Blog > Google Ads for Moving Companies
Google Ads for Moving Companies (7 Step Strategy)
By Cullen E
If your moving company is looking to generate new local leads, increase awareness, or expand its reach to surrounding areas, you're on the right track.
The ultimate goal is to attract qualified customers and connect with them at the exact moment they're searching for your services.
So, what is the easiest way for moving companies to do all this? With a successful Google Ads campaign.
In this guide to Google Ads for Moving Companies, I'll provide you with all the industry-specific knowledge you need to launch your moving company's first Google Ad campaign, get your business in front of the right audience, and generate some serious leads.
No waffle. No rubbish. Just solid strategies from a PPC expert to help your moving company attract more local customers.
What is Google Ads?
(Already confident in your Google Ads knowledge? Skip ahead if you're ready to get down to business and boost the advertising efforts of your moving company with my industry-specific strategies.)
As a search engine, Google gives your business the digital marketing tools it needs to reach potential customers who are looking for local movers in their area.
Google Ads is just one of these ways -- a 'pay-per-click' advertising suite encompassing the whole Google network, including Google Search, Maps, YouTube, Display, and Discovery. With Google Ads, you can propel your advert to the top of the search results, helping your dream audience find you.
Because Google Ads are 'pay-per-click' ads, you only pay when someone clicks on your Google Ads to visit your website or book your services.
Need to know more? Google has got you covered with their guide on How To Set Up Your First Ads Campaign.
Will Google Ads Work for Your Moving Company?
Do Google Ads work for moving companies? The short answer is yes!
Let's take a look at some of the reasons why a solid Google Ads campaign can be precisely what your business needs:
Lead Generation
Google Ads are a powerful tool that moving companies can use effectively to generate more leads and attract new customers.
Targeted keywords and compelling ad copy will make your moving company appear at the top of Google search results and Google local services ads.
Targeted Locations
With Google Local Service Ads, your moving company can reach potential clients in your target location. This drives local customers to your business and allows you to focus your advertising efforts on the areas your company serves.
Ad Extensions and Assets
Google Ad extensions and ad assets make it easier for potential clients to take action and for you to monitor the results of your campaign.
Including links to website landing pages and easy contact links for your business allows customers to contact you, and monitoring metrics and click-through rates helps you optimise your ad campaigns based on performance.
7 Step Google Ads Strategy for Moving Companies
The 7-step Google Ads strategy will give you the basic building blocks for your Google Ads campaign.
While these tips are all relevant to the moving industry, remember that you will likely get the best results when you work with an experienced PPC freelancer.
1. Choose the Right Conversion Goal (Leads)
The success of your Google Ads campaigns ultimately depends on the number of people booking the services of your moving company.
That’s why you want to ensure your campaign goals are always set to ‘leads’, as this will help Google optimise your campaign for what matters most to your business - customers booking your services.
2. Choose the Right Campaign Type (Google Search)
People use Google to find moving companies that are local to them. Your company is offering a service that they need. When customers see your ad, they can enquire about your services, get a quote, and book their move.
We use Search Campaigns to get in front of those people who are in the process of moving home.
Moving companies will want to focus on Google Search ads to find people who are:
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Looking for a local moving company
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Ready to book a moving service to help them move home
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Seeking more information about local moving services
3. Find Relevant Keywords & Search Terms
It is always beneficial to know what the keywords for your industry are. While knowing these is helpful, it is important to remember that profitable ads only come from understanding your potential customers' intent when they hit search.
Take a look at the searches below. Which of these signals the highest possible intent?
Search Term | Search Volume | Estimated CPC |
|---|---|---|
student moving company | 150 | £2.00 |
office moving company | 150 | £16.00 |
local moving company | 200 | £6.00 |
moving house company | 200 | £6.00 |
long distance moving company | 250 | £5.00 |
moving company london | 500 | £8.00 |
moving company near me | 900 | £6.00 |
moving company | 1700 | £5.00 |
Data collected from Ahrefs.com. Search volume refers to UK monthly searches on Google
If you answered 'local moving company' or 'moving company near me', you were right!
When users search for moving companies in their area, it shows that they are ready to book moving services and are looking for the best company to suit their needs.
People searching for moving companies want to find companies that are local to them. We want to target keywords that include 'near me' and the town or cities where they are based, for example, 'London.'
We also see users looking for specific services like:
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Office moving
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Student moving
You can use this to your advantage by creating separate ad groups for each service, setting up your ads to include these terms, and sending them to that service page on your website.
What CPC Should a Moving Company Expect to Pay?
Moving companies face a CPC that ranges from £2-£3 for lower-end services like student moving. This cost increases to £16 per click for higher-value moves like offices and commercials.
Typically, a moving company can expect to pay £5 - £6 on average in CPC.
4. Set up Location Targeting
When users are looking for moving companies, they want someone local to them. This is clear from the keyword research above, and also from a bit of common sense!
Paying for clicks outside of your service area is usually a waste of your advertising budget. This is because it’s not likely for that click to lead to a paying customer.
Now that we know prospective customers are looking for something local, we can use that to our advantage to get a leg up on our competitors.
How? Through location targeting.
Location is a ‘relevance signal’ that shows prospective customers that your moving company is relevant to them—an obvious advantage over less relevant competitors.
How to Set Location Targeting in Google Ads
If you’ve been in business for several years, you’ll have a good idea of your service area. All you have to do now is edit your location targeting in Google Ads to match:
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Go to your chosen ad campaign(s)
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Navigate to ‘Locations’
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Click the ‘+’ Icon
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Enter your target location(s)
If you’re unsure of your target location, you can add a radius around your business, for example, 30 miles.
Show Your Location through Ads & Extensions
Here are a couple of my expert tips to make sure your location is clear.
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Add your location into your ad headlines and descriptions so users see that you are local to them
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Use a location extension to double down on locality
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Use a location customiser in your RSA headlines so the headline of your ad will dynamically change to match the location the user is searching from
5. Local Search Ads
93% of consumers use Google Maps when searching for a business, and removals companies are no exception.
Prospective clients use maps to inform their decision-making as they are provided with information like location, opening times, phone numbers, and reviews. Local Search Ads allow you to generate ads that are visible on Google Maps listings.
But how do you show local search ads on Google Maps?
To show local search ads on Google Maps, you need to:
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Enable location assets for your Google account.
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Set up a Google Business profile listing.
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Add reviews, images, location, website and opening hours to your Google Business profile.
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Use location targeting and set bids by location.
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Add keywords related to your location, e.g. ‘moving companies in Bristol.’
Advertising your moving company through local search ads will allow you to reach one of the top spots on Google Maps – a massive advantage over competitors who aren't making the most of this feature:
6. Use a Relevant Landing Page
If a user searches ”house moving company near me” and clicks on your ad, they should land on a page that’s tailored for their search.
Directing users to just any page (like the homepage), means missing out on potential leads as your home page likely is not crafted towards house moving.
That means you want to send users straight to your house moving service page and give the user helpful information such as your location, years in business and customer reviews.
Creating a targeted landing page with a working contact form will significantly increase conversions and your return on ad spend.
7. Monitor & Optimise Your Campaigns
Setting up and creating your Google Ads campaigns is only half the battle.
In order to improve your performance, and generate more leads for your moving company, you need to consistently monitor and optimise your campaigns at all levels.
Here are the top 3 areas of your account you need to optimise.
Search Terms and Negative Keywords
With Google Search and standard Google Shopping campaigns, you’re able to see exactly which keywords your ads are showing for in the ‘Search Terms’ tab.
From there you can analyze which of those keywords are bringing you the best results, and what keywords you’re wasting money on.
Irrelevant or poor performing search terms can then be added as negative keywords.
My top tips for monitoring search terms:
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Update your search term report with important metrics such as:
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Cost/Conv
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Conversion rate
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Avg CPC
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Impression share and click shar
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Add searches that are not relevant to your ad, landing page or service to a negative keyword list and add that list to your campaign(s)
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Add specific search terms that are top performers to your campaign as a target keyword if they are not in alread
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Watch out for specific question-based search terms that give you insight into your customer
Target Keywords
Keywords are the core part of any Google Search campaign as they form the basis for who and where your ads are shown.
You need to be constantly monitoring your keywords to understand which of those are driving the bulk of your performance so you can double down on them.
If you see specific keywords or ad groups perform well, you can move more budget into these to take advantage.
Conversely, some keywords simply may not perform well or might not spend any money due to low search volume.
You will want to clean up your account and reduce wasted ad spend by pausing these keywords.
Responsive Search Ads and Ad Extensions
Your RSA (responsive search ad), is the bridge between the search and your website. It’s where you position yourself as the solution to what the user wants or needs.
To create a great RSA that stands out from competitors, you need a consistent process of testing and improvement.
Here are my top tips on how to monitor and improve your RSA ads:
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Click ‘View Asset Details’ at the Ads level to see which of your headlines and descriptions are shown the most often
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Do manual Google Searches and see how your ads stack up against competitors in real-time
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Test specific landing page offers and unique value propositions in your headlines
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Use trust factors to build social proof
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Analyze your ad extension performance by going to the ‘Assets’ tab and segment this by ‘This Extension vs Other’
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Optimise ad extensions by viewing which have the most impact to CTR or cost/conv, pausing those which underperform
Summary
Advertising through Google Ads can be a game-changer for moving companies looking to boost their local presence, generate more leads, and attract potential customers ready to book their services.
But starting a Google Ad campaign doesn't guarantee success. Good campaigns rely on understanding your target audience, strong location targeting, and good copy. Otherwise, you're just throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping it sticks.
However, with the right strategy, a good Google Ads campaign will put your moving company at the top of search results, ensuring that customers in your target location will see your business and take action to book your services.
Need help getting the ball rolling on your moving company's Google Ads campaign? Book a free 15-minute consultation with a Google Ads expert.