Generating home security system leads using Google Ads is one of the most cost-effective ways for an alarm service company to attract homeowners and business owners looking to upgrade their existing home security system or have a new installation performed.
Google pay-per-click ads allow you to target specific keywords and search phrases that are likely to have the intent of hiring a local company. The COC model, or cost-per-click, scares a lot of business owners away. They want free traffic and focus on search engine optimization while ignoring PPC ads completely.
Google Ads produce a great return on investment, you can see where every dollar goes, costs are clear – clicks, leads, conversions, etc. – and scalability opportunities are endless. The trick is understanding how to set expectations and optimize the campaign.
While the actual optimization requires years of experience and know-how to master, some basic security system PPC tips can help you get started. The learning curve is high, and it’s important to understand that a test budget will be required to generate enough data to dig into and analyze to start achieving the results you desire.
Let’s go over a few ways to generate more security system leads using Google Ads. These basic PPC fundamentals will help you target the correct consumers, converting more leads at a cost that delivers your alarm service business a healthy ROI.
Understand That Google Ads Takes Time to Understand and Master
The main reason for alarm installation companies to discredit Google Ads is because they didn’t give their effort enough time. You cannot simply create a campaign with little to no knowledge and experience and expect leads to flow in instantly.
Can amazing results be achieved through Google Ads? Yes, but understand that it takes time to understand how to target the correct customer persona through keyword selection, and matching that with attention-grabbing ad copy, and then sending the clicks received to an offer that converts at a high rate.
It can be accomplished, but it requires a specific skill set and level of expertise. This is why many home security installation companies work with a marketing agency to handle their Google Ads.
One of the most frequently asked questions we receive from alarm service providers is related to the cost. The great thing about pay-per-click advertising is the ability to start with a manageable budget, create a campaign that converts at a high rate and delivers quality leads, and then simply scale it by allocating a higher budget over time.
The learning curve is steep and you will spend more money testing and learning than you would if you hired a professional initially. A large percentage of our home security PPC clients initially tried it on their own and experienced their budget being depleted due to poor optimization in terms of targeting and bidding strategies.
When you partner with a PPC agency specializing in the alarm installation industry you benefit from years of experience identifying and targeting home and business owners actively looking for a security and alarm company to hire.
Target the Correct Keywords Based on Intent
If you target the wrong keywords and a user clicks on your ads you are charged per click, regardless of what transpires after the click. If they quickly leave your website after realizing it isn’t the information they want you still pay.
In the majority of Google PPC accounts that we audit we discover that the majority of keywords being targeted don’t result in leads. Sure, they might attract clicks, but traffic alone doesn’t translate into leads and alarm installation appointments.
Many inexperienced pay-per-click advertisers will focus on the click volume only and hope for the best. If more than half of your budget is being wasted on the wrong keywords your cost per lead is much higher than it should be.
Security System Keyword Targeting Tips
Some simple yet effective tips we can pass on will help you optimize your keyword list. They are:
Use real search terms and not exact-match keywords: Rather than targeting generic exact-match terms like “alarm installation” or “home security system,” focus on keywords that have intent. Examples of these would be “alarm installation company in [location]” or “best home security company in [location].”
Look at previous 90-day data performance: If you are already running PPC ads, take a look at your campaign data and back it out for 90 days. Look for keywords that have received a lot of clicks but few to no conversions. CLicks alone don’t signal a successful effort. If they aren’t converting remove them and add them to your negative keyword list.
Actively build a negative keyword list: Keywords that you don’t want to show up for need to be added to your negative keyword list. Examples are “alarm system comparison” or “how to change an alarm system battery.” Those terms are seeking information, and have no interest in hiring a local home security company.
Track and Analyze All Alarm Service Google Ads Data
To improve, and even understand whether or not your alarm system PPC campaign is hitting its goals is to track and analyze every piece of data available to you. The data Google provides you with can help you improve your click-through rates, attract more clicks at a lower cost, and drive down your cost-per leads significantly.
Tracking clicks is simple, but properly tracking conversions – leads and alarm installations jobs – can get a little tricky. The vast majority of alarm service PPC accounts we look at don’t have conversion tracking set up. Ignoring this is essentially running a paid campaign in the dark – making adjustments based on speculation and pure guesswork.
To track your leads and customer conversions, you need to set up Google Tag Manager, which then syncs with Google Analytics and your Google Ads account. For someone without any previous experience with Google Ads and setting up Google Tag Manager, it can be confusing and overwhelming.
If set up incorrectly it will not properly track the data and not give you accurate information. Avoid this by allowing us to help you get your conversion tracking properly set up. Through Google Tag Manager we can track:
- Quote Form Submission
- Phone Calls
- Live Chat Interaction
- Content Asset Downloads
For larger home security system installation companies that use a CRM to manage the customers and leads, you can link your Google Ads account to track all revenue generated through your alarm system PPC campaigns.
Knowing what keywords drive the most revenue is valuable information. What if you can uncover a keyword that delivers a 3,000% ROI, but takes 60 days to convert? This would be a term that you would want to bid more aggressively on. While the sales aren’t instant, the overall ROI might be better than any other term.
Additionally, you can identify terms that are costing your business a lot of money yet drive revenue at a break-even level or slight loss. You would want to drop the bids on these or eliminate them.
Final Thoughts
While working with home security system installation companies with their Google Ads we have found that the above-mentioned points are the most basic, yet often overlooked, and getting these right first is a must before working on more advanced optimization strategies.
You need to know how to target the correct keywords and understand how to properly bid for them, along with implement a negative keyword list to help improve your traffic quality. There are so many components of a successful PPC campaign strategy for alarm service companies.
If you have questions about the home security PPC tips mentioned above or would like to speak with a Google Ads specialist, feel free to contact us at your earliest convenience. We will be more than happy to dive into your current pay-per-click account and provide you with an audit and insight and explain how our fully managed security system PPC service works.
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