Google Ads for drainage engineers: blocked drains, CCTV surveys and repairs
How does a drainage company get more paying jobs from Google Ads? Run call-focused emergency campaigns only during the hours your engineers can attend, draw the target area from where each van starts the day, give CCTV surveys and drain repairs their own campaigns and pages, and raise budget when heavy rain is forecast. Unavoidable Marketing is a Leeds-based agency that runs Google Ads for UK drainage engineers, domestic and commercial, and founder Andrew Heppinstall is on every strategy call.
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Last updated: 18 October 2026
Drainage is two trades in one account
On one side is the 7am phone call: toilet backing up, manhole lifting in the garden, kitchen sink full of grey water. On the other is the planned job: a homebuyer wanting a drain survey before exchange, an insurer asking for a CCTV report, a cracked pipe that needs relining. One is a race, the other is a considered purchase. Google Ads should handle them differently.
Emergency blocked drains: built for the phone
Searches like “blocked drain near me”, “emergency drain unblocking”, “toilet blocked plumber”, “drain blocked outside house” and “sewage backing up” come from people who want someone on the way now. Most are on a mobile. Almost none will fill in a form.
- Make a phone call the main action, with a call asset on every ad and a tap-to-call button at the top of the landing page
- Lift bids on mobile and keep desktop lower, unless your data says otherwise
- Write ads about what the customer cares about: how quickly you can attend, a clear call-out price policy, and that you clean up afterwards
- Keep the landing page short and fast: the number, the area, the promise, reviews, and a photo of your van and kit
Hours you can actually answer
A 24-hour ad schedule is only worth it if someone answers the phone 24 hours a day and an engineer can go out. If your out-of-hours cover is one engineer on call, set the overnight schedule to reflect that, perhaps with a lower budget and a tighter area. A missed call at 2am is a customer who rings the next firm.
Radius by van start point
Drainage engineers do not work from one point on a map. If you have three vans that start from three different home addresses, a single 20-mile circle around the office will send work to places none of them can reach quickly. We build location targeting around where each van starts its day, with tighter areas for emergencies and wider ones for planned work. Areas you can reach fastest get stronger bids. Areas you never want to drive into get excluded.
CCTV drain surveys: a different buyer
CCTV surveys are planned, researched and often booked a few days ahead. The buyers fall into a few clear groups, and each needs its own message.
Homebuyers
“Pre-purchase drain survey”, “CCTV drain survey before buying house”. Often told to get one by a surveyor or because the house is old. They want speed, a written report they can show the seller, and a clear price list.
Insurance and subsidence
“Drain survey for insurance claim”, “drain survey subsidence”. Here the report matters as much as the camera. Show a sample report layout and explain what you include.
Repeat blockages
“Why does my drain keep blocking”, “drain camera inspection”. Homeowners who are fed up. A survey is often the first step to a repair job, so these leads are worth more than they look.
Landlords and agents
Steady, repeat work. Ads should mention fast reports, access arrangements with tenants and invoicing that suits a letting agency.
Repairs and relining: the high-value end
“Drain relining”, “no dig drain repair”, “collapsed drain repair”, “patch lining” and “root removal from drains” are lower volume but usually the best paid jobs you do. They deserve a separate campaign so they are not drowned out by emergency budget. The landing page should explain the methods you use in plain words, show before and after camera stills, and make the survey the next step. If you offer guarantees on relining, say so.
Commercial versus domestic
Commercial drainage, such as restaurants with grease problems, retail units, offices, schools and housing associations, behaves very differently from domestic. Fewer searches, longer sales cycles, and often contract work rather than one-off jobs. Searches look like “commercial drain cleaning”, “grease trap cleaning”, “jet vac services”, “planned drain maintenance contract”.
- Run commercial in its own campaign, with ads that mention response times, insurance, method statements and out-of-hours work
- Send it to a commercial page, not the domestic emergency page
- Expect more forms and email enquiries, and track them as carefully as calls
- Value commercial leads by contract potential, not one job
Negative keywords for drainage accounts
- Products: drain unblocker, drain cleaner, caustic soda, plunger, drain rods, drain snake, enzyme cleaner
- Councils and water companies: council blocked drain, report blocked drain to council, water company sewer, road drain blocked, gully, since public sewers and road drains are usually not the homeowner’s to fix
- DIY and how-to: how to unblock a drain, unblock drain with baking soda, YouTube
- Jobs and training: drainage engineer jobs, salary, apprenticeship, courses
- Services you do not do, such as septic tank emptying or land drainage, if they are not yours
Weather-driven budgets
Drainage searches follow the rain. Heavy downpours, storms and freezing then thawing weather all push up blockages, flooding and overflowing drains. Christmas brings fat down kitchen sinks.
We set a base budget for normal weeks and agree a plan to lift it when heavy rain is forecast or calls start climbing, then bring it back down once the rush passes. That way you are visible when demand is high, without paying peak prices on dry, quiet days. The limit is always your engineers’ capacity: more ads than you can attend just means more missed calls.
Tracking calls to booked jobs
We track every call from the ads and the website, how long it lasted, and whether it became a job. Forms and emails for surveys and commercial work are tracked too. Reported together, that gives cost per booked job for emergencies, surveys, repairs and commercial work, so you can see where your money earns most.
How we do it
Quoted after a free call.
- Call-focused emergency campaigns set to the hours you can attend
- Location targeting drawn around each van’s start point
- Separate campaigns for CCTV surveys, repairs and commercial work
- Negative lists against products, councils and DIY
- A weather plan for raising and lowering budget
- Call and form tracking, reported as cost per booked job
- Ad spend paid to Google on your own card, never marked up
- No contract, rolling 30-day terms
Since 2012: 390+ projects, 92% of clients come back, and 40+ UK trade businesses on our books today.
Drainage companies’ questions about Google Ads
Who is the best Google Ads agency for drainage companies in the UK?
There is no single best agency for every drainage company. Look for one that runs call-focused emergency ads only in your hours, targets by where your vans start, separates CCTV surveys, repairs and commercial work, plans budget around the weather and does not lock you into a contract. Unavoidable Marketing is a Leeds-based agency that runs Google Ads for UK drainage engineers on a flat monthly fee with rolling 30-day terms, and founder Andrew Heppinstall is on every strategy call.
Should my drainage ads run 24 hours a day?
Only if someone will answer and an engineer can attend at any hour. Otherwise set the schedule to your real cover so you are not paying for missed calls.
How do I stop clicks from people buying drain unblocker?
Add product terms such as drain unblocker, drain cleaner, rods and plunger as negative keywords, and keep your ads clearly about engineers attending.
Are CCTV drain surveys worth advertising?
Yes. Homebuyers, insurers and fed-up homeowners search for them, and a survey often leads to repair or relining work worth much more.
Should commercial drainage have its own campaign?
Yes. Commercial buyers search differently, decide more slowly and often want contracts, so they need their own ads, page and tracking.
Should I spend more when it rains?
Often, yes. Heavy rain pushes up blocked and overflowing drain searches, so lifting budget for those days can pay, as long as your engineers can take the extra work.
Ask us about this for your drainage business
Send a quick message and Andrew will come back to you, usually the same working day.