How this was measured
Keyword data from the DataForSEO Labs API for the United States market, pulled on 2026-10-15. The source last refreshed these keywords in September 2026. Cost per click is the average paid by all advertisers on that term, not what Roto-Rooter paid. Spend is DataForSEO's estimate of paid traffic value and should be read as an order of magnitude, not an invoice. The keyword list is what the data provider observed in paid results, so a term missing from it is not proof that Roto-Rooter never bids on it. Anyone can see the ads a company is running right now in the Google Ads Transparency Center.
Nothing here comes from inside Roto-Rooter. This is what the outside of the account looks like, which is the only thing anyone can check.
The finding
Roto-Rooter is the name most Americans know for drains, and it ranks organically for 59,445 keywords. On paid search it is observed on 448 keywords, first on 435 of them, at an estimated $286,120 a month. The 300 read here, the largest by search volume, contain two groups that most plumbing advertisers never touch.
People describing the problem before they call anyone. 61 of the 300 describe a leak, a clog or a repair without asking for a plumber, like fix fill valve toilet or bathtub faucet leaking. Together they add up to 91,600 monthly searches, at a median of $6.65 a click.
Other plumbers by name. 62 are the names of other plumbing companies, most of them independent local businesses, from bluefrog plumbing and drain of portland to zoom drain plumbing, plus franchise names like mr rooter $99 special near me.
What Roto-Rooter buys
The top of the list by search volume.
| Keyword | Monthly searches | CPC | Ad position | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| roto-rooter plumbing & water cleanup | 40,500 | $25.66 | 1 | Brand |
| fix fill valve toilet | 27,100 | $5.11 | 1 | Problem or repair |
| water heater installation | 27,100 | $29.91 | 1 | Service |
| blockage in toilet | 18,100 | $14.33 | 1 | Problem or repair |
| clog toilet bowl | 18,100 | $14.33 | 1 | Problem or repair |
| bathtub faucet leaking | 9,900 | $4.20 | 1 | Problem or repair |
| clean sink trap | 3,600 | $3.35 | 1 | Problem or repair |
| fix-it 24/7 | 2,400 | $29.48 | 1 | Service |
| fixing a leaky pipe | 1,900 | $21.81 | 1 | Problem or repair |
| emergency 24 7 plumbing | 1,300 | $64.23 | 1 | Service |
Why buy the search before the call
Compare the price. fix fill valve toilet has 27,100 monthly searches at $5.11 a click, bathtub faucet leaking costs $4.20 and clean sink trap costs $3.35. The paid media cost index has plumber near me at $39.28 and emergency plumber at $76.38. The person searching how to fix a toilet has not asked for a plumber yet, which is why the click is cheap. Some of them will need one within the hour.
The common phrases of the trade are not in the observed set: plumber near me, emergency plumber and drain cleaning do not appear. The most expensive terms that do are jobs that have already gone wrong: busted copper pipe at $129.72, pipe bursting sewer replacement at $124.05 and plumber same day service at $89.79.
Bidding on the small names
Bidding on a competitor's name is legal and common. What stands out here is the scale and the target: 62 company names in one list, most of them local businesses. Someone who searches for the plumber a neighbour recommended sees a Roto-Rooter ad, in first position on 60 of those 62 names.
The pages follow the location. 294 of the 300 ads point to a local branch page and 6 to the national home page. 292 of the 300 observed headlines start with the brand and 286 mention free estimates.
For an independent plumber, this teardown is a reason to search your own company name today. If a national brand appears above you on your own name, you are paying in lost calls for searches that were already yours. Bidding on your own name is cheap when you are the only relevant answer, and it is the simplest defence there is.
What to take from it
Two moves transfer to a local business of any size. Show up for your own name, so the search that comes from a referral ends with you. And test the repair searches in your service area, with an ad that speaks to someone who tried and needs help today, because they cost a fraction of the head terms.
If you want that read done on your own account, that is what the paid media audit is. For plumbing and HVAC costs month by month, see the paid media cost index, and for other advertisers, the ad spend teardowns.
Figures are third party estimates of publicly observable advertising, published October 2026. They describe what is being bought, not what it returns: no revenue, conversion or ROI figure here is claimed or implied, because none of that is visible from outside. Roto-Rooter is not a client and had no involvement in this analysis.