Considering running Google Ads for terms like utility bill audit and commercial energy audit. Anyone tried this? The cost-per-click looks expensive - $15-25 per click for the keywords I'm targeting.
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Do You Advertise on Google Ads?
I ran Google Ads for about 6 months. Spent $1,200/month, got decent click volume but the lead quality was terrible. Most people clicking were residential customers complaining about their home electric bill, not commercial facility managers. I couldn't figure out how to filter them out effectively and eventually shut it down.
I had better results by targeting very specific long-tail keywords: commercial utility bill audit [city], demand charge review [state], rate schedule analysis for businesses. Much lower volume but the clicks were from people who actually needed what I offer. I spend about $400/month and get 1-2 qualified leads per month. At my average client value of $15K in fees, the math works.
Google Ads can work but it's an expensive experiment for a solo practitioner. If you try it, start with a tiny budget ($200-300/month), use very specific keywords, and include negative keywords like residential, home, and apartment to filter out non-commercial searchers. But honestly, for most auditors, the time and money is better spent on direct outreach and referral building.