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Stop Wasting Money

7 Google Ads Mistakes Costing Electricians Thousands

Most electrician businesses waste 20-40% of their Google Ads budget on these common mistakes. Here's what they are and how to fix them.

Top Electricians Google Ads Mistakes

Mistake #1: Paying Top Dollar for DIY Searches

Electrical work attracts massive DIY search volume—'how to replace outlet', 'electrical wiring diagram', 'which wire is hot'. At $12.18 per click (highest in home services), every DIY click is expensive. Without extensive negative keywords, 20-30% of your budget goes to homeowners who think they can do it themselves.

$780/month averageExample: 'How to install ceiling fan' clicking on electrical contractor ads

Mistake #2: Not Separating Emergency from Scheduled Work

Emergency electrical calls ('no power', 'sparking outlet', 'burning smell electrical') convert at 2-3x the rate of scheduled work but have different intent and urgency. Mixing them in one campaign means generic ads and missed opportunities to capture premium emergency work with urgent-focused messaging and after-hours call handling.

$560/month in suboptimal targetingExample: 'Electrical emergency' search seeing '15% off rewiring' ad

Mistake #3: Job Seeker Traffic at Premium CPCs

'Electrician' is a career with strong wages, so millions search for 'electrician salary', 'electrician apprenticeship', 'how to become an electrician'. These employment searches have zero commercial intent but trigger your contractor ads. You're paying $12+ per click for someone researching a career change.

$520/month on employment searchesExample: 'Electrician apprenticeship near me' triggering service ads

More Costly Mistakes for Electricians

Mistake #4: Running Broad Match Without Negatives

Broad match keywords trigger your electrician ads for searches like "electrician jobs" and "electrician salary". Without negative keywords, you're paying for clicks that will never convert.

$365/month wasted

Fix: Add comprehensive negative keyword lists and switch high-value keywords to exact match.

Mistake #5: Sending Traffic to Your Homepage

Your homepage isn't optimized for conversions. Electricians who click ads expecting specific services bounce when they land on a generic page.

40-60% higher bounce rate

Fix: Create dedicated landing pages for each service with clear CTAs and matching message.

Mistake #6: Ignoring Ad Schedule Data

You're paying the same CPC at 3 AM as you are during peak hours. But electrician searches convert differently throughout the day.

20-30% budget inefficiency

Fix: Analyze your conversion data by hour and day, then adjust bids accordingly.

Mistake #7: Not Testing Ad Copy

Running the same ads for months means you're leaving performance on the table. Different messages resonate with different electrician customers.

15-25% lower CTR

Fix: Run at least 3 ad variations per ad group and let Google optimize.

Keywords Electricians Should Never Bid On

These keywords waste budget without delivering customers:

electrician salary

Career researchers checking earning potential. No service intent.

how to wire outlet

DIYers looking for tutorials to do it themselves.

electrician apprenticeship

People seeking training and jobs, not electrical services.

electrical wiring diagram

DIYers and hobbyists researching how to do their own work.

electrician license requirements

Aspiring electricians researching certification, not customers.