Are you ready to connect with more clients searching for excavation services? With Google Ads, you can showcase your specialized equipment and expertise, attracting the right customers to your business.

Let’s get started. Learn how to set up Google Ads for Excavators, and maximize your leads today!

What is Google Ads?

Google Ads is an advertising platform to promote excavation services. It’s a targeted online advertising strategy designed to connect excavation businesses like yours with potential clients actively searching for your services.

Google Ads allows you to display your advertisements to users who are specifically searching for related keywords. This ensures that ads are shown to people with a genuine interest in excavation work.

You can set your ad campaigns to highlight specific services you offer, such as Residential Excavation, Commercial Site Preparation, Trenching, and Land Clearing.

Google Ads also provides comprehensive reports, enabling you to track the performance of your campaigns and measure your Return on Investment (ROI).

Google Ads is a powerful platform for excavators like you looking to expand your customer base and grow your excavation business.

Google Account Setup and Initial Configuration

Create a Google Account (if you don’t have one)

Go to accounts.google.com and create a new Google account. This account will be used to manage your Google Ads.

Access Google Ads

Go to ads.google.com and click Start Now.

Sign in with your Google account.

Switch to Expert Mode

At the bottom of the page, you’ll see a link that says Switch to Expert Mode. Click this. This is important for excavators, as it gives you access to all the necessary settings.

Set Up Billing

Click on “Tools & Settings” (the wrench icon) in the top right corner.

Select “Billing” and then “Summary”.

Enter your business information and payment details. You can choose to pay automatically or manually.

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Link Google My Business (Google Business Profile)

If you have a Google My Business profile, link it to your Google Ads account.

Go to “Tools & Settings” > “Linked accounts”.

Find “Google Business Profile” and follow the instructions to link your account. This is essential for local targeting and displaying your business information in ads.

Google Ads for Excavators Campaign Creation and Targeting

Create a New Campaign

Click the blue “+” button and select “New campaign”.

Campaign Objective

Choose a campaign goal. For excavation, “Leads” is typically the most relevant.

Campaign Type

Select Search as the campaign type. Using search ads is a good starting point. People looking for digging or trenching services often search online. Search ads put the business in front of these people when they’re actively looking, which helps turn searches into customer contacts.

Campaign objective and type work together to make your ads effective.

Campaign Settings

Campaign Name

Give your campaign a descriptive name (ex.: “Local Excavation Services”).

Networks

You want to show your ads in the best place possible.

• Search Partners — These are other search engines besides Google. If you include them, your ads might appear on those other search sites. But you’re really aiming for the people who are using Google to find your services, so focusing only on Google is more effective.
• Display Network — This is like showing your ads on random websites people visit, like news or blogs. While some people might see them, they aren’t necessarily looking for excavation. You want to reach people who are actively searching for your services.

By turning off both “Search Partners” and “Display Network,” you ensure your ads only appear when someone searches for excavation-related terms directly on Google. This is the most direct way to reach people who are actively looking for your services. It’s like only talking to the people who walked into your office asking about your services. This helps you use your advertising money wisely.

Locations 

This is important! Enter the specific locations you serve.

Exclude means to prevent your ads from showing to specific locations. For example, if you offer services only in a specific county, you can exclude all other counties. This allows you to refine your targeting and ensure your ads are only shown to the most relevant potential customers, saving you money and improving your campaign’s efficiency.

You can target cities, zip codes, or even a radius around your business.

For your excavation business, selecting “Presence: People in or regularly in your included locations“ in Google Ads is essential for targeting the right customers. Excavation services are inherently location-based. You’re not going to dig a trench in a state hundreds of miles away.

By focusing on people who are physically within or consistently present in your service area, you ensure your ads reach individuals who are actually likely to need and use your services. This avoids wasting ad spend on people outside your reach and maximizes the chances of converting local searches into real jobs.

Excavation Project Lifecycle & Google Ads Targeting

The diagram below shows the steps your excavation company takes, from planning a project to finishing the digging work, and how Google Ads fits into that process. It illustrates how you first plan your project, then uses keyword research to figure out what people search for on Google. You create ads based on those keywords, and when someone clicks, they’re taken to a webpage to learn more and ask for a quote. The diagram then shows how your company contacts the potential client and, if they agree, completes the excavation project.

Essentially, this diagram demonstrates how Google Ads helps your excavation company find new customers by showing your ads to people actively searching for your services.

Languages

Select the languages spoken by your target audience.

Ad Rotation

Ad rotation is how search engines pick which of your ads to show. If you have different versions of an ad, the search engine needs a way to choose. Some settings show all ads equally, while others show the ones that get the most clicks.

For your Google Ads for excavators is just starting, it’s best to show all ads equally at first. This is because you don’t know which ads work best yet. Showing them all lets you see which headlines and descriptions people click on. Later, once you have enough data, you can tell the search engine to show the best-performing ads more often.

Campaign Duration

Campaign duration refers to how long the advertising campaign will run. Unlike some retail campaigns with specific end dates, your excavation services often benefit from an “always-on” approach. This means the campaign runs continuously, as the need for excavation work can arise at any time. But, it’s important to regularly monitor performance and adjust the campaign based on seasonal fluctuations, market conditions, or changes in business goals.

This ongoing approach ensures consistent lead generation and allows your business to capture potential clients.

Ad Schedule

Ad schedule allows an excavation company to control when its ads are displayed to potential customers. For businesses offering services that are typically requested during standard business hours, such as weekdays, scheduling ads to run primarily during those times will be highly efficient.

This allows targeting potential clients when they are most likely to be searching for and available to engage with excavation services. However, some emergency services or urgent projects might require 24/7 ad visibility.

Budget

Set a daily budget that you’re comfortable with. You can adjust this later.

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Bidding Strategy

Start with “Clicks” and set a maximum cost-per-click (CPC) bid. You can experiment with other bidding strategies later.

Ad Group Creation

Create ad groups based on your service categories (ex.: “Trenching”, “Land Clearing”, “Foundation Excavation”).

Keyword Research

This is important. Use Google’s Keyword Planner (found in “Tools & Settings”) to find relevant keywords.

Focus on long-tail keywords (more specific phrases) like “residential trenching services near me,” “commercial land clearing contractors,” or “foundation excavation cost.”

Use keyword match types (broad match modifier, phrase match, exact match) to control how your ads are triggered.

Match types are like filters for your Google Ads for Excavators. They determine how closely a person’s search on Google has to resemble your chosen keywords before your ad is shown. Basically, they tell Google how picky to be about showing your ad.

1. Broad Match — This is the most open setting. Your ads can appear when someone searches for anything Google thinks is related to your keywords. This includes similar ideas, different ways of saying the same thing, and even common mistakes in spelling.

• • Example: If your keyword is “digging”, your ad might show for “earth moving”, “hole making,” or even “construction.”

2. Phrase Match — Your ad will only show if someone types in your exact phrase, in the exact order you set it. They can add words before or after your phrase, but your core phrase has to be there.

• • Example: If your keyword is “dirt removal”, your ad could show for “cheap dirt removal” or “dirt removal services near me”, but not “removal of dirt.”

3. Exact Match — This is the most precise setting. Your ad will only show when someone searches for your exact keyword, or a very close variation like a misspelling or plural version.

• • Example: If your keyword is “trenching cost”, your ad will only show when someone searches for “trenching cost” or a minor variation like “trenching costs.”

Create Compelling Ads

Ad Group

Ad groups are like folders in your ad campaign. You use them to organize keywords and ads for each specific service, like trenching or land clearing.

Final URL and Display Path

The Final URL is where your website opens when someone clicks your ad. The Display Path is a simplified version of that address shown in the ad, giving a quick idea of the page’s topic.

Write clear and concise ad headlines and descriptions.

Headlines

Headlines are the first lines of text people see in your ads, designed to grab attention. For excavation, they should clearly state the service offered and location, like “Local Trenching Experts” or “Fast Land Clearing Services.”

Include your target keywords and highlight your unique selling propositions (e.g., experience, reliability, specialized equipment).

Descriptions

Descriptions provide more detail about your services, highlighting key benefits and encouraging clicks. For excavation, descriptions could mention experience, equipment, or free estimates, like “Reliable excavation with modern equipment. Get a free quote today!”

Sitelink 

Sitelinks are extra links below your main ad, directing users to specific pages on your website. For excavation, these could link to service pages like “Trenching”, “Land Clearing”, or “Contact Us.”

Callouts

Callouts are short, non-clickable phrases that highlight unique selling points or benefits. For excavation, these could include “Licensed & Insured”, “Free Estimates”, or “Experienced Operators.”

Landing Page Optimization

Landing Page Optimization means making your webpage better so more people do what you want them to do. Think of it like this: your webpage is trying to convince visitors to take a certain action, like asking for a quote or calling you. To make it more convincing, you change things like the words, pictures, and buttons on the page. The goal is to make it easier and more appealing for visitors to take that action, turning more of them into customers.

Landing Page Key Elements:

• Headlines — these are like welcome signs. They tell visitors instantly what you offer and why it matters to them. Like saying, “Your Local Digging Pros” or “Quick Trenching, Done Right.”
• Hero Image/Video — this is the “show, don’t tell” part. It’s a picture or video that proves you do good work. Imagine seeing a picture of a perfectly leveled site, or a smooth trench.
• CTA (Call to Action) — this is the “now what?” button. It tells people exactly what to do next, like “Get Your Project Started” or “Talk to an Expert.”
• Key Benefits — these are the reasons why people should pick you. It’s like saying, “We’re fast, safe, and affordable.”
• Unique Selling Proposition (USP) — this is what makes you different from everyone else. It’s your special skill or advantage, like “We use the latest equipment” or “We specialize in tricky jobs.”
• Address Users’ Concerns — this is where you answer questions before they ask. Like saying, “We’re fully insured” or “We handle all the paperwork.”
• Short Lead Form — this is how people contact you. Keep it quick and easy, just name, number, and a brief description of the job.
• Testimonials/Social Proof — this is where you show people that others trust you. It’s like having happy customers tell new customers, “They did a great job!”

Excavation Business Landing Page Sample:

Ensure your website’s landing pages are relevant to your ads and keywords. Make it easy for visitors to find the information they need and contact you. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly.