About The Business

This case study focuses on a home services business specializing in pest control. The business offers a range of extermination services for various pests. Due to a limited budget, the objective was to create a highly optimized Google Ads campaign to generate cost-effective leads while maintaining strict budget control.

Goals

• Primary Goal: Generate high-quality leads through form submissions and phone calls.
• Budget: $1,000 per month ($33 per day).

KPIs: Cost per conversion, conversion rate, and average CPC.

Tracking

To ensure accurate performance measurement, conversion tracking was set up for both lead forms and phone calls. This allowed for data-driven decisions to optimize the campaign effectively.

Our Method

1. Keyword Targeting with Exact and Phrase Match Only

Given the budget constraints, strict control over search terms was essential. By focusing only on exact and phrase match keywords, the campaign minimized irrelevant traffic and prevented budget waste on non-converting searches.

2. Aggressive Search Term Review

Despite tight keyword control, regular search term audits were necessary. During the first month, search terms were reviewed daily, sometimes twice a day, to exclude irrelevant traffic such as competitor searches, informational queries, and unrelated services.
Result: Lower CPC and improved budget efficiency.

3. Creating Highly Relevant Landing Pages

To improve conversion rates, dedicated landing pages were created for each ad group. Each page was tailored to match the intent behind specific searches. For example:

• Searches for ‘Termite Exterminator’ were directed to a landing page dedicated to Termite Extermination Services.
• Searches for localized pest control services were directed to pages with headlines such as “Pest Control in [Location]”.
  Result: Higher Quality Scores and increased conversion rates.

4. Optimized Ad Group Structure

An optimized ad group structure was implemented to ensure granular targeting and better control over ad performance:

• General Terms Ad Group: Targeting searches like [pest control near me].
• Pest Type + Exterminator: Example – ‘Bee Exterminator’.
• Exterminator + Location: Example – ‘Exterminator in [City]’.
• Pest Type + Pest Control: Example – ‘Rodent Pest Control’.
• Pest Control + Location: Example – ‘Pest Control in [City]’.
  Result: Higher Quality Score and better data insights.

5. Dynamic Headline Insertion

To make ads more relevant, Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) was used in headlines. This ensured the ad copy dynamically adjusted based on the user’s exact search query. For instance:

• If a user searched ‘Bee Exterminator’, the ad headline would reflect ‘Bee Exterminator’.
• If they searched ‘Pest Control [Location]’, the ad headline would adjust accordingly.
  Result: Increased Click-Through Rate (CTR) due to higher ad relevance.

6. Manual Bidding Strategy Before Transitioning to Maximize Conversions

A key strategy used to achieve and maintain a high conversion rate, while allowing it to grow, was keeping the account in a manual bidding strategy rather than immediately switching to maximize conversions. The manual bidding approach ensured cost control and optimized targeting before automating bids. Once the account started receiving almost one conversion per day, we transitioned to maximize conversions, which led to a significant rise in conversion rate. However, this success was due to the solid foundation of conversion data established through manual bidding.

Results

• Cost per Conversion: $43.05
• Total Conversions (Oct 1 – Feb 25): 114
• Average CPC: $7.95
• Conversion Rate: 18.48%

Conclusion

This campaign was structured to maximize results on a limited budget by implementing strict keyword targeting, daily search term monitoring, highly relevant landing pages, a well-organized ad group structure, dynamic headlines, and a strategic bidding approach. The transition from manual bidding to maximize conversions at the right time played a crucial role in improving the overall conversion rate. These strategies allowed for significant lead generation while maintaining cost efficiency. The success of this campaign demonstrates that even with budget constraints, a well-optimized Google Ads strategy can deliver strong results.