Your next job is already looking for you. If they don’t find you in 60 seconds, they’ll call your competitor.
What actually drives roofing leads in 2026 Most roofs don’t fail on schedule. Homeowners search in a panic after storms or leaks. You win by owning intent and response.
Here’s the stack that prints:
- **Google LSA (Google Guaranteed):** Shows above ads. Pay per lead. Roofing is prime. Expect $45–$120/lead. Aim for 75%+ profile completeness, 100+ reviews, 4.8★+. Dispute junk.
- **High‑intent Google Ads:** Exact and phrase match only. “roof replacement near me,” “roof repair [city],” “hail damage roof,” “emergency tarping.” Expect $120–$300/lead, but close at 25–45% if phones are tight. Call‑only ads during storms.
- **Maps (GBP) domination:** Category = Roofing Contractor. Service area cleaned up. Add “Roof Replacement,” “Asphalt Shingle,” “Metal Roofing,” “Storm Damage.” 20–30 geo‑tagged photos/month. 10 new reviews/month. Post weekly.
- **Storm targeting:** Hail/wind maps drive money. Deploy canvassing + radius ads within 24 hours. Door hangers + SMS follow‑up. Set a mobile claim desk under a canopy.
- **Reputation engine:** 40+ reviews minimum before running heavy traffic. Ask same‑day via SMS + QR on jobsite sign. 4.7★ is table stakes.
If your response is slow, nothing else matters. Speed‑to‑lead must be under 60 seconds. After a storm, under 30.
Build a funnel that survives weather swings Roofing is feast‑or‑famine. Smooth the curve with offers and assets.
- **Zero‑down financing:** Most replacements get approved. Advertise monthly payments (“From $149/mo”). Close rate jumps 10–18%. List rate cards on the landing page.
- **Free drone inspection:** Fast, visual, safe. Use it as the hook. MMS a roof snapshot in your first text. Trust spikes.
- **Insurance help, not fraud:** Educate. “We handle photos, scope, and supplements.” Publish a one‑pager on process. Don’t promise deductible eats. Be clean.
- **Service area pages that rank:** “[City] roof replacement,” “metal roofing [county],” “storm damage roof [city].” Unique photos, job maps, review widgets, permits mentioned. 1,000+ words each. Aim for 10–20 pages.
- **Case study library:** Before/after, price range, materials, timeline, testimonial. Shoot 60‑second vertical videos on every site.
Pipeline must be visible. Use a CRM with these stages: New Lead → Contacted → Inspection Set → Inspection Done → Proposal Sent → Won/Lost. Track conversion at each stage. If “Contacted” < 70%, your phones or texts are broken.
Ads that actually book roofs You’re not a brand. You’re a solution in a panic. Optimize for calls and booked inspections.
- **LSA hygiene:** Pause low‑intent categories (gutter cleaning unless profitable). Add negatives often: “jobs,” “DIY,” “wholesale,” “tin.” Respond to every lead inside the app. Ask for review inside LSA to boost rank.
- **Google Ads structure:** - Campaigns: Replacement, Repair, Storm, Branded, Competitor. - Ad groups single‑keyword: [roof replacement], [roof repair], [hail damage roof]. - Landing pages per intent. No home page. Click‑to‑call sticky header + click‑to‑text. - Negatives: “cheap,” “free materials,” “how to,” “sheet metal job,” “salaries.”
- **Bidding:** Start with Max Conversions with TCPA target once you have 30+ conversions. If volume low, Manual CPC with ECPC on.
- **Facebook/Instagram:** Use only for storm bursts, remodeling targets, and neighbor proof. Ads: neighbor testimonial, time‑lapse tear‑off, “We just replaced 12 roofs on Maple St.” CPL $35–$90. Close rate lower (10–20%), but they fill gaps.
- **Jobsite radius ads:** Drop a 1‑mile pin on active sites. Creative: “We’re roofing on your street today. Free drone inspection.” Hyper‑local social proof wins.
Track the real unit economics:
- LSA: $45–$120/lead → 35–55% contact → 60–80% inspection set from contacts → 25–45% close on replacements. CAC per roof replaced often $300–$900. Healthy when gross profit > $3,500.
- PPC: $120–$300/lead → similar downstream. Higher CPL, similar CAC if phones are strong.
- Social: $35–$90/lead → contact 30–50% → close 8–18%. Use for volume, not only quality.
Ruthless follow‑up that prints inspections Most “bad leads” are just slow follow‑up. Fix that first.
- **Missed call text back:** Instantly. “This is Jake at Apex Roofing. Saw your call. Got a leak or storm damage? I can call you in 2 minutes or text details.” 30–50% salvage.
- **First 5 minutes:** Call twice. Text once. Leave a 12‑second voicemail. Book inspection windows, not exact times.
- **2‑hour nudge:** “Got a drone slot open at 4 pm today or 10 am tomorrow.” Create urgency.
- **Social proof drip:** MMS a recent job near them. Show proof of permits, materials, warranty.
- **Rehash:** 3‑day, 7‑day, 14‑day. Offer financing again. “We can break this into $/mo.” Re‑close 10–15%.
Train your CSRs. Scripts matter:
- “What happened?” then shut up for 8 seconds.
- “Any active leaks?”
- “Insurance involved yet?”
- “We can be there today at 4 or tomorrow at 10. Which works?”
Keep ops tight so marketing works Bad ops kills great ads.
- 24/7 call routing during storms. Answer within 3 rings.
- Calendar holds for same‑day inspections.
- Yard signs and door tags on every job. QR to reviews.
- Neighbors letter: “We just replaced your neighbor’s roof. Here’s the before/after.” Deliver within 48 hours to 30 homes.
- Post‑install review ask on site. Hand the iPad. Aim for 1 review per 2 jobs.
If you serve multiple trades (roofing, gutters, solar), split tracking and pages. Don’t pollute conversion data.