Have you tried Google Ads and only lost money and walked away frustrated? You’re not alone. In fact, unfortunately, it’s a big club. Google moves in mysterious ways and taking large chunks of your money is one of those ways. Many contractors in the septic industry have wasted hundreds or even thousands of dollars on ads that didn’t bring real results. The truth is, it’s not that Google Ads don’t work, it’s that most septic contractors are set up to fail before their ads even go live!
Let’s break down why.
- 1. Poor Targeting = Wasted Budget: A lot of septic businesses run ads using broad keywords like “septic service” or “septic tank,” without narrowing down their location or service type. The result? You pay for clicks from people who aren’t in your service area, or who aren’t looking for what you actually offer. Precision matters. You need to target by specific high-intent keywords, like “septic tank installation Orlando FL” to avoid wasting your budget on low-quality clicks.
- 2. Weak Landing Pages Don’t Convert: Even if your ad gets clicked, what happens next? If your landing page is slow to load, confusing, or not optimized for mobile, you’ve already lost the customer. Many septic contractors send clicks to their homepage or a generic page that doesn’t clearly explain what they do, offer a call to action, or build trust. A strong landing page speaks directly to the customer’s problem and shows why you’re the company to solve that problem for them.
- 3. No Call Tracking or Lead Capture: If you don’t know where your calls or form submissions are coming from, how do you measure success? Many septic businesses run Google Ads without using conversion tracking, call tracking, or lead forms. That means you’re flying blind. Every campaign should be set up to tell you exactly what leads came from which ad and how much they cost, otherwise you’re just guessing. That won’t work for long.
- 4. Using Smart Campaigns Instead of Search Campaigns: Google makes it easy to run “Smart Campaigns,” which promise to simplify your setup. But in reality, these campaigns often underperform because you lose control over keywords, ad copy, and targeting. For most local septic businesses, a well-managed manual search campaign will bring far better results and at a lower cost per click.
- 5. Not Managing the Campaign Regularly: Google Ads isn’t a “set it and forget it” kind of thing. It takes consistent monitoring and adjusting to perform well. Bidding strategies, search terms, and ad copy should be reviewed weekly at least and every day in the first week or two after launch. If you’re not actively managing your account, or if your marketing company isn’t, you will lose money.
Here’s the Good News.
With the right setup, Google Ads can be a powerful tool for septic contractors. I’ve helped septic companies go from wasted budgets to a steady stream of high-quality leads, many, many times. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start growing your business, let’s talk.
Click the link below to schedule a free, no-pressure consultation. No sales pitches, I promise, just honest, straight talk about how to help your business.
Sign up for a FREE phone consultation with me. Click Here. You’ll be taken to my personal calendar.
