How to Generate Roofing Leads Year-Round with PPC

Most roofing companies treat Google Ads like a storm siren -- they flip campaigns on after hail hits and go dark the rest of the year. It feels logical. Demand spikes during storm season, so you spend during storm season. But that reactive approach leaves 7-8 months of pipeline empty and forces you to restart from zero every spring. Managing PPC for roofing companies across multiple markets taught us that the firms generating $80K-$150K/month in revenue year-round are the ones running ads in every season -- not just the ones with the biggest storm-season budgets.

Over the past two years we've tracked performance data across $210K/month in combined roofing ad spend. The pattern is consistent: contractors who maintain always-on campaigns through fall and winter generate 38% more annual revenue than storm-only advertisers, even though their off-season cost per lead is often lower. Here's the full playbook for keeping your pipeline full 12 months a year.

Why Most Roofers Only Advertise During Storm Season

The math seems simple on the surface. Storm damage creates urgent demand. Homeowners file insurance claims. Jobs are large -- $8,000 to $20,000 replacements paid by insurance. Why would you advertise when there's no storm?

Three reasons roofers default to storm-only campaigns:

• Visible demand spikes are addictive. When hail hits and the phone rings 40 times in a day, it feels like the only season that matters. But those same contractors scramble to cover overhead in January.
• Agencies push reactive spending. Many PPC agencies scale budgets up and down with search volume, which feels data-driven but actually starves the algorithm of the learning data it needs to optimize.
• Off-season services feel less profitable. A $400 maintenance inspection doesn't excite anyone the way a $15,000 replacement does. But that inspection is the entry point to a replacement conversation 6-12 months later.

The real cost of going dark for 7 months is not just lost leads -- it's lost algorithm training. When you pause campaigns, Google forgets everything it learned about which zip codes, demographics, and devices convert. You re-enter the auction in spring as a brand-new advertiser competing against established accounts with 12 months of conversion data. That penalty alone costs 25-40% more per lead in the first 4-6 weeks back.

The Roofing Demand Calendar

Search volume for roofing keywords follows a predictable annual pattern. Understanding it lets you plan budgets and campaign types that match the opportunity in each season -- not just the obvious peaks.

The critical insight: CPCs drop 40-60% in the off-season months. That means your cost per lead in November can be half what it is in June -- and those leads often face less competition for their attention. When you're the only roofer advertising in December, you own 90%+ impression share instead of fighting 15 competitors for 12%.

Off-Season Campaign Types That Fill Your Pipeline

Storm season campaigns target urgent, insurance-driven demand. Off-season campaigns require a different approach -- you're targeting homeowners with non-emergency needs who are planning, budgeting, or maintaining their property. Here are the campaign types that work.

Roof Maintenance and Inspection Campaigns

Annual roof inspections are the gateway to replacement conversations. A homeowner who books a $200-$400 inspection in October becomes a $12,000 replacement lead in March when you show them photos of deteriorating shingles.

Keywords to target:

• "roof inspection near me"
• "annual roof maintenance [city]"
• "roof checkup before winter"
• "fall roof inspection"
• "roof maintenance plan"

Landing page approach: Offer a fixed-price inspection ($149-$299) with a report card that grades the roof's condition. Include financing pre-approval for any recommended work. Conversion rate on inspection offers averages 8-12% because the commitment is low and the value is clear.

Gutter and Drainage Campaigns

Gutter work peaks in fall and early winter -- a season most roofing advertisers ignore entirely. If your crews handle gutters, this is free revenue from a keyword category with CPCs under $15.

Keywords to target:

• "gutter installation near me"
• "gutter replacement cost"
• "gutter cleaning service [city]"
• "seamless gutters [city]"
• "gutter guard installation"

These jobs average $1,500-$4,000 and keep your crews productive during slow months. More importantly, every gutter customer is a warm lead for roofing work when their roof ages out.

Insulation and Energy Efficiency Campaigns

Winter is when homeowners feel their energy bills. Attic insulation, ventilation upgrades, and radiant barriers are all services a roofing company can upsell -- and the keyword competition from roofers is nearly zero.

Keywords to target:

• "attic insulation cost"
• "attic insulation contractor near me"
• "blown-in insulation [city]"
• "roof ventilation improvement"
• "energy audit for home"

Average job value sits between $1,500 and $5,000. CPCs run $8-$18 because you're competing with insulation contractors, not other roofers. And every attic visit is a chance to inspect the roof from the inside.

New Construction and Builder Partnerships

New construction roofing doesn't follow storm patterns -- it follows building permits. Target builders, general contractors, and developers who need roofing subcontractors.

Keywords to target:

• "roofing subcontractor [city]"
• "new construction roofer"
• "commercial roofing bid [city]"
• "roofing contractor for builders"

These B2B campaigns use different messaging (emphasizing reliability, scale, and timeline adherence) and different landing pages (portfolio, references, bid request forms). Volume is low but contract values are high and recurring.

Keywords That Work Outside Storm Season

Beyond the campaign-specific keywords above, here are broader terms that generate quality leads year-round:

The planning and cost keywords are especially valuable in the off-season. Homeowners searching "roof replacement cost" in November aren't in crisis -- they're budgeting for a spring project. If you capture that lead now, nurture them through winter, and schedule the job for April, you've booked revenue months before competitors even turn their ads on.

Budget Pacing Strategy: How to Distribute Annual Spend Across 12 Months

Most roofing companies dump 70-80% of their annual ad budget into 4-5 months. That's a recipe for feast-or-famine revenue. Here's how we pace a $120,000 annual budget for consistent lead flow:

The storm reserve is critical. Instead of budgeting a flat monthly amount for storm campaigns, hold 17.5% of annual budget in reserve for activation within hours of a weather event. This way your baseline campaigns never get starved, and you still have firepower when hail hits.

Budget Pacing Rules

1. Never zero-out a month. Even December should run at minimum 25% of peak spend to maintain Quality Score and algorithm learning.
2. Ramp gradually. Increase budget by no more than 20% per week when transitioning from off-season to peak. Sudden spikes confuse Smart Bidding and inflate CPAs for 7-10 days.
3. Track revenue per season, not just leads. A November lead that converts to a $15,000 job in March should be attributed to November's ad spend for accurate ROI calculations.
4. Reserve 10% of off-season budget for retargeting. This is your highest-ROI spend because you're reaching people who already expressed interest.

Retargeting Homeowners Who Clicked but Didn't Convert

During peak season, you'll generate hundreds of clicks from homeowners who visited your site but didn't call or fill out a form. On average, 92-95% of roofing website visitors leave without converting. That's not a failure -- it's a retargeting audience.

How to Retarget Through the Off-Season

Display retargeting (Google Display Network):

• Serve banner ads to past visitors for 90-180 days after their initial click
• Use seasonal messaging: "Still thinking about that roof? Lock in winter pricing before spring."
• Budget: $500-$1,000/month is enough to reach your entire past-visitor audience multiple times
• Expected CTR: 0.5-0.8%, but conversion rates from retargeting clicks run 3-5x higher than cold traffic

YouTube retargeting:

• Show 15-30 second video ads featuring completed projects, customer testimonials, and seasonal offers
• Cost per view runs $0.03-$0.08 -- far cheaper than search clicks
• Keeps your brand top-of-mind during months when the homeowner isn't actively searching

RLSA (Remarketing Lists for Search Ads):

• When a past visitor searches roofing keywords again in a later season, bid 30-50% higher to ensure you appear first
• These returning searchers convert at 2-3x the rate of first-time visitors because they already know your brand

We've seen retargeting campaigns in November and December generate leads at $45-$80 each -- compared to $150-$250 during peak season. The homeowner who clicked in June and didn't convert often becomes a buyer in October when they've collected quotes and are ready to commit before winter.

Building a Referral Pipeline Through PPC

PPC doesn't just generate direct consumer leads. You can use it to build referral relationships that produce leads year-round without ad spend.

Targeting Real Estate Agents

Real estate agents need reliable roofers for pre-listing inspections, buyer-requested repairs, and investment property rehabs. Run a small campaign targeting:

• "roof inspection for home sale"
• "real estate roof certification"
• "pre-listing roof inspection [city]"

The landing page should speak to agents, not homeowners: fast turnaround, inspection reports formatted for MLS listings, and a referral program for agents who send repeat business. One agent relationship can generate 5-10 roof inspections per year, many of which convert to repair or replacement jobs.

Targeting Property Managers

Commercial property managers manage portfolios of 20-200+ buildings. One relationship equals years of recurring maintenance, repair, and replacement work. Target:

• "commercial roof maintenance program"
• "property management roofing contractor"
• "flat roof maintenance plan"

These campaigns have low volume but extremely high lifetime value per conversion.

Why Off-Season Leads Often Close Better

This is the counterintuitive part that most roofers miss. Off-season leads frequently have higher close rates and better margins than peak-season leads. Here's why:

• Less competition for the homeowner's attention. During storm season, a homeowner might get 5-10 roofing company mailers, door knocks, and ads per week. In November, you might be the only one they talk to.
• Planned purchases vs. panic purchases. A homeowner who reaches out in October for a spring replacement has time to evaluate, ask questions, and commit without the pressure of an active leak or insurance deadline. They're less likely to ghost you for the next company that knocks.
• No insurance middleman. Off-season work is typically homeowner-funded, which means no insurance adjuster negotiations, no supplement delays, and no payment holdups. Your margin on a cash-pay replacement is often 8-15% higher than an insurance job.
• Scheduling flexibility. Off-season leads let you book jobs during slow months or schedule them for early spring before your calendar fills. Either way, you're converting lead spend into committed revenue.

Our data across 12 roofing clients shows off-season close rates averaging 28-35% compared to 18-22% during storm season. The leads cost less and close more often -- the only downside is lower volume, which is exactly why you supplement with retargeting and referral campaigns.

Common Mistakes That Kill Year-Round Lead Generation

Going Dark in Winter

The most expensive mistake. Pausing campaigns for 4-5 months resets your Quality Score, kills your remarketing audiences (they expire after 540 days but lose recency value), and forces you to re-train Smart Bidding from scratch. Even $2,000/month in winter keeps your account alive and generating data.

Not Adjusting Ad Copy for Season

Running "storm damage roof repair" ads in December makes your company look out of touch. Your ad copy, extensions, and landing pages need to rotate with the season:

• Spring: "Schedule Your Spring Roof Inspection -- Book Before the Rush"
• Summer: "Storm Damage? Free Inspection and Insurance Claim Assistance"
• Fall: "Pre-Winter Roof Checkup -- Find Problems Before They Become Emergencies"
• Winter: "Roof Leak? Same-Day Emergency Service -- Ice Dam Specialists"

Using the Same Landing Page Year-Round

A landing page built for storm-damage leads won't convert a homeowner researching a planned replacement. Build 3-4 seasonal landing page variants that match the intent of each campaign type. The maintenance landing page should emphasize affordability and prevention. The replacement page should emphasize material options and financing. Different intent, different page.

Ignoring Offline Conversion Data

A roofing lead that calls in October and schedules a job for March is a conversion. If you're only tracking phone calls and form fills without importing "job sold" data from your CRM, Google's algorithm optimizes for tire-kickers, not buyers. Push signed contracts and revenue data back into Google Ads weekly so Smart Bidding learns which leads actually generate revenue -- regardless of how many months pass between the click and the close.

Treating Every Season the Same

Budget, keywords, ad copy, landing pages, bid strategy, and audience targeting should all shift with the season. Running a single campaign structure year-round is better than going dark, but it leaves significant performance on the table. The contractors who dominate year-round treat each quarter as a distinct campaign phase with its own goals and KPIs.

Measuring Year-Round Performance

Track these metrics by season to understand true annual ROI:

• Cost per lead by season -- Expect off-season CPL to be 35-50% lower than peak
• Close rate by season -- Off-season should be higher; if it's not, your follow-up process needs work
• Revenue per lead by season -- Track the actual job value generated from each season's leads, even if the work happens months later
• Customer lifetime value by source -- Maintenance leads that convert to replacements are worth tracking as a combined pipeline
• Pipeline value -- Total dollar amount of estimates issued from leads generated this month, regardless of close date

The goal is annual ROI, not monthly. A January lead that produces a $14,000 job in April should be credited to January's spend. Build attribution models that account for the roofing sales cycle, which can span 1-6 months from first click to signed contract.

Ready to stop the feast-or-famine cycle? We build year-round PPC campaigns for roofing companies that generate consistent leads in every season -- not just after storms. Our clients maintain full pipelines through winter because their campaigns never go dark. Schedule your free strategy call and let's build your 12-month plan.