RETARGETING ADS FOR PLUMBERS. FOLLOW UP WITH PEOPLE WHO ALMOST CALLED.

Here's a number that should make you uncomfortable.

97% of people who visit your plumbing website leave without calling.

They showed up. They looked around. They were interested enough to click on your site.

And then they left.

Maybe they got distracted. Maybe they were comparing plumbers. Maybe their kid started screaming. Maybe they figured, "I'll call later."

But "later" never comes. Because they forgot about you. They forgot your name. They forgot your phone number. They moved on with their day.

All those potential customers... gone.

Unless you follow up with them.

Enter Retargeting Ads

Retargeting (also called remarketing) is when you show ads to people who already visited your website. Not random strangers. People who already found you and showed interest.

You've experienced this yourself. You look at a pair of boots on Amazon, and suddenly every website you visit shows you ads for those exact boots. For days.

That's retargeting.

And it works incredibly well for plumbing businesses.

How Retargeting Works (In Plain English)

Here's the simple version.

1. Someone visits your plumbing website
2. A tiny piece of code (called a "pixel") drops a cookie in their browser
3. When they browse other websites (news sites, Facebook, YouTube, etc.), your ad shows up
4. They see your business name and remember, "Oh right, I need to call that plumber"
5. They click the ad, come back to your site, and call

It's like leaving your business card on their kitchen counter. Except this business card follows them around the internet until they pick up the phone.

A little aggressive? Maybe. But effective? Hell yes.

Why Retargeting Works So Well for Plumbers

Here's why retargeting is especially powerful for plumbing businesses.

### 1. The Problem Doesn't Go Away

Unlike impulse purchases (clothes, gadgets, whatever), plumbing problems don't just resolve themselves. That leaky faucet? Still leaking. That slow drain? Still slow. That weird noise from the water heater? Still weird.

The need persists. So when your retargeting ad shows up a few hours or days later, the problem is still there. And now you're reminding them to do something about it.

### 2. Trust Builds With Repetition

The first time someone sees your business, they don't know you. By the third or fourth time they see your name and logo? You feel familiar. Familiar feels safe. Safe gets the call.

Psychologists call this the "mere exposure effect." The more often someone sees something, the more they trust it. Retargeting puts this to work for you automatically.

### 3. It's Incredibly Cheap

Retargeting ads are some of the cheapest ads you can run. We're talking $1 to $3 per thousand impressions (CPM). Not per click. Per thousand views.

For $100 to $200 per month, you can stay in front of every person who visited your website for the next 30 days.

Compare that to Google Ads where you're paying $20 to $50 per click. Retargeting is a fraction of the cost because you're only targeting warm leads, not cold traffic. (If you're weighing your options, check out our breakdown of SEO vs. paid ads for plumbers.)

What Your Retargeting Ads Should Say

Keep it simple. You're not trying to explain your entire business in an ad banner. You're just trying to remind them you exist and give them a reason to come back.

Effective ad messages for plumbers:

1. "Still dealing with that plumbing issue? We're available 24/7. Call now."
2. "Don't let a small leak become a big problem. [Company Name], your local plumber."
3. "$50 off your first service. Offer expires soon."
4. "500+ 5-star reviews. See why [city] homeowners trust [Company Name]."
5. "Need a plumber? We're just a call away. Free estimates."

Always include: - Your logo (brand recognition) - Your phone number (so they can call directly) - A clear call to action ("Call Now," "Get a Free Quote," "Book Online")

Where to Run Retargeting Ads

### Google Display Network

This shows your ads on millions of websites across the internet. News sites, blogs, recipe sites, weather sites... basically everywhere people browse.

Best for: Broad visibility. Staying top of mind. Reaching people wherever they go online.

### Facebook and Instagram

Facebook retargeting shows your ads in people's social media feeds. Even if they're not actively looking for a plumber, they'll see your ad while scrolling.

Best for: Visual ads with before-and-after photos. Testimonial-based ads. Seasonal promotions.

### YouTube

Pre-roll ads on YouTube (the ones that play before videos) can also be retargeted. Show a 15-second video ad to people who visited your website.

Best for: Plumbers who have video content (testimonials, job walkthroughs, team introductions).

How to Set It Up

### Step 1: Install the Tracking Pixel

You need to add a small piece of code to your website. Two main ones:

1. Google Ads Remarketing Tag (for Google Display Network and YouTube)
2. Meta Pixel (for Facebook and Instagram)

If you built your site on WordPress, there are plugins that make this easy. If you have a custom site, your developer can add them in 10 minutes.

### Step 2: Create Your Audience

Set your retargeting audience to include everyone who visited your website in the last 30 days. You can adjust this window (7 days, 14 days, 60 days, 90 days), but 30 days is the sweet spot for plumbing.

Why? Because plumbing decisions don't take months. If someone visited your site 90 days ago, their problem is either fixed or they've forgotten about it.

### Step 3: Create Your Ads

Design 2-3 simple ads. Use your logo, your phone number, and a clear message. Keep it clean and professional.

Banner sizes to create: 300x250, 728x90, and 320x50 (mobile). These three sizes cover the majority of ad placements.

### Step 4: Set Your Budget

Start small. $5 to $10 per day. That's $150 to $300 per month.

For that price, you'll stay in front of hundreds of potential customers who already showed interest in your business.

### Step 5: Monitor and Adjust

Check your results monthly. Look at:

1. How many people saw your ads (impressions)
2. How many clicked back to your site (clicks)
3. How many called or filled out a form (conversions)

If it's working (and it usually does), keep it running. If a particular ad isn't performing, swap it out for a new one.

Real Results

A plumber in Jacksonville started running retargeting ads at $200/month. Within 60 days, he tracked 8 additional calls directly from retargeting.

At an average job value of $450, that's $3,600 in revenue from $200 in ad spend. An 18x return.

Not every month will be that good. But even a 5x return on retargeting is incredible compared to most advertising channels.

The Bottom Line

Retargeting is the safety net that catches all the leads your website misses on the first visit.

It's cheap. It's effective. And almost no plumbers are doing it.

Which means when you start, you'll be the only plumber in your market who follows up automatically with every website visitor.

That's a serious competitive advantage.

Want Help Setting This Up?

Retargeting works best when your website is built to convert in the first place. Driving people back to a bad website just wastes your ad budget. Make sure you're not making any of the common conversion mistakes that drive visitors away.

Get your free website audit and we'll look at your site's conversion readiness. If your website is solid, we'll help you set up retargeting to capture the leads you're currently losing.

If your website needs work first... well, we can help with that too.

P.S. Think about this. You're already paying for traffic (through SEO, ads, or just the time it took to build your site). 97% of that traffic is walking away. Retargeting lets you follow up with all of them for a few bucks a day. There's no cheaper way to get more calls from the traffic you already have. Let's get it set up.