Your Step-by-Step Guide to Profitable Google Ads for Pool Cleaning
Ever felt like you’re doing great work, but your phone isn't ringing as much as it should be? Meanwhile, your competitors seem to be everywhere online? The secret weapon many of them are using (and that you can, too!) is Google Ads.
Forget complex digital marketing degrees. This guide breaks down exactly how to set up your first Google Ads campaign for your pool cleaning business, step-by-step, so you can start showing up exactly when customers are searching for your services. We’re talking about targeting homeowners who need a green pool fixed today, or who are looking for reliable weekly maintenance.
Let’s turn those online searches into new clients!
1. Getting Started: The Google Ads Basics & Account Setup
Before we dive into keywords and ad copy, you need a Google Ads account. If you've got a Google account (like for Gmail or YouTube), you're already halfway there.
What You'll Need: A Google Account: (Your regular Gmail works fine).
Your Business Website: Even a simple one-page site is better than nothing. This is where your ads will send people.
Payment Method: A credit card or bank account for your ad spend.
Step-by-Step Setup: Go to Google Ads: Open your browser and go to ads.google.com.
Click "Start Now": You'll be prompted to log in with your Google account.
Choose "Switch to Expert Mode": This is critical. Google might try to push you into a "Smart Campaign," which is overly simplified and gives you very little control. "Expert Mode" sounds intimidating, but it gives you the control you need to save money and get better results.
Pro Tip: If you accidentally start a Smart Campaign, don't worry! You can usually find an option in your account settings or through Google's help docs to switch to Expert Mode.
Create a New Campaign (But Not Yet!): When it asks you to create your first campaign, you can actually skip this for now. Look for a link like "Create a campaign without a goal's guidance" or just navigate to the main dashboard. We'll build a campaign from scratch.
2. Building Your First Campaign: Search is Your Friend!
For pool cleaning, Search campaigns are your bread and butter. These ads show up directly on Google when someone types in a specific query.
Campaign Goal & Type: Click "New Campaign": From your Google Ads dashboard.
Choose a Goal: Select "Leads." This tells Google you want people to contact you.
Select Campaign Type: Choose "Search."
How you want to reach your goal?: Select "Phone Calls" and enter your business phone number. You can also select "Website visits" and enter your website address. Don't select "Store visits" or "App downloads."
Campaign Naming: Give your campaign a clear name, like "[Your City] Pool Cleaning Search Campaign."
Settings: Location, Language, and Budget: Networks: Crucially, uncheck "Include Google Display Network." This shows your ad on other websites and usually wastes money for local services. Keep "Include Google Search Partners" checked – it’s generally okay.
Locations This is where you specify exactly where you want your ads to show.
Target: Select "Enter another location" and type in the specific cities, zip codes, or even draw a radius around your service area. Be precise! Don't target your whole state if you only serve a few towns.
Exclude: If there are areas within your target (like commercial zones you don't service), exclude them.
Languages: Keep it to "English" unless you specifically serve other language-speaking communities.
Budget: Start with a modest daily budget, like $10-$20 per day. You can always increase it later. Google will try to spend your budget evenly throughout the day.
Bidding: For now, choose "Conversions" (if you've set up conversion tracking, which we'll cover quickly) or "Clicks." If you pick clicks, set a "Maximum CPC bid limit" (e.g., $5) to prevent overspending initially. This tells Google the maximum you're willing to pay per click.
3. Ad Groups & Keywords: What People Are Searching For
Ad Groups organize your keywords and ads. Think of them like categories. You want your ad to be super relevant to what someone searched for.
Creating Ad Groups: Create a few focused Ad Groups. Don't throw all your keywords into one big pile!
Ad Group 1: General Pool Cleaning
Keywords: "pool cleaning service," "local pool cleaners," "best pool service," "weekly pool maintenance [your city]"
Ad Group 2: Green Pool Repair
Keywords: "green pool cleaning," "fix green pool," "algae removal pool," "emergency pool service"
Ad Group 3: Pool Repair/Equipment
Keywords: "pool pump repair," "filter cleaning service," "salt cell cleaning," "pool heater repair"
Understanding Keyword Match Types (Super Important!): This is where many businesses waste money. Match types tell Google how closely someone's search query needs to match your keyword for your ad to show.
Broad Match (e.g., pool cleaning): Shows your ad for anything loosely related. Use sparingly, if at all. You might show up for "pool cleaning jobs" or "pool cleaning chemicals."
Phrase Match (e.g., "pool cleaning service"): Shows your ad for searches that include your exact phrase, plus other words before or after. Good for specific services.
Example: Shows for "best pool cleaning service near me," "affordable pool cleaning service," but not "pool service cleaning."
Exact Match (e.g., [pool cleaning service]): Shows your ad only for the exact phrase or very close variations (like plurals). Use these most often for high-intent keywords.
Example: Shows for "pool cleaning service" or "pool cleaning services," but not "pool cleaning companies."
4. Negative Keywords: Stop Wasting Money!
This is arguably the most important step for local service businesses. Negative keywords tell Google when not to show your ad.
Add common negative keywords right away:
-jobs, -careers, -salary, -equipment, -diy, -chemicals, -reviews (if you don't want to pay for people just looking for reviews)
5. What Happens Next? Your Two Paths to Scaling
Congratulations! You’ve built a foundational Google Ads campaign. The good news is, your ads are running and generating leads. The challenging news is that Google Ads requires daily monitoring and optimization to truly be profitable. Ignoring it is the fastest way to drain your budget. As you start to scale, you have two primary options:
Path A: Hire a Professional Marketing Specialist For pool companies ready to move into the $10,000+ per month revenue bracket, hiring an expert is a smart investment. A specialist can handle all the complex details—A/B testing ad copy, setting up sophisticated conversion tracking, and continually refining your negative keyword lists.
Cost Expectation: Most reliable freelancers or agencies specializing in local services charge $500 to $1,500 per month in management fees (plus your ad spend).
Path B: Focus on Your Clients While We Handle the Backend You got into this business to clean pools and manage your routes, not to spend hours staring at Google Analytics. If your immediate goal is simply to run your operations smoothly and make sure you’re maximizing every single lead you get from these new ads, you need a system built just for you.
That’s where Aquatechy comes in. Our platform is designed to take the leads Google Ads sends you and turn them into paying, recurring clients—effortlessly. When that Google Ad phone call comes in, your team instantly register them in our software and see if they fit into your technician routes.
Aquatechy is a field service platform that makes managing your routes and techs effortless. It enables smart route distribution between your staff, optimizing daily schedules to minimize drive time. Technicians access their daily routes, detailed client data, and equipment history directly through the mobile app. After service, techs log all chemical readings and job notes, instantly triggering an automated email to the client with a detailed service report.
The system keeps track of all filter cleaning dates and other high-value maintenance tasks, ensuring compliance and timely upsells. Aquatechy is the single tool that moves you from clipboard chaos to streamlined, verifiable service.