From January to October 2026, JBC Roof Cover's Meta ads produced 1,319 leads at R26.37 each — under the R30 Meta cost-per-lead target. Over the same months Google Ads recorded 1,063 platform-reported conversions at R950.69 each, with a 5.0% click-through rate and a 6.8% conversion rate. Syte runs Google Ads and Meta for JBC Roof Cover (jbcroofcover.co.za), a Johannesburg roofing and waterproofing contractor. The Meta Instant Form tests are the clear efficiency story; Google carries higher-intent search demand at a higher cost per lead.
| Client | JBC Roof Cover |
| Vertical | Roofing and waterproofing (local service, lead gen) |
| Market | Johannesburg / Gauteng, South Africa |
| Channels | Meta (Instant Form lead ads); Google Search and Performance Max |
| Period | 1 January – 31 October 2026 |
| Meta | 1,319 leads · R26.37 CPL · 2.4% CTR |
| Google Ads | 1,063 conversions · R950.69 CPA · 5.0% CTR · 6.8% CVR |
| Targets | Meta R30 CPL · Google ~R800 CPL |
The challenge
Roof repair and waterproofing jobs are local, seasonal and competitive. Homeowners search when something is leaking; the same people will also fill a short Facebook form if the offer is clear. JBC Roof Cover needs a steady flow of quote requests without paying so much per lead that a typical job cannot carry the cost. The written targets are about R800 per Google lead and R30 per Meta lead. Google search in Johannesburg is expensive; Meta Instant Forms can be cheap but only count if the form, Zap and sales inbox actually deliver the lead to the roofing team.
Approach
We run the two channels for different jobs:
- Meta Instant Form lead ads for volume at a low cost per lead. Three Aug 2026 Instant Form tests (Gutters Hero, Roof Painting, General Roofing) produced most of the Meta volume: 633, 312 and 283 leads at about R21, R24 and R26 each.
- Google Search for high-intent roof repair and waterproofing queries in Johannesburg, on Maximise Conversions / tCPA campaigns.
- Google Performance Max as a lighter Gauteng layer for roof repair (live in the Report BOT campaign list at a low cost per conversion on a small conversion count).
- Lead delivery matters as much as the ads: Instant Form leads are meant to reach sales@roofcover.co.za through Zapier, and Google leads come from quote forms, call tracking and related actions as configured in the account.
Channels used
- Meta Instant Forms: primary cheap-lead engine for gutters, painting and general roofing tests.
- Google Search — roof repair (Johannesburg): main paid search campaign for repair intent.
- Google Search — waterproofing (Johannesburg): waterproofing intent (paused at draft time after earlier volume).
- Google Performance Max — roof repair Gauteng: supplemental coverage.
What we changed
- August 2026: ran Meta Instant Form lead-ad tests (Gutters Hero, Roof Painting, General Roofing) that produced the bulk of Meta leads in this window.
- Mid-September 2026: Syte took over Meta on this account (per performance-history benchmark notes).
- October 2026: rebuilt Instant Form lead flow and Zapier delivery to sales@roofcover.co.za + leads@syte.co.za; Google negatives and keyword adds on Roof Repair and Waterproofing; PMax for Gauteng roof repair specified and discussed (build details in client notes).
- Tracking work ongoing: phone / WhatConverts call recording still incomplete on Google, so call-side conversions are not fully verified.
Results (platform-reported)
| Measure | Jan – Oct 2026 | Prior Google window |
|---|---|---|
| Meta leads | 1,319 | n/a in this pull |
| Meta cost per lead | R26.37 | — |
| Meta CTR | 2.4% | — |
| Google conversions | 1,063 | 1,178 |
| Google cost per conversion | R950.69 | R767.90 |
| Google CTR | 5.0% | — |
| Google conversion rate | 6.8% | — |
| Meta Instant Form campaign | Leads | CPL | CTR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gutters Hero (Aug26) | 633 | R20.71 | 3.3% |
| Roof Painting Test (Aug26) | 312 | R23.69 | 2.9% |
| General Roofing Test (Aug26) | 283 | R26.09 | 1.9% |
| Google campaign | Conversions | CPA | CTR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roof Repair JHB Max Conv (tCPA) | 606 | R1,194.84 | 6.0% |
| Waterproofing JHB Max Conv | 333 | R848.58 | 4.4% |
| Roof Repair PMax Gauteng | 124 | R32.21 | 4.8% |
Meta cleared its R30 CPL target at R26.37 across 1,319 leads. Google sat above the ~R800 target at R950.69, and cost per conversion was higher than the prior Report BOT window (R768). Search still brings the intent that Instant Forms cannot replace; the gap is efficiency, not volume alone. The three Instant Form tests alone account for 1,228 of the 1,319 Meta leads.
Methodology. Figures are platform-reported (Google Ads / Meta) for 1 January to 31 October 2026. Google previous window is 3 March to 31 December 2025 as returned by Report BOT. Meta YoY was not available in this pull. Google "conversions" are the account's primary/biddable mix as configured over the year (quote forms, phone-related actions and related goals) and are not matched here to CRM-qualified jobs. Phone / WhatConverts tracking was still partly broken at the end of October 2026. No revenue or spend amounts are published.
What's next
Get Google closer to the R800 CPL line: tighten Roof Repair search terms and keep Waterproofing (historically cheaper per lead) funded when it is live. Finish phone call tracking so Google CPL is judged on real calls and forms, not click proxies. On Meta, keep Instant Forms as the default lead format and watch Zapier authentication so sales@roofcover.co.za does not go quiet again.
FAQ
How much do Meta leads cost for a roofing company?
JBC Roof Cover averaged R26.37 per Meta lead from January to October 2026 across 1,319 leads, under a R30 target.
Are Instant Forms worth it for roofing ads?
For JBC they were. Three Aug 2026 Instant Form tests produced 1,228 leads at about R21–R26 each. Forms only help if the Zap and sales inbox actually receive them.
What does Google Search cost for Johannesburg roofing leads?
In this window Google averaged R950.69 per platform-reported conversion across 1,063 conversions, above the ~R800 target. Waterproofing search was cheaper per conversion than roof repair search.
Should a roofing company run Meta and Google together?
Yes, for different jobs. Meta Instant Forms brought JBC volume under R30 CPL; Google Search captured higher-intent repair and waterproofing queries at a higher cost per lead.
What click-through rate is normal on roofing search ads?
JBC's Google account clicked through at 5.0% from January to October 2026, with roof repair search at 6.0%. Local service CTRs vary with match types and ad copy.
Related
- Meta Ads service: /services/meta-ads
- Google Ads service: /services/google-ads
- Lead-gen case studies: FS Containers (/case-studies/fs-containers), Modern Driving (/case-studies/modern-driving)
- Contact: /contact
