Sample case study. Client details, results and quotes on this page are illustrative examples of how we report results. They will be replaced with real client results.
About the Business
A family-owned plumbing and heating company serving homeowners across northwest Calgary, with a 12-person team handling repairs, water heaters, furnaces and emergency calls from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
What Wasn't Working
Google Ads had been running for two years, but the owner couldn't say how many jobs it produced. Reports showed clicks and impressions, not calls.
When we audited the account, we found the money was leaking in several places:
- 41% of spend went to irrelevant searches like "plumber jobs", "how to fix a leaky faucet" and DIY parts
- No call tracking: calls from ads were never counted as leads
- Every ad sent visitors to the home page, not to the service they searched for
- Ads ran overnight, when nobody was available to answer the phone
- The same generic ads ran for every service, from drain cleaning to furnaces
What They Wanted
- More repair, water heater and furnace calls from homeowners in their service area
- Cost per lead below $40
- Clear reporting showing which services and campaigns bring in jobs
What We Did, Step by Step
- 1
Tracking First
Before changing a single bid, we set up tracking for calls from ads, calls from the website and form submissions, so we had an honest baseline: about 31 leads a month at $96 each.
- 2
Rebuilt Campaigns by Service
We split the account into focused campaigns for emergency plumbing, water heaters, furnace repair and drain cleaning, each with tightly matched keywords and its own ads.
- 3
300+ Negative Keywords
We blocked job seekers, DIY searches, commercial requests they don't serve and areas outside their service map, which stopped most of the wasted spend.
- 4
Service Landing Pages
Each campaign sent people to a page for that exact service, with click-to-call, upfront information and a short form.
- 5
Smarter Schedule & Location Targeting
Ads only showed within their service area and during staffed hours, with higher bids for emergency searches in the evenings.
- 6
Monthly Lead Quality Reviews
Each month we reviewed leads with the office manager, tagged which became booked jobs and moved budget toward the services producing the best work.
How It Unfolded
- Weeks 1–2
Audit, Tracking and Rebuild
Conversion tracking installed, baseline measured, campaigns rebuilt by service with new negative keywords.
- Month 1
Launch and Tighten
New campaigns went live. We reviewed search terms several times a week and cut waste early.
- Months 2–3
Landing Pages and Budget Shifts
Service landing pages launched. Budget moved toward water heaters and furnace repair, the highest-value jobs.
- Months 4–6
Scale What Works
Winning campaigns scaled within the same budget, new ad variations tested and lead quality reviewed monthly.
Before and After
View as table
| Period | Leads |
|---|---|
| Before | 31 |
| M1 | 48 |
| M2 | 67 |
| M3 | 82 |
| M4 | 94 |
| M5 | 103 |
| M6 | 111 |
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Leads per month | 31 | 111 |
| Cost per lead | $96 | $27 |
| Calls from ads | 22 | 84 |
| Form inquiries | 9 | 27 |
| Spend on irrelevant searches | 41% | Under 6% |
| Monthly ad spend | $3,000 | $3,000 |
How We Tracked Every Lead
Every lead was tracked: calls from ads and from the website through call tracking, and form submissions as conversions. Each month we reviewed the lead list with the office manager, who marked which inquiries became booked jobs, so we optimized for real work, not just phone calls.
“For the first time we actually know what our ad budget brings in. Same spend, and our phones are busier than they've ever been.”
What Made the Difference
Tracking Comes First
You can't improve what you don't measure. Proper call tracking showed where the real leads came from.
Negative Keywords Saved More Than Any Bid Change
Blocking irrelevant searches freed up 41% of the budget to spend on real customers.
Specific Pages Convert Better
Sending people to a page for the exact service they searched for beat the home page every time.
Questions You Might Have
Would this work for my business?
If customers search Google when they need your service, especially urgent or high-value services, a well-tracked Google Ads setup can work the same way. On a free strategy call we'll look at your market and tell you honestly.
What did it cost?
$1,000/month for our management, plus their existing $3,000/month ad budget, paid directly to Google. They didn't increase their ad spend; the improvement came from spending it better.
How long did it take to see results?
Lead volume started improving in the first month as wasted spend was cut. The biggest gains came between months two and four, once landing pages and budget shifts were in place.
