You Are Targeting Too Wide. Stop Paying for People Who Won't Hire You
The first and most common mistake is trying to attract “anyone who might want a pool.”
When your targeting is too broad, you invite three types of people:
- people who are years away from building
- people who only want pricing information
- people who cannot afford your work
This usually shows up in ads and websites that say things like:
- “Dream Pool Designs”
- “Free Quotes”
- “Get a free heater if you sign soon!”
There is no barrier here. No filtering. No signal that this is a premium, complex, high-ticket service.
Digital marketing research consistently shows that broad targeting combined with vague messaging produces high volume and low intent leads because it does nothing to filter for readiness or seriousness. Take that with a grain of salt though, because in some markets offering a free quote and design is industry standard, and not including it may backfire.
If your service area is loosely defined, or worse, not enforced at all, you are also paying for clicks from people you literally cannot serve. Relying on ad platform geo settings alone is not enough. They are imprecise by nature.
What this causes in the real world
- out-of-area leads
- homeowners with no budget
- endless “just looking” conversations
- sales teams burning time instead of selling
High-quality leads do not come from reaching more people. They come from excluding the wrong people early.
Your Offer and Messaging Are Attracting Price Shoppers, Not Buyers
Even if targeting is decent, messaging determines who actually raises their hand.
When your ads or website emphasize “free” anything without context, you are signaling that the primary value is price or convenience. That attracts people who are optimizing for cheap, not quality.
Marketing studies repeatedly show that unclear or generic value propositions result in low-quality leads because they fail to communicate who the service is really for.
High-quality pool buyers think differently. They care about:
- process
- craftsmanship
- reputation
- trust
- certainty
They are not clicking ads that look cheap or rushed.
This doesn't mean don't offer a free design consultation. What it does mean is that isn't all you shouldn't just be throwing up an image of a pool that says "Free 3D Design." It should be pair with something that display's your value and craftsmanship.
This is why luxury positioning matters in Meta ads especially. When ads look polished, confident, and selective, they naturally repel price shoppers. When ads look discount-driven or overly promotional, high-quality buyers assume the work matches the marketing.
Good messaging sets a bar. It subtly says, “We do not work with everyone.” That alone filters leads before they ever click. But that isn't all...
Your Lead Form Is Letting Anyone Waste Your Time
Most contractors treat lead forms like a formality. Name, email, phone number, submit.
That is the fastest way to get terrible leads.
Forms with no friction allow people to submit with zero thought. Even adding a small amount of qualification dramatically improves lead quality.
A properly built lead intake form should screen for disqualifiers, not just collect contact info.
At a minimum, it should ask:
- budget range
- zip code
- project description
- timeline
- survey or site readiness
Zip code validation is especially important. Instead of trusting that someone read your service area map or trusting ad platform geo settings, the form should physically block submissions outside your service area.
Budget questions eliminate fantasy projects. Vision questions expose seriousness. Survey questions separate ready buyers from casual researchers.
This does not mean you reject everyone who is not ready. It means you redirect them. If someone does not meet minimum requirements, they should be prompted to call instead of submitting a form. That extra effort filters intent instantly.
When applied to one of our pool contractors, this brought their lead to appointment ratios from 40% up to the high 50s and 60s.
Facebook Lead Forms Create Convenience, Not Commitment
Meta lead forms are popular because they are easy. That is also why they are dangerous.
Most fields are pre-filled. The user taps twice and submits. Often the phone number is outdated. The email is rarely checked. The intent level is minimal.
Conversion research consistently shows that when forms become too easy, lead quality drops sharply unless qualification is added.
Cheap leads feel good in dashboards. They feel terrible in real life.
High-ticket services require friction. Not random friction, but intentional friction that forces the prospect to think, read, and engage before submitting.
This is where landing pages outperform instant lead forms every time.
You Do Not Have a Real Funnel, You Just Have Ads
Ads alone do not create high-quality leads. Funnels do.
A proper funnel looks like this:
- ad that sets expectations
- landing page that educates and builds trust
- qualified form that filters
- post-submission video that reinforces commitment
Landing pages exist to do what ads cannot. They slow the user down, explain your process, showcase your work, and answer unspoken objections.
A landing page should include:
- high-quality project imagery
- testimonials and reviews
- service area clarity
- explanation of your process
- who you are a good fit for
- who you are not a good fit for
- send data to your Google Pixel to use for Google ads when the inevitabely search for you later
Landing pages are specifically designed to focus user attention and increase conversion quality, not just quantity.
Video Sales Letters
After submission, a video sales letter is one of the most overlooked quality filters. A short video that sets expectations, explains next steps, and reinforces requirements dramatically improves phone pickup rates and reduces ghosting.
When someone knows who is calling and why, they answer.
Conclusion: Your Leads Suck Because the System Is Broken
If you cannot tell where bad leads are coming from, you cannot fix them. Most contractors have no idea which ads create good leads, which campaigns create junk, whether Meta or Google performs better, or where prospects drop off in the process.
Google itself recommends tracking high-intent conversions rather than raw lead submissions to improve quality and performance.
Without call tracking, form attribution, and channel-level reporting, you are guessing. And guessing is expensive.
Bad leads are not random. They are engineered by broken systems.
They come from:
- wide targeting
- weak positioning
- unqualified forms
- no friction
- no education
- no tracking
When these issues are fixed together, lead quality improves fast. Contractors regularly see appointment ratios climb from under 20 percent to 50 to 60 percent once their funnel is rebuilt correctly.
The goal is not more leads. The goal is better conversations with people who are ready, qualified, and serious.
Fix the system, and the leads stop sucking.
So you recognize the problem. Now what?
Aquathority exists for one reason: to help pool builders and outdoor living contractors stop wasting money on junk leads and start booking qualified appointments that actually turn into signed projects.
We do this by building and auditing full-funnel marketing systems, not just running ads. That means:
- tightening targeting so you stop paying for people who will never hire you
- fixing messaging so price shoppers filter themselves out
- rebuilding lead forms and landing pages to pre-qualify before a lead ever hits your inbox
- adding intentional friction, education, and expectation setting
- implementing real tracking so you know exactly where good and bad leads are coming from
If you are currently running marketing and feel like you should be getting more out of it, the first step is simply a conversation. We will look at what you are doing now, where quality is breaking down, and what changes would have the biggest impact.
If you want to stop guessing and start improving lead quality, get in touch with Aquathority to talk through your current setup and how it can be built better.
