Google Ads reaches homeowners at the point they start asking installers for quotes. For solar companies the hard part is separating those people from the much larger crowd who are only reading about solar. Structure and negative keywords do that job.
Campaign structure
Build separate campaigns or ad groups for:
- Solar panel installation (your main one)
- Solar battery storage
- Commercial solar
- Your brand name
- Optional: add-ons such as EV chargers or maintenance
Each has its own keywords, ads and landing page.
Keywords to bid on
- "solar panel installers [town]" and "solar panel installers near me"
- "solar panel installation [town]"
- "solar installers near me"
- "solar panels and battery installation"
- "solar battery installers"
- "commercial solar panel installers"
Use phrase and exact match. Add your towns.
Research searches: handle with care
"How much do solar panels cost", "are solar panels worth it" and "do solar panels work in winter" get plenty of searches. They are early-stage. If you bid on them, bid low and send people to a guide with a soft call to action, not the quote form.
Negative keywords
free, grant, scheme, funding, council, ECO4, DIY, kit, buy, for sale, wholesale, Amazon, eBay, second hand, camping, caravan, motorhome, boat, shed, garden lights, calculator, jobs, course, training, how to install, shares, stock, cleaning (unless you offer it)
"Free solar panels" and grant searches will take a large share of spend if you leave them in.
Ad copy
Lead with the service and area. Then the proof: MCS certified, years installing, warranty length, consumer code membership. Offer the next step in plain words, such as a survey and written quote. Use sitelinks for batteries, commercial and case studies.
Landing page
A quote form that asks homeowner status, roof type, electricity bill and postcode. Local install photos. Reviews. Certifications. A short explanation of what happens after the form.
Working out a budget
We do not have a reliable published UK click cost for solar, so take bid estimates for your area from Keyword Planner. Then work back, using your own figures:
- Profit per install
- Share of leads that become installs
- Share of clicks that become leads
Example with made-up numbers: a click costs £5, one in twenty becomes a lead, and one lead in ten becomes an install. That is £1,000 of ad spend per install. Whether that works depends on your margin.
Track to install
Solar sales take weeks. Import offline conversions, so Google knows which clicks became surveys and installs and can bid towards more of them.
Common questions
Is Google Ads or Facebook better for solar? Google brings fewer, warmer leads. Facebook brings more, colder ones. Many installers run both.
Should I use Performance Max? Only after search campaigns are producing tracked, qualified leads. Otherwise it tends to chase cheap form fills.
Related guides
- Solar Lead Cost: Bought Leads vs Running Your Own Ads
- How to Get Solar Leads in the UK
- How to Generate Solar Leads Without Buying Them
- Google Ads Not Converting: 9 Causes and How to Fix Each One
Next step
AdsFlair runs Google Ads for UK trades and local service businesses. Ask for a free Google Ads audit and we will show you where your budget is going and what to fix first. There is no cost and no obligation. See our page on marketing for solar companies for how we work.