You've decided to get serious about marketing. You've got $10,000 a month to invest. The question is: where the hell do you start?
This is the most common question I get from roofing company owners, and I'm going to give you the exact playbook I'd follow. Not theory. Not "it depends." The actual order of operations, from dollar one.
The biggest mistake I see is companies jumping straight to paid ads before the foundation is set. That's like running a football play with no offensive line. You'll get sacked every time.
Get the core pillars in place first, start to get lead flow in the door, because that will be your cheapest source.
Here's the order.
Step 1: Get a Website That Actually Works
Not a pretty website. Not a website your nephew built in Wix. A website that answers the questions homeowners are actually asking.
When someone Googles "how much does a roof replacement cost in [your city]" or "do I need a new roof or can it be repaired" — your website should answer that. Every question a homeowner might ask before hiring a roofer should have a clear answer on your site.
I recommend working with a company like Page One Local for this. They build SEO-optimized sites specifically for contractors. Your website is the foundation everything else builds on — don't cheap out here.
Your site needs:
- Individual pages for each service (roof replacement, roof repair, storm damage, etc.)
- Location pages for each city you serve
- Fast load times on mobile (most homeowners are on their phone)
- Click-to-call on every page
- Clear calls to action — not "learn more," but "get your free estimate"
Step 2: Start a Blog That Targets Real Questions
This ties directly to your website. Every week, publish a blog post that answers a question homeowners are asking. Go to Google, type in your service, and look at the "People Also Ask" section. Those are your blog topics.
"How long does a roof replacement take?" "What's the difference between roof restoration and roof replacement?" "Does insurance cover roof damage from hail?"
Each of these is a blog post. Each blog post is a chance to rank on Google for free. This is a long game, but it compounds — six months from now, you'll be getting organic traffic that costs you nothing.
Step 3: Google Business Profile
This is free and most roofers still don't fill it out properly. Your Google Business Profile needs:
- Complete business information (name, address, phone — NAP consistency across every listing)
- Service categories properly selected
- Service area defined
- Photos (real photos, not stock)
- Posts published consistently
- Hours of operation
This is what shows up in the Google Map Pack when someone searches "roofer near me." If your profile is incomplete, you're invisible.
Step 4: Local Service Ads (LSAs)
This is the lowest-risk paid advertising you can do. You pay per lead, not per click. Google only charges you when someone actually contacts you through the ad.
LSAs show up at the very top of Google — above regular search ads, above organic results. And they come with the Google Guarantee badge, which builds trust.
Start here before you touch Meta or Google Search ads. The leads are high intent (they're actively searching for a roofer) and the risk is low (you only pay for actual leads).
Step 5: Get Reviews
Reviews are the currency of local service businesses. A roofing company with 200 five-star reviews will outperform a company with 15 reviews every single time — in the Map Pack, in LSAs, and in the homeowner's decision-making process.
After every job, ask for a review. Make it easy — send a direct link via text message. Don't be shy about it. You did good work; let the homeowner tell the world.
Aim for consistency over volume. Five reviews a month, every month, is better than 30 reviews in January and zero the rest of the year.
Step 6: Directory Listings
Get listed everywhere: Bing Places, Apple Maps, Yelp, Angi, BBB, your local chamber of commerce. Make sure your name, address, and phone number are identical across all of them.
This isn't sexy work. It's tedious. But it signals to Google that your business is legitimate and consistent, and it creates additional channels for homeowners to find you.
Step 7: Consistent Posting Across All Platforms
Once you're listed on Google Business Profile, Bing, Apple Maps, and Yelp — post on all of them regularly. Project photos, tips, seasonal reminders. This keeps your profiles active and gives the algorithms reasons to surface you.
You don't need unique content for each platform. Repurpose the same post across all of them. The goal is consistency, not creativity.
Step 8: Bing Webmaster Tools
Here's one most people miss. ChatGPT uses Bing's search index. As more homeowners start using AI to research contractors — and that number is growing fast — being indexed and ranking on Bing becomes a massive competitive advantage.
Submit your sitemap to Bing Webmaster Tools. Make sure your pages are indexed. This is a five-minute task that positions you for where search is going, not just where it is today. AEO — answer engine optimization — is going to be bigger and bigger over the next few years.
Step 9: Google Search Console
Same concept as Bing Webmaster Tools, but for Google. Make sure your site is indexed, monitor for errors, and track which queries are driving impressions and clicks.
This is free. There's no reason not to set it up.
Step 10: Referral Networks
Don't sleep on neighborhood marketing and referral partnerships. Connect with real estate agents, insurance adjusters, and other contractors who serve the same homeowners.
I recommend checking out Brad Builds Businesses — they specialize in helping contractors build referral systems. A strong referral network gives you warm leads that close at a much higher rate than cold advertising.
Step 11: Now — Paid Ads
Only after steps 1-10 are in place do you start spending on paid advertising. This is where the bulk of your $10K/month goes, but it works so much better when the foundation exists.
Where to spend:
- Meta (Facebook/Instagram) — still the most effective platform for residential roofing leads. Custom audiences, lookalikes, retargeting. The volume is here.
- Google Demand Gen — this is one I've been running for roofing companies for about two years now, and it's been outperforming Google Search in a lot of markets. First-mover advantage is real.
- Google Search — high intent, but competitive and expensive in most roofing markets. Works well alongside Demand Gen.
- Bing Ads — cheaper clicks, less competition, and remember — Bing powers ChatGPT.
- Yelp Ads — market dependent. Can work well in certain metros.
Start with one or two platforms, get them dialed in, then expand. Don't spread $10K across five platforms — you'll be underfunded everywhere. Pick your strongest two, prove the ROI, then scale.
The Budget Breakdown
Here's how I'd roughly allocate $10K/month for a roofing company starting from scratch:
- Website and SEO content: Built once (separate from the monthly budget — this is a startup cost)
- LSAs: $1,500-2,000/month
- Meta Ads: $4,000-5,000/month
- Google (Search or Demand Gen): $3,000-4,000/month
- Tools and tracking: $500-1,000/month (CRM, call tracking, reporting)
Adjust based on your market. Some cities are more expensive than others. The point is to have enough budget per platform to actually learn what works, not to spread yourself so thin that nothing gets enough data.
The Part Nobody Wants to Hear
Money alone doesn't fix this. You can spend $10K/month on the best campaigns in the world, and if nobody in your office calls leads back within 5 minutes, if your follow-up cadence is one call and done, if your sales reps are leaving quotes and saying "call me when you're ready" — you're lighting money on fire.
Marketing generates leads. You generate sales. We both own 100%.
Get the foundation right. Track your numbers. Follow up like your business depends on it — because it does.
Let's get this rockin' and rollin'.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is $10K/month enough for roofing marketing?
It's a solid starting point. You can run effective campaigns on two platforms with proper tracking and follow-up. As you prove ROI and your revenue grows, scale the budget. Some of our most successful clients started at this level and grew to $50K+ per month once the system was proven. The budget matters less than the system behind it.
Should I start with Facebook ads or Google ads for my roofing company?
Don't start with either. Set up your website, Google Business Profile, LSAs, and directory listings first. When you're ready for paid ads, Meta (Facebook/Instagram) typically offers the best combination of volume and targeting for residential roofing. Google Demand Gen is also performing exceptionally well. Start with one, prove it works, then add the second.
How long does it take to see results from roofing marketing?
Paid ads can generate leads within the first week. But building a real system — SEO rankings, review volume, referral networks — takes 3-6 months to mature. The companies that stick with it see compounding returns. The ones that quit after 60 days never give the system time to work.
Do I need to hire a marketing agency or can I do this myself?
You can do steps 1-10 yourself or with a small team. The website, GBP, directories, reviews, Bing/Google Search Console — that's all grind work. Where an agency adds value is in paid advertising management — campaign strategy, creative testing, landing page optimization, and tracking to the sale. If you're spending $5K+ on ads, you need someone who knows what they're doing managing that spend.