For most roofers, Google Ads should come first and SEO should start at the same time in the background. Ads bring calls this month. SEO for roofers takes months to build and then brings calls without a cost per click. The order matters less than doing both.
What SEO for roofers involves
- A Google Business Profile with the right categories, services and service areas
- Reviews, asked for after every job
- A page for each service: roof repairs, re-roofing, flat roofs, chimney work, guttering, fascias and soffits
- A page for each main town you cover
- Photos of real jobs with the location named
- Consistent business details across directories
- Links from local sites, suppliers and trade bodies
What Google Ads involves
- Keywords such as "roof repair [town]" and "roofers near me"
- Ads and a landing page for each service
- A cost for every click. Published UK estimates put roofing clicks at £1 to £5.
- Negative keywords, call tracking and regular checks
Speed
Ads: calls can start the day the campaign is approved.
SEO: expect several months before you appear for competitive searches, and longer in a large city.
Cost over time
Ads cost the same each month for the same result. SEO costs more effort at the start and less later, because rankings you have earned keep bringing clicks.
Urgent work versus planned work
A leaking roof is urgent. The homeowner calls the first credible result, which is often an advert or a Local Services Ad.
A re-roof is planned. The homeowner reads, compares and checks reviews. Organic results, map listings and your website carry more weight here.
What to do first
If you need work now: launch Search ads for roof repairs in your core area, and complete your Business Profile in the same week.
If you are busy and planning ahead: put effort into service pages, town pages and reviews, and run a small ad budget on your most profitable service.
How each helps the other
- The search terms report from ads shows the exact phrases homeowners use. Write pages for those.
- Reviews gathered for SEO make ads convert better.
- Pages built for SEO make better landing pages than a homepage.
A six-month plan
- Month 1: Business Profile, tracking, repair campaign live.
- Month 2: service pages for your three main services. Review requests on every job.
- Month 3: town pages for your main areas. Add a re-roofing campaign.
- Months 4 to 6: add photos and case studies monthly. Review where you now rank and reduce ad spend on those searches if calls hold up.
Common questions
Can I do roofing SEO myself? The Business Profile, reviews and photos, yes. Technical work and content take more time or a specialist.
Are Local Services Ads SEO or ads? They are paid, charged per lead. Roofers are on Google's UK list.
Related guides
- PPC for Roofers: Budget and Keywords
- Marketing for Roofers: A 12-Month Plan
- Roofing Company Advertising: What Works
- Google Local Services Ads UK: What They Are, Who They Suit and What They Cost
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 Google Ads vs SEO for how we work.