Key takeaways
- Owners name the project, not the trade: "home addition contractor", "custom home builder", "tenant improvement contractor".
- Research searches about cost, timelines and permits come months before bid requests, and the builder who answered them is often on the shortlist.
- Give every high-intent project search a page, and every research question a place on that page or a case study.
- The word contractor pulls in job seekers, tax questions and insurance shoppers, so negative keywords matter more here than in most trades.
The keywords for a contractor follow the owner's project: "home addition contractor", "custom home builder", "commercial build-out contractor", usually with a town or "near me". Months earlier, the same owner searched what an addition costs and how long permits take. Target both stages, and keep the many unrelated "contractor" searches, from job hunting to tax forms, out of your ads.
How contractors' customers search
Contractors' customers search by what they want built, and who is searching shapes the words. A homeowner, a business owner and a developer describe the same work very differently.
| Who is searching | What they type | Page that should answer |
|---|---|---|
| Homeowner planning an addition | "home addition contractor", "second story addition", "bump out addition cost" | Additions page, with addition case studies |
| Family building a home | "custom home builder", "build on my own lot", "new construction contractor" | New construction page, with your process from plans to keys |
| Business owner with a new lease | "tenant improvement contractor", "office build-out contractor", "restaurant build-out" | Commercial build-outs page, with schedule and permitting detail |
| Property manager or developer | "commercial general contractor", the firm's name after a referral | Commercial page and project list, plus the About page |
| Any owner, months before hiring | "cost to build an addition", "how long does a permit take", "general contractor vs design build" | A question section on the matching project page, or a short guide |
Notice what is missing: almost nobody types "general contracting services". That is how contractors describe themselves, not how owners search. Your Google Ads search terms report and Search Console's query list (Search Console) show the real wording. Use it.
High-intent vs research searches
| Question | High-intent search | Research search |
|---|---|---|
| What they want | To book or get a quote | To learn, compare or price |
| How it reads | A service and "near me" | "How much", "how to", "which is best" |
| Where to send them | A service page with a call button | A guide that answers the question |
| In paid ads | Worth bidding on | Usually a negative keyword |
High-intent vs research searches
Both kinds matter for contractors, because the project is decided long before the bid request.
High-intent search : The owner is ready to collect bids. The search names a project and often a place: "home addition contractor near me", "commercial contractor" plus a town. These belong on your project-type and area pages, and in paid search.
Research search : The owner is deciding whether, when and how much. "Cost to add a bedroom", "addition vs moving", "what is a tenant improvement allowance". These rarely produce a call the same day. They produce a name the owner remembers when the plan is approved.
Comparison search : The owner has a shortlist. "Firm name reviews", "firm name vs firm name", "design build vs general contractor". These are won by your profile, your reviews and an honest page about how you work.
Spring and summer building season is when high-intent searches peak. Research searches start in the fall and winter, which is why the pages that answer them should be live before then.
Building a keyword map
A keyword map gives every search you want a single page to land on, so pages do not compete with each other.
- List your project lines. Additions, new homes, whole-house renovations, commercial build-outs. Leave out work you take only occasionally.
- Collect the owner's words. Read the project descriptions owners typed into your bid form and the notes in your construction CRM, then your Google Ads search terms and Search Console queries.
- Group searches by project, then by stage. One group per project line for high-intent searches, with the research and comparison questions for that project listed underneath.
- Assign one page per group. The additions page targets the addition searches. Its research questions become a section on that page or a case study, not a separate thin page.
- Add the area layer. Where you have area pages, link each one to the project pages, so "addition contractor" plus a town has a clear path.
- Mirror it in ads and the profile. Ad groups follow the same project lines, and the profile's services list uses the same words.
- Revisit before each season. New phrases show up in search terms every year. Add them to the map, not to a new page by default.
Negative keywords for ads
Contractor is one of the most crowded words in search, so negative keywords matter more here than in most trades. Without them, a broad or phrase match ad for "contractor" can show for searches that will never become a project (how match types work). Add these as negatives (negative keywords), then review your search terms report monthly for more.
- Job and trade searches: jobs, hiring, careers, salary, apprenticeship, subcontractor work.
- Licensing and business admin: license, exam, bond, contractor insurance, certificate of insurance.
- Tax and employment: independent contractor, 1099, tax forms, "contractor vs employee".
- Software and supplies: estimating software, project management apps, contractor supply, tool rental.
- Do-it-yourself: how to frame, DIY addition, build it yourself, plans for sale.
- Work you turn down: handyman, small repairs, single-trade jobs below your project minimum.
For the paid side in more depth, see Google Ads keywords for contractors.
How VETS Growth Marketing helps
We build your keyword map from your own bid records and search terms, assign each project line a page and an ad group, and set up the negative list before any budget runs. The website and ad accounts stay in your name. We report which searches produced qualified bids and signed contracts, and adjust the map each season. A growth consultation includes a first pass at the map for your business.
Sources
- About negative keywords, Google Ads Help
- About keyword matching options, Google Ads Help
- Google Search Console, Google