Should pool builders market renovations separately from new pools?

For pool builders who do both new construction and renovations, and are deciding whether to market them as one business or two.

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Should a pool company run separate marketing for remodels and new builds?

Yes, if you want both kinds of work: give renovations and new pools their own website pages, ad campaigns, budgets and cost-per-contract numbers, while keeping one Google Business Profile that lists both. A homeowner who already owns a pool searches with different words, brings a different budget and often decides faster than one buying a first pool, so a blended message serves neither well. If renovations are a small sideline you don’t want to grow, list them on your profile and website and put the ad money behind new builds.

Our pool builder marketing page makes the same point: renovations and new builds need different marketing approaches, and you need to capture both types of leads. In practice that’s a split inside the local SEO and ads work, not a second company: separate pages and ad groups, one profile, and monthly reports with a cost-per-lead breakdown so you can see what each line costs. The rest of the pool builder marketing questions library covers each piece in more depth.

Why does a renovation buyer need different marketing from a new-pool buyer?

Because they’re shopping for something different. A homeowner pricing a first pool is buying a backyard they can’t see yet: they want designs, finished projects, a process they can trust and, often, financing. A homeowner with a pool already has a problem in front of them: rough or stained plaster, cracked tile, a tired deck, old equipment, or a pool that looks dated next to the house. They want to know what can be saved, what it’ll take and how long the pool will be out of use.

They also search differently. Google’s own SEO starter guide tells site owners to think about the words a user might search for, and notes that people who know a lot about a topic use different words from people who are new to it. Someone with a pool knows the vocabulary: resurfacing, replastering, tile replacement, remodel. Someone without one types “pool builder” and a town. The keywords a pool builder should target lists both sets. Source: SEO Starter Guide (Google Search Central).

When is it not worth marketing renovations separately?

When you don’t want more of them. In our judgement, there are three common cases where a separate renovation push is wasted money:

• Your crews are built for new construction. If a remodel pulls a crew off a new build mid-season, every renovation lead you pay for makes your schedule worse.
• You only remodel for your own past customers. Then the marketing is a phone call or an email to people you already know, not ads.
• The numbers don’t work. If a renovation leaves you little profit after the cost of winning it, more renovation leads mean more work for the same money.

In those cases, still list renovations on your Google Business Profile and give them a page on your website, so a homeowner who looks for them can find you. Just don’t put ad money behind them. The reverse holds too: a renovation-first company that builds a new pool now and then shouldn’t split its budget for a line it doesn’t want to grow.

Do I need a separate Google Business Profile for renovations?

No. Google’s guidelines say not to create more than one profile for each location of your business, and to use as few categories as possible to describe your overall core business. Renovations are a service of your pool company, not a second business. Google reserves separate profiles for things like publicly facing departments that operate as distinct entities, typically with their own name and customer entrance, or for brands that operate independently at the same location. A builder’s remodel crew is neither.

Do the separating inside the profile instead. Google’s services editor lets you group services into categories and add descriptions, so you can list new construction under one heading and renovation work, such as resurfacing, tile and decking, under another. Google says a service you list may be highlighted on your profile when a local customer searches for it. Optimizing a pool builder’s Google profile covers the rest of the profile. Sources: Guidelines for representing your business on Google, Manage your business category and Manage your services on your Business Profile.

Should renovations get their own pages on my website?

Yes, if you want the work. A page about new pool construction and a page about renovations answer different questions, and a single “pool services” page that tries to do both answers neither well. In our judgement, a renovation page earns its keep when it shows:

• Before-and-after photos of your own remodels, ideally from nearby towns.
• What you can change without starting over: interior finish, tile, coping, decking, equipment, water features.
• How the job runs: the first visit, the quote, and roughly how long the pool will be out of use.
• One clear request, with a form that asks “new pool or renovation?” so the lead lands with the right person.

If you do several kinds of renovation work, resurfacing alone can carry its own page. Separate pages for each pool type covers how far to split the new-build side.

How should I split Google Ads between renovations and new pools?

At minimum, into separate ad groups, each with its own keywords, ads and landing page. Google describes an ad group as one or more ads that share similar targets, says to use ad groups to organize ads by a common theme, and notes that many advertisers base their ad groups on the sections of their website. A renovation ad group with remodel and resurfacing keywords, sending clicks to your renovation page, does exactly that.

In our judgement, separate campaigns are usually better than separate ad groups, for one reason: budget. Google sets the average daily budget per campaign, so two lines in one campaign compete for the same money, and the cheaper clicks can quietly take most of it. Two campaigns let you decide how much each line gets and raise or cut one without touching the other. Structuring a pool builder’s Google Ads campaigns goes further into the setup. Sources: How ad groups work and About average daily budgets.

How should I budget for new pools versus renovations?

Set each line’s budget from its own contracts, not as a share of one pot. For each line, decide how many signed contracts you want from marketing this year, what your close rate is from first visit to signed contract, and the most you’ll pay in marketing to win one. That ceiling comes from the profit the job leaves you, so a renovation’s ceiling will almost always be lower than a new pool’s. How much a pool builder should spend on marketing walks through that backward math.

Two practical points, in our judgement. First, give the line you most want to grow the first claim on the money, and fund the other from what’s left. Second, watch the calendar: if renovation crews are booked out for the season, cut that campaign’s budget rather than paying for leads you’ll have to turn away. The same goes for repairs and equipment work: unless you want small jobs as a way in the door, they don’t need ad money.

Should I track renovation and new-build contracts separately?

Yes. It’s the only way to know whether each line pays for itself. Record the job type on every lead the day it comes in, alongside where it came from, and carry it through to the signed contract. Then you can work out cost per signed contract for new pools and for renovations, by channel.

Google Ads supports the same split. Google says that if you offer different services at different price points, you should measure different conversion values for each, and that conversion values let you see the total business value a campaign produced rather than just a count of conversions. A renovation lead and a new-pool lead aren’t worth the same to you, and your reports shouldn’t treat them as if they were. Tracking which marketing produces signed pool contracts covers how to carry the source and job type through to the contract. Source: About conversion values (Google Ads Help).

What should renovation ads and pages say that new-build ads don't?

They should talk about the pool the homeowner already has. In our judgement, renovation messaging works best when it speaks to the problem and the result: worn finish, dated tile, a deck that’s cracking, and what the pool looks like when you’re done. New-build messaging sells a backyard that doesn’t exist yet: design, the build process, timelines and financing.

Some practical differences:

• Photos: before-and-after pairs for renovations; finished backyards and build stages for new pools.
• Questions you answer: “Can you keep my shell?” and “How long will we be without the pool?” versus “What can I build in my yard?” and “How long from design to first swim?”
• The next step: a visit to look at the existing pool versus a design consultation.

Keep the brand the same on both. It’s one company with two offers, and a homeowner who sees your remodel ad today may be the neighbor who asks about a new pool next year.

What about outdoor kitchens, decks and other add-on projects?

In our judgement, market them with the line they’re usually bought with, not as a third business. Outdoor kitchens, fire features, covered patios and new decking tend to come up as part of a new-pool design or a backyard remodel, so they belong on those pages as options, with photos of ones you’ve built.

Give an add-on its own page and ad group only if you sell it on its own and want more of it. If you do, it gets its own job type in your tracking, so it doesn’t muddy the cost per contract for pools.

Can past customers bring in renovation work?

Often, yes, and it’s the cheapest renovation marketing you have. Every pool you’ve built eventually needs a new finish, new tile or new equipment, and the owner already knows your work. In our judgement, a builder with a few years of customers should treat that list as the first renovation channel: keep in touch with useful seasonal reminders, and make sure past customers know you do remodels as well as new builds.

Keep that list’s results separate in your tracking too. Renovations that come from your own past customers shouldn’t make your paid renovation campaigns look better or worse than they are. And when you email that list, follow the federal rules for marketing email: the FTC’s CAN-SPAM guide says every marketing email must tell recipients how to opt out, and that you must honor an opt-out request promptly. That’s general information, not legal advice. Source: CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business (FTC).

How do I know if marketing the two lines separately is working?

Look at each line on its own, over a full season. For new pools and for renovations, you want to see leads, first visits or consultations, signed contracts and cost per signed contract, side by side. In our judgement, the split is working when each line’s cost per signed contract sits under the ceiling you set for it, and when the mix of work matches what your crews can build.

If one line is over its ceiling, look at the follow-up and the sales visit before cutting the budget. Renovation leads can decide faster, so a slow call back may cost you more there than on new builds. If the line still doesn’t pay after that, shrink its ad budget and let it run on your profile, website and past customers.

What's different about this decision for pool builders

Two buyers, one company. Most trades sell one kind of job to one kind of buyer. A pool builder that also remodels sells two very different purchases, and the marketing has to speak to both without confusing either.

Different contract sizes. A renovation is usually a smaller contract than a new build, so it can carry less marketing cost. A blended cost per contract hides that.

Different crews and calendars. If new-build and remodel work share crews, marketing one line can starve the other. Match each line’s spend to the openings that line actually has.

One reputation. Reviews from remodel customers and new-pool customers land on the same Google profile. Both count, so ask both for them.

A worked example: what a blended number can hide

These numbers are made up to show the math, not a benchmark for your market. Say a builder spends $3,000 a month on Google Ads for six months, $18,000 in total, with new-pool and renovation keywords in separate ad groups. Over that time the ads produce 9 signed contracts: 6 new pools and 3 renovations. The blended cost is $2,000 per signed contract, which looks fine.

Now split it. Google Ads shows what each ad group spent: $13,500 on new-pool keywords and $4,500 on renovation keywords. That’s $2,250 per new pool and $1,500 per renovation. Say a new pool leaves $20,000 in profit and a renovation leaves $4,000. Marketing took 11.25% of the profit on each new pool and 37.5% on each renovation.

The renovation contracts were cheaper to win and still the worse deal, and the blended $2,000 hid it. With the split in front of you, the choices are clear: fix the renovation follow-up or sales visit, trim the renovation keywords to the jobs with better profit, or move some of that money to new builds.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use the same photos for renovation and new-pool marketing?

Some, but not most. In our judgement, renovation pages and ads need before-and-after pairs of your own remodels, while new-build marketing needs finished backyards and build stages.

Should renovations have their own phone number?

It isn’t required. In our judgement, a separate tracking number per campaign or page can help you see where each call came from, but recording the job type on every lead does most of the work.

Do renovation leads need a different follow-up process?

Often a faster one. In our judgement, a homeowner with a worn-out pool is closer to a decision than one dreaming about a first pool, so a quick call back and a prompt visit matter even more.

What if renovations are most of my work?

Then lead with them. Put the bigger budget and the main pages behind renovations, and treat new builds as the second line, with the same separate tracking.

Should I mention renovations on my new-pool pages at all?

A short line and a link is enough. It tells a homeowner who already has a pool that they’re in the right place, without crowding a page built for first-time buyers.

Does pool repair work count as a renovation?

Treat it as its own job type in your tracking. Small repairs are a different buyer again, and in our judgement only worth advertising if you want them as a way in the door.

Key takeaways

• Split pages, ad campaigns, budgets and tracking for new pools and renovations; keep one Google profile.
• Renovation buyers use different words, bring smaller budgets and often decide faster.
• Set each line’s ceiling on cost per signed contract from that line’s profit.
• A blended cost per contract can hide a line that doesn’t pay.
• If you don’t want more renovation work, list it but don’t advertise it.

More in this section

• Should a pool builder offer pool service as a side business?
• How should a pool builder prepare marketing before peak season?
• Should a pool builder have separate pages for each pool type?
• How can pool builders get referrals from landscapers and builders?
• How should pool builders nurture leads who plan to build next year?

Sources

1. SEO Starter Guide: The Basics — Google Search Central
2. Guidelines for representing your business on Google — Google Business Profile Help
3. Manage your business category — Google Business Profile Help
4. Manage your services on your Business Profile — Google Business Profile Help
5. How ad groups work — Google Ads Help
6. About average daily budgets — Google Ads Help
7. About conversion values — Google Ads Help
8. CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business — Federal Trade Commission