Google Ads Keyword Research Guide For Construction Firms
Published on
10/29/2025
Published by
Terry Robinson
Contents
Before you spend a single dollar on Google Ads, you need to do keyword research. Not the quick, throw-it-together kind. The intentional, methodical kind that creates profitability in your business. If not, you're asking to dig a money pit.
Most construction firms skip this step or rush through it. They pick a handful of obvious keywords, set up their campaign, and have high hopes they will start generating leads just to watch their budget evaporate with little to show for it.
Keyword research isn't optional. It's the foundation of everything that happens next.
For this post, we're walking through how to conduct keyword research using Google Keyword Planner. This is a free tool available inside your Google Ads account, and it's the same tool professional marketers use to build successful campaigns for construction firms
Before You Start - The Foundation
Before we get into the mechanics of using Keyword Planner, let's make sure you understand why this matters and what makes construction keyword research different.
Why keyword research is essential: We've covered this in depth in our guide on keyword research for construction companies. The short version? Keywords determine who sees your ads, when they see them, and how much you pay. Skip this step, and you're gambling with your marketing budget.
Understanding search intent: Not all searches are created equal. For instance, someone searching "Building deck cost" is in a very different place than someone searching "deck builder near me." We break down the different types of search intent in our contractor marketing search intent guide. Understanding intent helps you avoid wasting money on clicks that never convert.
Ready? Let's move on
Accessing Google Keyword Planner
Keyword research can be a time-consuming task, but worth the time if you are thorough and intentional.
By that, I mean you want to really want to analyze each keyword that you plan to include into your campaigns instead of just adding adding a bunch of generic recommendations to your keywords lists.
Google's Keyword Planner lets you start in one of two ways. You can either start with a few keywords of your choice, or let Google pull keywords from your site.
Here's how to find it:
Log into your Google Ads account. In the top menu, click on "Tools & Settings." Under the "Planning" section, you'll see "Keyword Planner." Click that, and you're in. (You can also find Keyword Planner by clicking here.)
Getting Started with Google's Keyword Planner
When you open Keyword Planner, you'll see two options for starting your research. You can manually type in keywords related to your services, or you can enter your website URL and let Google suggest keywords based on your site content.
For architecture, engineering, or construction firms, manually entering keywords works best. You know your services better than an algorithm scanning your website.
For instance, let's say you're a general contractor providing kitchen remodels and bathroom renovations. You'd enter keywords like "kitchen remodel contractor," "bathroom renovation," "custom cabinetry," and "countertop installation." This gives you control over what types of projects you're targeting from the start.
Now don't be so lured by the search volume behind these keywords. There are still other factors that we must account for in our research.
Choosing The Right Keywords for Google Ads Strategy
After entering your seed keywords and getting results, you'll see a list of related terms. Here's what to focus on:
Check for keyword relevance. Does the keyword match what you actually offer? Someone searching "DIY deck building" probably wants to do the work themselves, not hire you. Focus on keywords where the searcher's intent lines up with your services.
Understand keyword categories. Review our search intent guide to understand the difference between commercial and informational searches. "Hire foundation repair contractor" signals buying intent. "What you need to know for foundation repair" doesn't.
Review keyword trend data. Check the three-month and year-over-year performance data in Keyword Planner. Rapid growth is a sign worth paying attention to, but on the same token you want to monitor them carefully - things could die off due to a variety of reasons. You also want to keep tabs on keywords that seem to not get enough search volume. These could be opportunities.
Analyze bid cost estimates: Check the bid ranges to understand what you'll pay per click. "Custom built cabinets near me" cost over $19 for a top of page bid, for example, while "granite countertop installation" cost just around $10. Higher costs usually mean more competition, but they can also indicate strong buyer intent. If other contractors are willing to pay more per click, that keyword likely converts well.
Higher costs usually mean more competition, but they can also indicate strong buyer intent. Showing advertisers are getting results. You also don't want to write off expensive keywords right away—they often have higher potential of attracting higher-quality leads.
Also, keep in mind these are "estimates". A keyword showing $20 per click might actually cost you $12 once you test it in your account, especially depending on your match type settings.
At this point, you're looking at hundreds of keyword suggestions. Google gives you filters to narrow things down and find the keywords that actually matter for your construction business.
Filter by Geographic Location
By default, Keyword Planner displays keyword data for your entire country.
That works if you serve customers nationwide. But most construction firms operate within a set of specific service areas - this could be a few states, cities, or counties.
If this is the case, your keyword research should reflect where you actually work. Local terminology matters too. What people search for in Phoenix might differ from what they type in Minneapolis.
To narrow down your location, look for the location setting above your keyword results. Click on it to adjust your targeting area.
Next, enter the country, state, or region that you intend to target. You can add as many locations as needed but remember that you want to be very intentional.
Select Your Search Network
Right next to the language filter, you'll see a dropdown that likely says "Google."
When you click it, two options appear: search only on "Google" or expand to "Google and search partners.". The first option focuses your data just on Google. The second includes results from YouTube and other partner websites that use Google's search system.
For construction companies, we recommend selecting "Google" only. It gives you more accurate data focused on the platform where most of your potential clients are searching. Adding search partners can muddy your numbers and make forecasting less reliable.
Apply Search Volume Filters to Find High-Potential Keywords
You can apply search filters in Google to find keywords that fall more in alignment to you’re looking to offer. This takes it a step further in ensuring you create profitable Google Ads campaigns.
Find the "Add Filter" button sitting above your keyword results. Click it to see all your filtering options.
One filter we use consistently is setting a minimum for average monthly searches. We aim for at least 30 searches per month in most cases. If there's not more than one impression per day, it's typically not worth targeting, especially when you're getting started.
Keep in mind that average monthly search data isn't 100% reliable, but it's a good starting point. You want keywords with enough search activity to generate meaningful traffic, but you also don't want to only chase high-volume terms that are expensive and ultra-competitive.
Use Google's Keyword Refinement Tool
Look to the right side of your screen. You'll see a "Refine keywords" panel that's easy to miss but incredibly useful.
When you click it, a dropdown appears that lets you filter which keywords you want to keep or remove from your list.
The options change based on your search terms. For construction keywords, you might see categories related to different project types, materials, or service areas. You can expand each category to see specific terms and check the boxes for what you want to include.
There's also a filter for brand versus non-brand terms. Branded keywords include company names—yours or competitors. Non-branded keywords are generic service terms like "concrete contractor" or "home builder."
This tool helps you exclude entire groups of irrelevant keywords fast. If you only handle commercial projects, uncheck all residential categories. If you don't do DIY supply, remove those terms. It keeps your list focused on keywords that actually match your business.
Export and Organize Your List
You've almost got a solid keyword list ready. Now you just need to actually get them connected to your campaigns.
Select keywords by clicking the checkbox next to each one. As you select them, you'll see the count update at the top showing how many you've chosen.
From here, you can add keywords directly to a plan within Google Ads by selecting "add keywords to plan"
As you scroll through, you'll also spot negative keywords you want to add to your campaigns. You can use the refining process to filter out keywords you don't want to show up for. Highlight them, click "More" in the blue header, and select "Add as negative keywords." Set your match type there too.
One More Manual Search
Here's the final step. After running your keyword research in Keyword Planner, take it one step further.
Actually type some of your top keywords into Google and see what pops up.
When you type "deck builder" for example, Google suggests options like "deck builder clash royale," "deck builder clash," "deck builder atlanta," "deck builder mtg," "deck builder near me," "deck builder ai," "deck builder cr," and more.
These are real searches people are typing right now. You might discover valuable keywords that didn't show up in Keyword Planner. If they're relevant to your services, plug them back into Keyword Planner to check their search volume, competition, and cost estimates.
Alternative Keyword Research Tools for Construction Firms
Google Keyword Planner is free and powerful, but it's not your only option. There are third-party keyword research tools that can give you additional insights and streamline the process.
Semrush has a great "questions" feature that shows you question-based keywords people are searching for. This helps if you're building content that answers common construction questions. It also shows you what keywords your competitors are ranking for, which can help you find gaps in your own strategy.
Ahrefs offers keyword insights not only for Google Ads but also for Bing and YouTube Ads. If you want to run campaigns across multiple platforms, this can be useful. It also has strong competitor analysis features that let you see what's working for other construction firms in your market.
SpyFu has tools for fast competitor analysis. If you want to know which keywords your competition is bidding on and how much they're spending, SpyFu can show you. This is helpful if you're entering a competitive market and need to understand the landscape before you invest.
That said, we prefer to manually conduct keyword research using Google Keyword Planner for most construction firms. It's free, it's accurate, and it gives you data straight from the source. Third-party tools can add value, but they're not required to build a successful campaign.
If you do use third-party tools, treat them as supplements to Keyword Planner, not replacements.
Working with a Limited Ad Budget?
Not every construction firm has thousands of dollars to invest in Google Ads right away. If you're working with a limited budget, you can still run successful campaigns. You just need to be smarter about your keyword strategy.
Start with long-tail, exact-match keywords. These are longer, more specific phrases that tend to cost less but attract highly qualified traffic. For instance, instead of bidding on "roofing contractor" (which is expensive and broad), bid on "metal roofing contractor in Austin Texas." It's more specific, less competitive, and more likely to attract someone who's ready to hire.
Focus on a small number of high-intent keywords rather than trying to target everything. Pick 10-15 keywords that directly match your best services and have clear buyer intent. Test those first, gather data, and expand once you see what's working.
As you start getting results, you can expand into broader terms to grow your campaigns. But when you're starting with a tight budget, specificity wins. Long-tail keywords with exact match give you the best chance of converting clicks into actual projects without burning through your budget.
Moving Forward with Your Keyword Strategy
Keyword research is the foundation of your Google Ads success, but it's only the beginning. Once you launch your campaigns, you'll need to run tests and keep a close eye on your analytics. The data you gather will tell you what's actually working for your construction business.
Don't forget that keyword match types and negative keywords play equally important roles in determining when your ads show up. Keep this in mind when adding keywords to your Google Ads campaigns. The wrong match type can waste your budget fast, even if you picked the right keywords.
If you want help building a keyword strategy that actually brings in qualified leads for your construction firm, we offer free consultations. We'll review your current approach, identify opportunities you're missing, and show you exactly how to structure your campaigns for better results.
Schedule your free consultation here and let's get your Google Ads working harder for your business.
Get Weekly Marketing Tips
Join other AEC professionals to get the best marketing tips every week in your inbox
