How I stop DIYers clicking my Google Ads

I built a Google Ads campaign for a roof waterproofing contractor.

In his industry Google Ads delivers high-quality leads when you target people who are actively looking for a contractor.

In marketing terms we call these people solution aware. They know they have a leaking roof, and they know hiring a contractor is the right solution.

Here are some of the keywords we’re targeting:-

• roof waterproofing specialist
• roof leak specialist
• roof sealing contractors
• roof leak contractors
• roof leak company
• roof waterproofing company
• roof fixing company
• waterproofing membrane contractors
• roof waterproofing contractors near me
• roof waterproofing service

As you can see, it's clear that they're looking for someone to fix their problem.

But, there aren't enough of these kinds of searches in our target area to keep my client busy. So we need to advertise to people who are not yet solution aware.

The concept of solution aware comes from Eugene Schwartz in his book "Breakthrough Advertising". He identified five stages that describe how aware a potential customer is, and their readiness to buy. These stages are:-

1. Unaware: They don't know that their roof is leaking.
2. Problem Aware: They know their roof is leaking.
3. Solution Aware: They know what the solutions are (hire a contractor, get a new roof, DIY repair).
4. Product Aware: They know my client can fix their roof but they're getting other quotes.
5. Most Aware: They're almost ready to buy.

We need to expand our advertising to people who are problem aware. People who know they have a leaking roof, but haven’t yet decided how they want to fix it.

Here are some problem aware keywords:-

• roof leaking repair
• repair roofs
• roof patch
• metal roof leak repair
• roof waterproofing repair
• roof leak sealant
• patch roof leak
• tiled roof leak repair

We can be reasonably confident from the keywords that the searcher knows that they have a leaking roof. But, we don't know if they're the kind of person who hires a contractor, or if they're a DIYer.

And this is a very important distinction:-

• If they’re the kind of person who hires a contractor we’re in with a chance. We want them to click our ad.
• But if they’re a DIYer we don't. Paying Google for them to click our ad is a waste.

You see, it’s almost impossible to convince the DIY type to hire a contractor. I know this because I am one of them.

I own 7 drills. At least 40 saws. I have a draw full of hammers and between 10 and 20 hand planes, and 3 electric planes. The first time I brought my future wife home she described my place as a life support pod for the workshop in the back.

My dad was a DIYer and his dad before him. It’s so entangled into my genes that I can't process the thought that a home repair job might exist that a contractor could do better and cheaper than I could.

Unfortunately Google doesn’t offer a setting like Don’t show ads to people who have a tool problem, so we need another way to keep DIYers away from our ads.

That’s where repellent ad copy comes in. I’ve written about it before. Here’s how I used it for this campaign.

I added the headline: Don't DIY. It Will Leak Again

And the description: Don't risk DIY. We'll fix your roof and give you a 5 year guarantee.

The DIYers will hate the ad and scroll right past it. But the people we want to attract will agree with us, click the ad and hopefully turn into customers.

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