Promises of leads or jobs
A set number of leads, a fixed cost per lead or a promised result is a claim no one can control.
Hiring a manager
Basement Waterproofing PPC: How to Choose Someone to Run Your Google Ads
Waterproofing is a high-ticket, in-home-estimate business. A homeowner finds a wet basement after a storm, calls two or three companies and chooses who comes out to measure. The sale happens in the living room, often days after the click. That makes basement waterproofing PPC different from advertising a quick-service trade, and it makes the choice of who manages your account unusually important.
This guide is written for the owner who is deciding whether to hire someone for Google Ads management. It gives you the questions to ask, what good and weak answers sound like, the red flags that should end a conversation and what a sensible first month looks like. We offer these services, so read it with that in mind and use the same questions on us.
What makes this trade different
Why Waterproofing Ads Are Harder to Manage Than They Look
The searches are emotional and seasonal. People type "water in basement," "basement leaking after rain" and "wet basement repair" because they are looking at a puddle, and demand moves with storms and the thaw more than with the calendar. A manager who has never seen that pattern may keep a flat budget while your phones go quiet one week and overflow the next.
The vocabulary is also tricky. The word "waterproofing" attracts paint buyers, do-it-yourself shoppers, commercial contractors and product suppliers. Sump pumps, interior drains, crack injection, exterior excavation, crawl space encapsulation and window wells are different services with different values, and many companies do only some of them. Getting from a click to a signed contract also takes a staffed phone, an estimator who shows up and a quote that is understood. A manager who reports only on clicks will miss most of that picture.
Finally, the economics reward careful judgment over quick reactions. One signed job is large relative to the cost of a click, but the close rate on estimates, financing, the time from lead to contract and the share of calls that are not real prospects all affect how much you can spend. Good PPC for basement waterproofing starts from those facts, not from a generic dashboard.
Listen for how a candidate talks about intent. Someone searching "basement waterproofing companies near me" is shopping. Someone searching "sump pump not working" may need help tonight or may only want a replacement part. Someone searching "foundation crack repair cost" is researching and may be a month from calling. A manager who treats all three the same will either overspend on browsers or ignore people about to book.
Questions to ask
What to Ask a Prospective Google Ads Manager, and How to Hear the Answer
| Question | A good answer sounds like | A weak answer sounds like | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| How would you structure my campaigns? | By service and intent: wet basement and leak repair, sump pumps, foundation cracks, crawl spaces, brand, each with its own page | One campaign for "waterproofing" with everything inside | Structure decides what you pay for and what you can measure |
| How will you keep out DIY and supply shoppers? | A starting list of exclusions, weekly search term review and tight match types | "Google will figure it out," or relying on automation alone | Cheap DIY clicks eat budgets in this trade |
| How will you tell which calls became estimates and jobs? | Call tracking with recordings, plus a monthly check of our estimates and signed contracts | Reports that stop at clicks and impressions | Clicks do not pay the crews |
| What do you want from my team? | Fast call answering, honest feedback on lead quality and a contact for changes | Nothing, because the ads will do it all | Ad quality depends on what happens after the call |
| How do you handle storms and seasonal swings? | Flexible budgets, schedule changes and a plan for heavy-rain surges | A fixed monthly budget with no adjustments | Demand is uneven and capacity is limited |
| What will you not promise? | Leads, a cost per lead or a ranking position | Specific numbers of leads or a fixed cost | Honest managers cannot control those things |
| Who owns the account? | You, with admin access at all times and an export of your data | The agency, with access you cannot see | You must be able to leave with your account and history |
| Can I see an example report? | A plain report with spend, calls, forms, estimates and a written summary | A dense dashboard with no explanation | You should understand it without a translator |
| What does it cost, and for how long do I commit? | A flat fee, ad spend paid separately to Google, no long contract | A percentage of spend that grows as you spend more, with a lock-in | Pricing structure shapes incentives |
Hiring questions
Straight Answers About Hiring a Waterproofing Ads Manager
How much does basement waterproofing PPC management cost?
Our management fee is $895 a month for one platform, $1,595 for two and $2,295 for three, with no setup fee and no contract. Ad spend is separate and goes to Google or the other platform. How much to spend depends on what a signed job is worth and how many estimates your crews can run each week.
Should I hire an agency or learn Google Ads myself?
A motivated owner can run a small Google Ads account, but it takes weekly attention to search terms, exclusions and call quality. Many owners find the hours are better spent on estimates and crews. If you try it yourself, keep notes on what you change.
Is a lower management fee a good sign?
Not by itself. A low fee may mean light attention, and a high fee does not mean careful work. Ask what is included, how often someone looks at your account and whether you can read the reports.
What if the manager has never worked in waterproofing?
It is not fatal if they listen and learn the trade, but they should be able to talk about wet basements, sump pumps, crawl spaces and estimates without being coached. Ask for a plain-language plan for your services.
Should the manager also handle my website and reviews?
It helps when someone looks at the whole path from search to signed job, but paid ads can be managed on their own. A weak landing page or slow phone will undercut any manager, so fix those too.
What does a free inspection offer do for the ads?
Offering a free estimate or inspection is common in this trade and can raise the number of people who ask for a visit. Describe it accurately, because the people who respond must match the work you want to do, and check any local rules on how it is advertised.
Do Local Services Ads exist for waterproofing?
Availability varies by category and area. Where it is offered, it can complement search, but it comes with its own verification and rules. Look at current availability in your region.
How soon should I expect to see results?
The account usually starts within days, but the first weeks are tuning: exclusions, call handling and landing page fixes. Judge it after enough estimates, not after the first few calls.
Can anyone promise me jobs from paid ads?
No. A manager who promises jobs, leads or a cost per lead is making a claim they cannot control. Look for honest reporting and a clear plan, not big promises.
Red flags
Signs a Google Ads Manager Is the Wrong Fit
Account ownership is unclear
If the ad account sits under the manager and you cannot get in, leaving becomes expensive.
Reports full of clicks and impressions
If calls, estimates and signed work never appear, the report is decoration.
A long contract up front
Month-to-month terms let you leave when the work is not good.
One-size-fits-all keywords
A copied list of "waterproofing" terms without exclusions will attract paint buyers and DIY searchers.
No questions about your business
A manager who does not ask about capacity, estimators, financing or service area has not thought about your account.
Pressure to spend more now
Budget decisions should follow measured results from your calls and estimates, not a sales deadline.
First month
What a Sensible First Month With a Manager Looks Like
Week one: interview and audit
The manager learns your services, areas, crews, capacity and how calls are answered, and reviews any existing account.
Week one to two: build and approve
Campaigns, ads, exclusions and landing pages are drafted by service and shared with you before launch.
Week two: launch small
Start with a controlled budget and tracking for calls and forms. A small start makes problems easy to see.
Weeks two to four: tune
Search terms, calls and form quality are reviewed often, with exclusions and ad changes made quickly.
End of month: first real review
A plain report on spend, calls, estimates and what was learned, with a written plan for the next month.
What you bring to the relationship
The Owner Side of Good Management
Even a skilled manager cannot fix what happens after the phone rings. Before you hire anyone, decide who answers calls during storm weeks, how quickly an estimator can reach a home, what you say about financing and what happens to the callers you cannot serve. Many waterproofing owners discover that their best ad improvement is not a keyword at all, but a faster call-back or a clearer quote.
Plan to share three things with whoever runs your account: a short list of the services and areas you want, honest notes on which calls were good or bad, and the results of each estimate. Those notes let a manager steer toward the work that signs and away from the work that does not. Ask how that feedback will be collected, because a monthly one-line text from you beats a quarterly review nobody remembers.
Finally, think about how pay per click sits beside the rest of your marketing. Your Google Business Profile, reviews and referrals bring work that paid search never touches, and they affect whether a searcher trusts you after clicking. A good manager will ask about them. A better one will tell you plainly when an ad dollar would be better spent fixing something else first.
Keep exploring
Google Ads for Related Businesses
Want the organic side or the lead side too? See getting more leads, buying leads, lead generation programs, SEO, internet marketing, and best keywords for basement waterproofing.
Get in Touch
Ask Us the Same Questions
Use the table above on us. Call 610-825-4363 or email hello@getphound.com and we will answer each one, including where our experience stops and what we would want from your team.