At Adaptoo, we see every day how moving companies struggle with their online visibility. As a Google Ads specialist, we not only help you with online marketing, but we also like to share our knowledge about the complete picture of starting a moving company. From your first van to a fully filled agenda with moves - we take you through everything you need to know.
The Basics: How Much Does it Cost to Start a Moving Company?
Let's be honest right away: starting a moving company requires a considerable investment. But don't worry, we break it all down so you know exactly what you're getting into.
Start-up investments detailed
Investment | Minimum | Optimal | Explanation |
---|---|---|---|
Moving van | €15.000 | €35.000 | Second hand vs. new |
Basic equipment | €5.000 | €8.000 | All essential materials |
Insurances | €2,500/year | €4,000/year | Including legal assistance |
Marketing | €1.500 | €3.000 | Google Ads setup & budget |
Chamber of Commerce & VAT | €50 | €75 | One-time registration |
Website | €500 | €2.500 | Basic vs. professional |
Workwear | €300 | €800 | Per person |
Buffer | €5.000 | €10.000 | For unforeseen costs |
“The secret to a successful start? Start with quality material but within your budget. You can always upgrade if things are going well.” – Mark van Bergen, 15 years of experience as a moving entrepreneur
Essential equipment highlighted
Your basic gear determines how professional you appear. Here’s what you need at a minimum:
1. Moving materials:
- Moving blankets (starts with 50)
- Protects furniture
- Reusable
- Investment: €15-25 per piece
- Hand trucks (minimum 2)
- Standard hand truck: €150-200
- Stair trolley: €300-400
- Furniture dog: €200-250
- Tension straps (20-30 sets)
- Different lengths
- With ratchet: €15-20 per set
- Moving platforms (2-4 pieces)
- For heavy furniture
- With castors: €175-250 each
2. Protective equipment for your team:
- Work gloves (€10-15 per pair)
- Safety shoes (€80-120 per pair)
- Back protection (€40-60 each)
- Workwear with logo (€150-200 per set)
3. Additional materials that make the difference:
Must-haves for professionalism: ✓ Packing materials (boxes, tape, bubble wrap) ✓ Furniture corner protectors ✓ Furniture dolly for small moves ✓ Disassembly tool set ✓ First aid kit ✓ Cleaning supplies
Practical example: Startup costs Tim's Removals
Tim started his moving company in 2023 with a minimal budget. His approach:
- Month 1-2: Preparation
- Chamber of Commerce registration: €50
- Basic insurance: €200/month
- Website: €500 (basic version)
- Google Ads setup: €500
- Month 3: Material
- Used moving van: €16,000
- Basic equipment: €4,500
- Work clothes: €400
- Month 4: Marketing
- Google Ads budget: €750
- Business cards/flyers: €200
- Social media setup: €0 (self-made)
Total investment: €23,100
“After three months I had earned back the initial investment. The key was to immediately use Google Ads to quickly get customers.” – Tim, owner Tim's Verhuizingen
Attracting customers: from first move to full schedule
At Adaptoo, we see every day that many start-up moving companies struggle with customer acquisition. Don't worry, we share our proven strategies.
1. Offline marketing that really works
While we are Google Ads experts, we know that a mix of marketing works best. Start with these proven offline methods:
Building local networks:
- Real estate agents (they know people who are moving)
- Housing associations (constant stream of relocations)
- Construction companies (new construction projects)
- Elderly care (senior relocations)
“80% of our first customers came through brokers. Invest time in these relationships!” – Jan Bakker, Successful Moving Company Rotterdam
Practical flyer actions:
Where to hand out flyers? ✓ New construction projects ✓ Home viewings ✓ IKEA parking spaces ✓ DIY stores ✓ Home furnishing boulevards
2. Build an online presence
You don't need an expensive website to be successful online. Focus on:
- Google My Business (free but crucial)
- Full profile
- Lots of photos
- Weekly updates
- Actively collect reviews
- Basic website (€500-1500)
- Google Ads Landing Page
- Contact form
- Price indication
- Reviews prominent
- Service regions
- Social proof
- Google reviews (aim for 25+ reviews)
- Facebook recommendations
- Video testimonials
- Before/after photos
Google Ads as the engine for your moving company
As a Google Ads Agency, we know: this is your most important growth engine. Here's why:
Why Google Ads is perfect for movers:
- Direct result
- People are actively searching
- High purchase intent
- Directly measurable results
- Perfect timing
- You reach people who want to move NOW
- No waste of budget
- Perfectly targetable geographically
Practical Google Ads strategy
Step 1: Campaign Setup
Campaign structure: 1. Keywords by region 2. Separate ad groups for: - Private moves - Business moves - Emergency moves - Senior moves 3. Negative keywords list
Step 2: Winning Ad Copy
Example advertisement:
Moving Company [City] | Instant Quote ✓ Free Quote Within 2 Hours ✓ Fixed Prices & No Surprises ✓ 100% Insured & Experienced Movers www.jouwbedrijf.nl/offerte
Step 3: Budget optimization
Phase | Daily budget | Focus | ROI goal |
---|---|---|---|
Start | €20 | Own city | 300% |
Grow | €50 | Region | 400% |
Dish | €100+ | Multi-regio | 500% |
ROI calculation Google Ads
Practical example from one of our customers:
Monthly investment: - Google Ads budget: €1000 - Adaptoo management: €250 - Total: €1250 Results: - Clicks: 200 - Leads: 40 - Conversions: 8 moves - Average order value: €1000 - Turnover: €8000 - ROI: 540%
Tips from our Google Ads experts:
- Start small and smart
- Focus on your own city first
- Start with €20 per day
- Test different ad texts
- Optimize continuously
- Monitor your keywords
- Adjust your bids
- Improve your landing page
- Scale based on data
- Increase budget with good ROI
- Expand to new regions
- Add new services
The right pricing strategy for your moving company
A smart pricing strategy is crucial to your Google Ads ROI. Too expensive and you waste budget, too cheap and you miss out on sales. Here’s how to do it:
Cost calculation
Fixed costs per month:
1. Moving van - Depreciation: €300 - Insurance: €150 - Road tax: €100 - Maintenance: €200 2. Operating costs - Insurance: €200 - Marketing: €1,000 - Storage: €400 - Other: €250 Total fixed costs: €2,600/month
Here is the table for the variable costs per move:
Cost item | Per hour | Per day |
---|---|---|
Mover | €25 | €200 |
Fuel | €15 | €120 |
Material | €10 | €80 |
Total | €50 | €400 |
Practical price structure
Example: Standard moving
- 2 movers
- 6 hours of work
- 20 km away
Cost calculation: ✓ Labor costs: €300 ✓ Transportation costs: €90 ✓ Material costs: €60 ✓ Fixed costs: €150 ✓ Profit margin (30%): €180 Total price for customer: €780
“Don’t start too cheap. Raising your prices later is much harder than lowering them.” – Lisa van der Berg, Moving Expert
Accelerate sales with smart packages
Basic moving package:
- 2 movers
- 4 hours
- Basic material
- €465
Comfort package:
- 3 movers
- 6 hours
- Packing and unpacking service
- €895
Premium moving:
- 4 movers
- 8 hours
- Complete service
- €1.295
Setting up efficient business operations
Planning & organization
Digital tools we recommend:
- Scheduling software
- Toogethr (€29/month)
- Moving Planner Pro (€49/month)
- Google Calendar (free)
- Administration
- Exact Online (from €75/month)
- Quick start (from €15/month)
- Moneybird (from €20/month)
- CRM system
- Hubspot (free version)
- Moving relationship (€39/month)
- Simple CRM (€25/month)
Staff & Team
Growth phases for your team:
Phase 1: Solo + ZZP (0-3 months) - You + flexible workers - Focus on processes - Minimal overhead Phase 2: Permanent team (3-12 months) - 2-3 permanent workers - 1 planner/salesperson - Mix with ZZP'ers Phase 3: Scalable team (12+ months) - 5+ permanent workers - Dedicated planner - Own administration
Quality control & customer satisfaction
Checklist per move:
- Pre-move inspection
- Documenting customer requirements
- Before/After Photos
- Satisfaction Survey
- Google review request
Growth strategy & scalability
From starter to market leader
Here is the table for the year 1 growth model:
Month | Focus | Goal |
---|---|---|
1-3 | Laying the foundation | 5 moves/month |
4-6 | Processes | 10 moves/month |
7-9 | Team building | 15 moves/month |
10-12 | Scales | 20+ moves/month |
Accelerate sales with Google Ads
Budget structure:
Startup phase (month 1-3): - €20/day Google Ads - Focus: own city - Goal: 3-5 leads per day Growth phase (month 4-6): - €50/day Google Ads - Focus: region - Goal: 8-10 leads per day Scale phase (month 7+): - €100+/day Google Ads - Focus: multi-region - Goal: 15+ leads per day
Case study: From starter to success
“We started with one bus and a €1000 Google Ads budget. After six months we were turning over €30,000 per month, mainly thanks to continuous optimisation of our Google Ads campaigns.” – Robert Jansen, Moving Company Amsterdam
Insurance and legal basis
As Google Ads experts, we often see that moving companies do not have their basics in order. This costs you conversions and money. This is how you tackle it:
Essential insurances
Basic insurance package:
1. Business liability - Coverage: min. €2,500,000 - Cost: €50-75/month - Must-have for Google Ads 2. Transport insurance - Coverage per transport - Cost: €30-50/month - Mentioned in advertisements 3. Legal assistance - Business coverage - Cost: €35-45/month - Including collection 4. Disability - First year of coverage - Cost: €175-250/month - Personal choice
“A good insurance is your best marketing. Always mention '100% insured' in your Google Ads!” – Insurance expert Peter Smit
Arrange legal matters
Checklist legal basis:
- Chamber of Commerce registration
- Correct SBI code: 49.42
- Trade name check
- VAT registration
- Permits
- Check municipal requirements
- Parking permits
- Environmental zones access
- Contracts
- Moving agreement
- General terms and conditions
- Staff contracts
Practical legal tips
General terms and conditions must-haves:
- Liability clear
- Payment terms
- Cancellation Policy
- Complaints procedure
- Claims handling
Expert tips for long-term success
1. Marketing optimization
Google Ads best practices:
Daily checks: ✓ Keyword performance ✓ Clickthrough rates ✓ Conversion costs ✓ Budget usage ✓ Competitive position Weekly optimization: ✓ Adjust bids ✓ Update ad copy ✓ Landing page testing ✓ Negative keywords ✓ Geographic performance
2. Operational excellence
Daily routines:
Time | Action | Goal |
---|---|---|
08:00 | Planning check | Daily overview |
09:00 | Team briefing | Division of tasks |
17:00 | Evaluation | Points for improvement |
18:00 | Administration | To update |
3. Maximize customer satisfaction
Review strategy:
- Ask immediately after moving
- Send Google review link
- Share photos on social media
- Testimonial questions
- Reference for website
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is a realistic starting budget for Google Ads?
Start with €20-30 per day for your own city. This will give you enough data to optimize and acquire your first customers.
How many moves can I expect in the beginning?
With a well-organized Google Ads campaign we aim for 5-8 relocations in the first month, increasing to 15-20 per month after 3 months.
What insurances are really necessary?
Business liability and transport insurance are essential. You should also mention this in your Google Ads.
How do I get my first customers?
With Google Ads you can start generating leads right away. Combine this with local networking and actively ask for reviews.
What is a healthy profit margin?
Aim for 25-30% margin after all costs. This gives room for growth and marketing investment.
Start growing today
At Adaptoo we specialize in setting up result-oriented Google Ads campaigns for moving companies. Our approach:
What we do for you:
1. Free scan of your market potential 2. Complete Google Ads setup 3. Landing page optimization 4. Continuous campaign optimization 5. Weekly reports 6. Personal support
Result guarantee:
- Minimum 3x ROI
- Transparent reporting
- No long contracts
- Proven track record
“Since we started working with Adaptoo, our lead volume has tripled at a lower cost per lead.” – Michel Peters, Moving Company Utrecht
Want to get started right away?
Do you also want more moves via Google Ads? At Adaptoo we help you with:
- Free strategy call
- Market opportunity analysis
- Personal growth plan
- Rapid implementation
Contact us today for a no-obligation discussion about the possibilities for your moving company!