If you’ve been running Google PPC campaigns for your roofing business and find yourself flooded with irrelevant leads—like job seekers, visa inquiries, or contractors offering services you don’t need—you’re not alone. No campaign is perfect, and there will always be some percentage of bad leads. But with the right strategies in place, you can significantly reduce their volume and maximize the return on your ad spend.

In this article, I’m going to take you through why bad leads happen, the typical reasons for receiving them, how to minimize them, and what an acceptable rate of bad leads looks like in a high-performing campaign.

Why Are You Getting Irrelevant Leads?

Before diving into solutions, let’s first understand why irrelevant leads are coming through your Google PPC campaigns. Here are the most common reasons roofing companies see bad leads from their ads:

1. Broad Match Keywords and Vague Search Intent

The primary reason is broad keyword matching, which targets a wide range of search queries, including those that don’t necessarily align with your specific services. Broad match is great for generating lots of clicks, but when it’s too vague, it attracts anyone searching for terms related to “roofing” or “roof repair,” including job seekers, other contractors, and people looking for tutorials or DIY instructions.

For example, using the broad keyword “roof repair” can attract searches such as:

• “roof repair jobs”
• “roof repair DIY”
• “free roof repair estimate”

These types of searches are not what your roofing company needs. Broad match is a catch-all approach, and if not carefully controlled, it will quickly fill your inbox with bad leads.

2. Not Enough Negative Keywords

Negative keywords are the unsung heroes of Google Ads optimization. Failing to build a comprehensive negative keyword list is like leaving the doors of your campaign wide open for irrelevant traffic to flood in. If you haven’t been using negative keywords like “jobs,” “free,” “visa,” or “estimator,” you’re likely showing ads to people who aren’t looking for your services.

Some examples of searches you might want to exclude:

• “Roofing estimator jobs”
• “Free roof repair estimate”
• “Roof repair companies hiring”

Without a solid set of negative keywords, you risk attracting search traffic from non-buyers or people outside your market.

3. Ambiguous Ad Copy

Your ad copy needs to be razor-sharp in communicating what your company does and whom it serves. If your ad copy lacks clarity or is too generic, you can expect bad leads. For instance, saying “Roofing Services Available Now” is vague enough to attract job seekers or contractors in addition to homeowners.

Well-crafted ad copy must be specific, direct, and leave no room for misunderstanding. Highlight your location, who you serve, and the nature of your service to pre-qualify leads before they even click your ad.

4. Inconsistent Location Targeting

Roofing companies often target specific service areas. If your Google Ads campaign is targeting too broad a region (or even nationally), you’re going to get leads from outside your service area, which wastes both time and budget.

For example, if you’re based in Texas but are seeing inquiries from Virginia or other states, your location targeting may not be dialed in. Additionally, Google Ads has an option to target users who “show interest in” your target location. While this may sound appealing, it can result in clicks from users outside your region who have no real connection to your service area.

5. Poor Lead Qualification on Landing Pages

Even with the right ads in place, your landing pages play a key role in lead quality. If your landing page doesn’t help qualify visitors before they fill out the form, you’ll end up with irrelevant leads. Landing pages that simply ask for contact information without any context can bring in all sorts of inquiries that may not align with your business goals.

Adding filters or questions on the landing page helps weed out leads that aren’t serious or don’t fit your ideal customer profile. For example, asking if the visitor is a property owner, or what type of roofing service they need, can help ensure that only qualified leads convert.

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How to Minimize Irrelevant Leads

Now that we’ve identified why bad leads are coming through, let’s get into the actionable steps to cut down on these unwanted clicks and inquiries.

1. Switch to Phrase and Exact Match Keywords

Broad match keywords give Google a lot of freedom to match your ad to searches. While this can increase exposure, it also attracts irrelevant searches. Switching to phrase match and exact match keywords will reduce the number of bad leads you get by narrowing the pool of people seeing your ad.

For example:

• Use “exact match” for precise queries like [roof repair in Dallas].
• Use “phrase match” for slightly broader but still controlled queries, such as “commercial roof repair”.

This way, your ad only shows up for people actively searching for specific services, not anyone vaguely interested in “roofing.”

2. Build and Continuously Update Your Negative Keyword List

A robust negative keyword list can make or break your campaign. Your negative keywords will tell Google what searches not to show your ad for, which is critical for avoiding irrelevant traffic.

Start by adding obvious negative keywords such as:

• “Jobs” (e.g., roofing jobs)
• “Estimator” (e.g., roofing estimator)
• “Visa” (e.g., visa for roofing jobs)

As your campaign runs, check your search term report regularly to see what searches are triggering your ads. If you see irrelevant terms popping up, add them to your negative keyword list immediately.

3. Tighten Your Ad Copy

Your ad copy should clearly reflect your service, target market, and location. Being specific will help pre-qualify leads and reduce the number of irrelevant clicks.

For example, instead of saying:

• “Roofing services available now”, try “Residential roofing services for homeowners in Dallas, Texas.”

Adding qualifiers such as “residential,” “commercial,” and location-specific terms like “Dallas” helps ensure that only people who match your ideal customer profile click through.

4. Optimize Location Targeting

If you’re receiving leads from outside your service area, your location targeting needs work. Be sure to:

• Target users physically located in your target area, not just those interested in it.
• Exclude irrelevant areas where you don’t want your ads to show. For example, if you’re focused on roofing in Texas, exclude all other states to avoid attracting out-of-state clicks.

By honing in on precise location targeting, you ensure that your ads are only shown to users in your immediate service area, minimizing irrelevant leads from other regions.

5. Improve Your Landing Page for Lead Qualification

Your landing page is your last line of defense against bad leads. To filter out irrelevant visitors, add lead qualification questions or multiple-choice options that weed out people who aren’t serious about your services.

For instance, you can include fields like:

• “Are you the property owner?”
• “What type of roofing service are you looking for?”
• “Where is your property located?”

These questions help ensure that only people who match your ideal customer profile submit their information, reducing the number of irrelevant leads.

6. Use Conversion Tracking and Analytics to Monitor Lead Quality

Set up conversion tracking to monitor the quality of leads coming through your ads. Google Ads offers detailed analytics that can show you which campaigns, keywords, and ads are bringing in the best (and worst) leads.

By analyzing conversion data, you can:

• Pause or adjust campaigns that are generating too many irrelevant leads.
• Refine keywords and ad copy that are producing high-quality conversions.
• Allocate budget more efficiently towards the most productive channels.

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What’s a Reasonable Percentage of Irrelevant Leads?

No matter how well you optimize your campaign, some bad leads will slip through. So, what’s a normal percentage of irrelevant leads for a roofing company?

1. 2-10% of Leads Are Irrelevant in an Optimized Campaign

If you’re following the best practices outlined above, you can expect 2-10% of your total leads to be irrelevant. This is natural and happens due to misclicks, user behavior, or small gaps in targeting. If your campaign is consistently within this range, you’re doing well.

2. Up to 15% in Competitive Markets

In more competitive or broader markets, irrelevant leads can go as high as 15%. For example, roofing companies that target both residential and commercial clients may see higher rates of irrelevant leads due to the wider scope of their services.

If the percentage climbs beyond 15%, it’s worth revisiting your campaign to ensure that keywords, ad copy, and targeting settings are still in alignment with your goals.

Take Control of Your PPC Campaigns Today

Running a successful Google PPC campaign for your roofing company is all about striking the right balance. You want to maximize the volume of relevant leads while keeping irrelevant inquiries to a minimum. By tightening your keywords, negative keyword list, ad copy, and location targeting—and improving lead qualification on your landing pages—you can significantly reduce wasted ad spend and focus on the leads that matter.

Remember, a small percentage of bad leads is inevitable, but with these strategies in place, you can keep them within a manageable range, ensuring that your budget is well spent and your pipeline is filled with high-quality prospects.

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