It’s May in Calgary. You know what that means.
Hail season is around the corner. Homeowners are Googling “roof repair Calgary” at 11 PM after inspecting their shingles. Your phone should be ringing. But if your Google Ads budget is set up wrong, those calls are going to your competitors instead.
I manage PPC for Alpine Exteriors, a siding and roofing company here in Calgary. Last 7 days? 5 leads. $36.56 per lead for siding jobs. Both campaigns are running during the hottest part of roofing season, and we’re still losing 40% of available impression share because the budget caps out before the day ends.
That’s the reality of PPC for roofers in Calgary right now. High demand. High competition. And if you don’t know how to structure your campaigns, you’ll burn through your budget by lunch and have nothing to show for it.
So how much should you budget? And more importantly, how do you make sure every dollar is working?
What Roofers Are Actually Spending (And What They’re Getting)
Let me give you real numbers from live campaigns running right now in Calgary.
Campaign: Siding Services
- Daily Budget: ~$50
- Cost Per Click: $16-$17
- Cost Per Lead: $36.56
- Conversion Rate: 44%
Campaign: Eavestrough
- Daily Budget: ~$25
- Cost Per Click: $25-$27
- Cost Per Lead: $108
- Conversion Rate: 25%
Notice the cost per lead difference? That’s not luck. That’s keyword intent. “Siding repair Calgary” converts better than “eavestrough cleaning Calgary” because one is a $5K-$15K job and the other is a $200-$800 service. The homeowner searching for siding is more motivated, more urgent, and more likely to call.
But here’s the kicker: both campaigns are losing 40-50% impression share. That means we’re only showing up for half the available searches. Why? Budget caps and low bids.
If you’re a roofer doing $500K-$2M/year and you’re only spending $300-$500/month on Google Ads, you’re invisible during peak season. You need to be budgeting $1,000-$2,000/month minimum to compete in Calgary’s roofing market from May through September.
The Three Budget Killers (And How to Fix Them)
Most roofers I audit are making the same three mistakes:
1. Wrong Location Targeting
You set your campaign to target “Calgary” and assume you’re good. But Google has two location settings:
- “Presence or interest” (default) = shows your ads to anyone searching for Calgary roofers, even if they’re in Toronto
- “Presence only” = only shows ads to people physically in Calgary
If you’re using “Presence or interest,” you’re wasting 20-30% of your budget on people who will never convert. Fix: Campaign Settings → Locations → Location Options → Select “Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations.”
2. No Negative Keywords
Roofing has a massive DIY search crowd. People searching “how to repair roof” or “roof repair cost calculator” are NOT your customers. They’re researchers. Tire kickers. Budget burners.
You need a negative keyword list with at least 50 terms:
- DIY, how to, tutorial, cost calculator, estimate calculator, cheap, affordable, free quote (unless you actually offer free quotes)
Every click from a DIYer is $5-8 you’ll never get back.
3. Sending Clicks to Your Homepage
Your homepage is a brochure. It has your about section, services, testimonials, contact info, and a gallery. It’s not built to convert one thing: a phone call.
You need a dedicated landing page for each service:
/roof-repair-calgaryfor roof repair clicks/siding-installation-calgaryfor siding clicks/emergency-roof-repairfor hail damage clicks
One headline. One offer. One call to action. That’s how you get 8% conversion rates instead of 2%.
According to WordStream’s latest data, the average cost-per-click for home services in Canada is $6-12. Calgary roofing is on the higher end because of competition and seasonality. If your CPC is under $4, you’re either targeting garbage keywords or your ads aren’t showing.
What Does a “Good” Roofing PPC Budget Look Like?
Here’s a simple breakdown based on revenue:
| Annual Revenue | Monthly Ad Budget | Expected Leads/Month | Cost Per Lead Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| $300K-$500K | $600-$1,000 | 10-15 | $60-$100 |
| $500K-$1M | $1,000-$1,500 | 15-25 | $50-$80 |
| $1M-$2M | $1,500-$2,500 | 25-40 | $40-$70 |
| $2M+ | $2,500-$5,000+ | 40-80+ | $35-$60 |
These are ad spend numbers—what you’re paying Google directly. If you’re working with a PPC agency in Calgary (like Sofra Digital Solutions), add another $800-$1,500/month for management, landing page optimization, and conversion tracking setup.
ROI Reality Check
Let’s say you’re spending $1,500/month on Google Ads and getting 20 leads at $75/lead. If your close rate is 25% (industry average for roofing), that’s 5 jobs. If your average job is $8,000, that’s $40,000 in revenue from a $1,500 ad spend.
That’s a 26X return.
But only if your campaigns are set up correctly. If you’re wasting budget on DIY searchers, sending traffic to your homepage, and using the wrong location settings, your cost per lead will be $150-$200 and your ROI will be garbage.
The Conversion Ecosystem (Why Ads Alone Aren’t Enough)
Here’s the truth most PPC agencies won’t tell you: Google Ads don’t work in isolation.
You can have perfect keyword targeting, a $3,000/month budget, and a 10/10 Quality Score but if your landing page loads in 6 seconds, has no clear CTA, and looks like it was built in 2012, you’re dead in the water.
This is what I call The Conversion Ecosystem: your ad and your landing page have to work in perfect technical harmony. The ad sets the expectation. The landing page delivers on it. If there’s a mismatch—different messaging, slow load time, broken mobile experience—your conversion rate tanks.
At Sofra Digital Solutions, we build custom landing pages for every campaign we manage. It’s not optional. It’s the only way to hit sub-$50 cost per lead in competitive markets like Calgary roofing.
Bottom Line
If you’re a roofer in Calgary and you’re serious about scaling in 2026, here’s your baseline:
- Minimum monthly budget: $3,000 in ad spend
- Target cost per lead: $40-$80 depending on service
- Required infrastructure: Dedicated landing pages, call tracking, negative keyword lists
- Location targeting: “Presence only” (not “interest”)
Roofing season in Calgary runs May through September. If you’re not aggressive with your PPC budget during these 5 months, you’re giving market share to competitors who are.
I have 3 slots open this week for free 10-minute strategy calls. I’ll screen-share your Google Ads account and show you exactly where you’re bleeding budget. No pitch. No obligation.