30%
of map-ranked builders run any Google or Meta ads
5
Google ads is the median for builders who advertise there
52%
of builders’ live Google ads are over a year old
53%
of builders’ active Meta ads started in the last 30 days
Most builders don’t advertise at all
We looked up 1,664 builders and contractors who rank in the top 10 of Google Maps in the 50 largest U.S. metros, in Google’s Ads Transparency Center and Meta’s Ad Library. Most of them ran no ads on either.
Who advertises where
1,662 builders checked on both Google and Meta.
Google: any ad shown in the 30 days to October 16, 2026. Meta: ads active when checked in October 2026. Analysis: LeadLiners.
View as table
| Item | Share of builders |
|---|---|
| Neither | 70% |
| Google only | 18% |
| Meta only | 5% |
| Both | 7% |
Share of builders advertising, by trade
GoogleMeta (Facebook and Instagram)
Top 10 Google Maps results per metro and search. Analysis: LeadLiners.
View as table
| Item | Meta (Facebook and Instagram) | |
|---|---|---|
| Custom home builders | 23% | 14% |
| Remodeling contractors | 27% | 8% |
| Pool builders | 34% | 19% |
| Metal building contractors | 16% | 8% |
How many ads do builders run?
Builders who do advertise on Google run a handful of ads, not dozens. The median is 5 distinct ads shown in the last 30 days. On Meta the median is3 active ads.
Number of ads, among builders who advertise
Google (last 30 days)Meta (active)
Share of advertisers in each range. An “ad” is one distinct creative as listed in each platform’s ad library. Meta counts cap at 50 per business. Analysis: LeadLiners.
View as table
| Item | Google (last 30 days) | Meta (active) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 ad | 14% | 29% |
| 2–5 | 37% | 42% |
| 6–20 | 31% | 24% |
| 21–60 | 13% | 4% |
| 61+ | 5% | 0% |
Median number of Google ads, by trade (advertisers only)
View as table
| Item | Median Google ads |
|---|---|
| Custom home builders | 4 |
| Remodeling contractors | 4 |
| Pool builders | 7 |
| Metal building contractors | 6 |
Builders set up Google ads and leave them
Half of the Google ads builders are running today were first shown more than a year ago (52%), and only 4% are new this month. On Meta it’s the reverse: 53% of active ads started in the last 30 days.
How old are builders’ live ads?
Time since each ad was first shown (Google) or started (Meta).
GoogleMeta
Share of ads in each age range. Analysis: LeadLiners.
View as table
| Item | Meta | |
|---|---|---|
| Under 30 days | 4% | 53% |
| 1–3 months | 13% | 19% |
| 3–12 months | 31% | 23% |
| 1–2 years | 23% | 5% |
| Over 2 years | 29% | 1% |
That fits how each platform works. Search ads answer a search, so an old text ad can keep working. Social ads interrupt a feed, and the same photo gets stale fast, so advertisers swap creative often. For builders, the practical point is the same either way: check your ads on a schedule. A Google ad written in 2023 may still mention an old offer, an old phone number or a town you no longer serve.
What formats builders use
Ad formats on Google
Share of builders’ Google ads.
View as table
| Item | Share of ads |
|---|---|
| Text | 75% |
| Image | 17% |
| Video | 8% |
Ad formats on Meta
Share of builders’ Meta ads.
View as table
| Item | Share of ads |
|---|---|
| Dynamic (mixed creative) | 30% |
| Video | 28% |
| Image | 25% |
| Carousel | 13% |
| Catalog | 3% |
| Multiple images | 1% |
| page_like | 0% |
| multi_videos | 0% |
| Text | 0% |
Advertising doesn’t buy map rank, but advertisers do more
Share advertising, by Google Maps position
GoogleMeta
View as table
| Item | Meta | |
|---|---|---|
| Top 3 | 27% | 12% |
| 4–10 | 24% | 12% |
Top-3 map listings advertise about as often as those ranked 4 to 10, which makes sense: ads don’t affect the free map results. But builders who advertise on Google had a median of 57 Google reviews, against 17 for those who don’t. The builders who invest in ads tend to invest in everything else too.
So how many ads should a builder run?
The data shows what builders do, not what works best. Our view: a builder doesn’t need dozens of ads. On Google, a few well-written search ads per service, each sent to the matching page, beat a sprawling account. On Meta, run two or three ads with real job photos or a short walkthrough video, and replace them every few weeks before they go stale. More in how many ads should a contractor run?
