shoppers who will never convert at your ticket size.
- Do not switch to Target CPA bidding until you have 20–30 conversions — before that, Smart Bidding has nothing to learn from and will throttle or misallocate spend.
- The buying cycle is 4–12 weeks; expect pipeline impact to lag ad spend by at least a month, and use Demand Gen to stay visible to homeowners still comparing contractors.
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Talk to Gorilla PublicRecipes on this site are educational, not legal advice, and not a guarantee of results. You are responsible for each platform's ad policies and for any laws, licensing rules, or consent requirements that apply to your industry and location.