Google Ads can be a powerful growth engine for residential property management marketing. But for many business owners, it’s also a source of frustration. Misconceptions, unrealistic expectations, and the complexity of campaign management often leave property managers saying, “Google Ads just doesn’t work for me.”

On The Property Management Show podcast, Google Ads expert Maddie Lushington shared candid insights from her five years of running Google Ads campaigns for property managers across North America. Her stories reveal why some campaigns fail, what realistic success looks like, and how property managers can avoid common pitfalls when marketing to property owners.

Why Property Managers Struggle with Google Ads

Many property managers walk into Google Ads expecting instant results: a certain number of leads, a specific cost per door, or guaranteed outcomes based on what a peer mentioned at a conference. Maddie has seen this play out countless times.

I also recalled overhearing property managers comparing results over lunch at an industry event. One person bragged about generating dozens of leads in Florida, while another lamented that ads never worked for them in a smaller market. On the surface, these conversations sound like benchmarks. In reality, they’re stories shaped by geography, competition, and budget.

Comparing success in Florida to a rural town in Arkansas is like comparing apples to oranges. The market dictates what’s possible.

This misconception — that performance can be copy-pasted from one market to another — is one of the biggest reasons property managers feel let down by ads.

What Defines Success in Google Ads Campaigns for Property Managers

Beyond Cost Per Lead

Leads and cost per lead remain the metrics everyone talks about, but Maddie encouraged property managers to widen their definition of success. Impressions and clicks reveal whether your brand is showing up consistently. More importantly, looking closely at the type of clicks matters just as much as the number.

Owner Leads vs. Tenant Clicks

This is where nuance comes in. Owners and tenants often use almost identical search terms. That means even the most carefully crafted campaigns will capture some tenant clicks. Maddie was quick to point out that this isn’t a failure — it’s simply the nature of how search works. Her team’s role is to constantly refine campaigns to keep the balance tilted toward owner leads.

She stressed the importance of daily click volume as a leading indicator. If a campaign generates five to ten clicks a day, we know we’re creating enough opportunities for owner leads to come through. Not every click will be perfect, but the math starts working in your favor.

Can You Trust AI Tools for Google Ads in Property Management?

Automation and AI sound appealing. Google has rolled out tools that promise to “optimize” campaigns with little human input. But Maddie and I both warned against over-reliance on AI in property management marketing, and here’s why:

The Nuance Problem You Can’t Ignore

I put it plainly during the interview:

“Google has now shifted from purely keywords to intent.”

That sounds great until you remember that intent is slippery. Intent is a very nuanced thing, which robots find it hard to master.

In property management, that nuance cuts deep. Owners and tenants search with similar phrases. Maddie sees this daily:

“Tenants and owners actually search very similarly…[and] the AI isn’t nuanced enough to… know the difference… between the owner that we want and the tenant that we don’t.”

Google’s shift from keywords to intent has been one of the biggest changes in recent years. If you want a deeper dive into how Google’s constant updates affect property management marketing, check out our blog on what property managers need to know about Google’s latest updates.

When AI Goes Wrong in Google Ads

Maddie shared a story that perfectly illustrates why human oversight matters. During a routine review of a campaign, she noticed something bizarre: Google’s AI tools had injected Latin placeholder text — lorem ipsum — into live ad copy.

In another case, the AI mistakenly expanded a campaign targeting vacation property management into keywords for vacation activities. This meant ads meant to capture property owners would start showing up for people searching “things to do on a trip.” Without human intervention, those wasted clicks could have drained hundreds of dollars from a campaign.

The lesson? Automation can support you, but it cannot replace human strategy — especially in an industry as nuanced as property management marketing.

Google Ads Budget for Property Managers: A Reality Check

Perhaps the most sobering part of Maddie’s interview was her explanation of budget math. Many property managers believe that $500 a month should guarantee a couple of new doors. The truth is far less straightforward.

Breaking Down the Numbers

• A $500 monthly budget equals roughly $16.50 per day.


• With an average cost per click of $5.50, that leaves room for just three clicks a day.


• If those clicks come early in the morning, the campaign stops showing for the rest of the day.

That means potential owner leads searching later in the afternoon never even see your ad.

Competitive Keywords Cost More

In some markets, clicks for high-intent keywords like “property management company near me” can cost $20–$30 each.

Removing them might save money, but it also risks cutting off the very leads property managers want most. The art lies in balancing expensive keywords with more affordable ones while keeping the campaign productive.

Why Long-Term Thinking Matters in Property Management Marketing

Another trap Maddie sees is obsessing over monthly lead numbers. Property management, like many industries, is seasonal. Summer brings a surge of activity as leases turn over, while the holidays often slow things down.

One “bad month” doesn’t mean a campaign is failing. Maddie encourages clients to focus on year-to-date averages. If the cost per lead stays close to the $300 benchmark across the year, a quiet December doesn’t negate a strong July.

It’s about the bigger picture. Consistency over time, not perfection every month, is the goal.

Why Reputation Shapes Google Ads Performance

Even the best-crafted ad doesn’t operate in isolation. Maddie described the buyer’s journey for a typical property owner: they click an ad, skim the landing page, and then — almost always — Google the company name. At that point, reviews and online reputation heavily influence the decision.

Sometimes, it’s not just about the reviews you currently have. It’s also about proactively making sure tenant frustrations don’t spill over into your online reputation. Maddie wrote a full blog on how property managers can prevent negative tenant reviews that’s worth a read if you’re looking to strengthen your reputation before investing more in ads.

Owners are likely to reverse their decision to call a company after spotting a low star rating or too many negative reviews. This is why she emphasizes pairing Google Ads with reputation management and lead nurturing campaigns. Ads are often the first handshake, but trust is built through reviews, follow-ups, and consistent visibility.

Your reputation is part of the larger customer journey, influencing whether property owners move forward with you or not. We break this down in detail in our blog on online reputation and the customer journey for property management companies.

The Future of Google Ads in Property Management

Looking ahead, Maddie believes the biggest challenge will be rising costs. As more companies enter the market, competition drives up the cost per click. For residential property managers, this means budgets need to stretch further, and campaigns must be managed with even more precision.

Still, she’s optimistic:

“If you have the right strategy in place, you have the right audience, you have an appropriate budget, you’re A/B testing regularly, you’re doing maintenance, Google Ads is so effective.”

Should You DIY Google Ads or Hire an Expert?

Running ads in-house may seem like a way to save money, but Maddie’s stories show the risks: wasted spend, missed opportunities, and costly AI mishaps.

Another challenge Maddie and I discussed was targeting investor landlords. On paper, “investor” sounds like a great keyword, but in practice, it’s loaded with spam. Search terms around “real estate investors” often pull in schemes, courses, or people looking to flip houses rather than serious rental property owners. A lot of keywords re