Let's TalkLet's TalkSecurity searches mix homeowners ready for a professional system with people comparing DIY kits, businesses looking for guard services, people searching for cybersecurity and people looking for security jobs. Google Ads for a security company has to pay for the first group - and judge results on accounts that stay monitored.
We go through the search terms you paid for, the enquiries they produced and how many became monitored accounts, and show how much went on DIY, guard-service, cybersecurity, product and job searches, which campaigns produced customers who stayed and what to change first. You get a recorded walkthrough; there is no call to sit through.
Four failures we see repeatedly in this vertical, and what each one actually costs.
'Security company near me' can mean alarm systems, security guards, cybersecurity or a security job. 'Best home security system' is usually someone comparing DIY kits online. Without careful exclusions and tight keyword choices, a large share of each day's budget goes on people who will never want a professionally installed, monitored system.
Accounts that count every install as equal teach Google to find whoever converts cheapest - often discount seekers who cancel monitoring at the first chance. Without importing which customers are still monitored months later, bidding optimises for installs rather than for the accounts that make the business valuable.
Search ads are short, and 'free equipment' or a very low monthly price is tempting to put in them. If the landing page does not state the contract length, total monthly cost and cancellation terms clearly, the ad attracts customers who feel misled later - and looks like the tactics the FTC warns consumers about.
Home alarm systems, cameras, smart home packages, business access control and multi-site monitoring are worth different amounts and convert at different speeds. Lumped together, cheap residential conversions take the budget and commercial searches, which are fewer but far more valuable, are left with what remains.
Business outcomes rather than dashboard metrics. None of these is a guaranteed number - where we do guarantee something, it is written into the offer above.
The real deliverables, not a list written to make a proposal look thicker.
Not the general agency pitch. The reasons that only apply to this kind of business.
Security keywords attract guard-service buyers, cybersecurity searches, DIY comparisons and job seekers alongside people who want a professional system. We build exclusion lists from the search terms you actually pay for, keep them current and focus spend on searches that end in a consultation about a monitored system.
We import installs and, later, the accounts still monitored, with values that reflect monthly revenue. Bidding learns to find customers who stay rather than whoever converts on the deepest discount, and reporting shows which campaigns actually build the business.
We write offers that state the monthly cost, contract length and cancellation terms clearly, in the ad where space allows and on the landing page always. Customers arrive knowing what they are agreeing to, which reduces cancellations and complaints and sets you apart from pressure sellers.
Recent searches sorted into systems, DIY, guards, cyber and jobs.
Negative lists built and reviewed monthly.
Home, smart home, business and access control campaigns.
Ads and landing pages stating cost and contract terms.
Installs and retained accounts imported for bidding.
Cost per install and per retained monitored account.
The parts of this that come from having run it in this industry before rather than from running it well in general.
Google's current US list of Local Services Ads categories includes home security. Where available they charge per lead and show a Google Verified badge for verified businesses. Compare them with search campaigns on cost per retained account.
Searches after a break-in nearby, a move or a new business opening come from people ready to act. Campaigns and pages that speak calmly to those moments, without exploiting fear, meet them when they are deciding.
Access control, business cameras and multi-site monitoring are searched for less often but are worth far more. Their own campaign and landing pages, with case-style explanations of what you install, keep them from being starved by residential conversions.
Where your state requires licence numbers in advertising - Texas does for alarm companies - including them is compliance and a trust signal at once.
None of our case studies is a security company. The nearest Google Ads engagement is an auto dealership, where tightly targeted search campaigns produced 1.22M clicks at a 0.90% click-through rate, 627% ROAS and $617K in revenue. The transferable lesson is targeting discipline - paying only for searches from people ready to buy, which in security means filtering out DIY, guard-service and cybersecurity traffic first.
Read the full case studyYes, when DIY, guard-service, cybersecurity and job searches are excluded, campaigns are split by buyer and bidding values retained accounts over installs. Measured on monitored accounts that stay, search ads can be one of the most dependable sources of residential and commercial work a security company has.
Security guard and patrol services if you do not offer them, cybersecurity and IT security, DIY kit comparisons and reviews, specific online brands you do not install, and job searches. Review the search terms report monthly, because 'security' is broad and new irrelevant variations appear constantly.
Import installs and, later, accounts still monitored after a set period, with values reflecting monthly revenue, so bidding learns which searches produce customers who stay. Make offers and contract terms clear before the sale, because customers who feel misled are the ones who cancel first.
You can, but make sure the landing page clearly states the contract length, monthly cost and cancellation terms. Offers that hide the commitment attract complaints and cancellations and resemble the tactics the FTC warns consumers about. Clear terms convert fewer impulsive clicks and more customers who stay.
Google's current US list includes home security, so many security companies can, though availability varies by area. They charge per lead rather than per click, and invalid leads are not charged. Compare them with search campaigns on cost per retained monitored account.
Yes. Access control, business cameras and multi-site monitoring are searched for less often, decided on reliability and support, and worth far more than a typical home system. Their own campaign, budget and landing pages keep them visible and let you judge them on commercial results.
Where your state requires it, yes. Texas, for example, requires alarm company advertisements to show the company name, address and licence number. Check the rules in each state you work in, include the details in ads or assets and on landing pages, and keep them consistent across your profile and website.
The system or service searched for, what installation and monitoring include, clear monthly cost and contract terms, licence details where they apply, your monitoring and response arrangements, genuine reviews and a short form asking property type, current system and main concern.
Enough to fill the installation capacity your technicians have in the areas you want to grow, judged on cost per retained account over several months. Start with your most valuable buyer type, then expand into what produces customers who stay. A small, well-targeted account can do well.
Excluding irrelevant searches can improve an account within weeks. Retention results take longer to read, because a monitored account only proves its value over months, so judge campaigns over a longer window and report on installs and retained accounts side by side.
Written for owners weighing this up, whether or not they work with us.
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