Same budget. 61% cheaper leads.
How we rebuilt Google Ads for an Auto Wrecker to stop paying for clicks and start paying for calls and quote requests, bringing the cost per lead down from $96.75 to $38.05.
Lots of clicks. Not enough calls.
The ads were getting plenty of clicks, but clicks do not tow cars. With a small monthly budget, every dollar spent on someone who just browsed and left was a dollar that did not bring in a vehicle. The business needed fewer curious visitors and more people calling or asking for a quote.
Paying for browsers
The campaign was set up to get as many clicks as possible, not as many customers.
Expensive leads
Each quote request from the clicks campaign cost $96.75.
A tight budget
With a small daily spend, there was no room for waste.
Stop buying clicks. Start buying leads.
We kept things simple and changed what Google was working toward.
Paused the clicks campaign
The old campaign was set to get the most clicks for the money. It brought in traffic, but only 1.32% of clicks became a lead.
Launched a leads campaign
A new Search campaign set to get the most conversions, so Google focuses on people likely to call or ask for a quote.
Tracked calls and forms
We track calls straight from the ads, calls from the website and quote form submissions, so the campaign learns from real leads only.
Kept the budget lean
The leads campaign runs on $24 a day. The goal was better results from the same kind of spend, not a bigger budget.
Over 6x more of the clicks turned into leads.
With almost the same number of clicks, the leads campaign brought in 51.99 leads at $38.05 each, compared with 8.01 leads at $96.75 each from the clicks campaign. Across both, $2,752.88 in ad spend brought in 60 calls and quote requests.
| Campaign | Leads | Cost per lead | Spend | Clicks | Click to lead rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leads campaign New setup | 51.99 | $38.05 | $1,978.01 | 605 | 8.59% |
| Clicks campaign (paused) | 8.01 | $96.75 | $774.87 | 607 | 1.32% |
| Both campaigns | 60 | $45.88 | $2,752.88 | 1,212 | 4.95% |
The leads campaign turned 8.59% of clicks into a call or quote request, up from 1.32%. Same type of searcher, same kind of budget. The only change was telling Google what a good result looks like.
| How people reached out | Leads |
|---|---|
| Quote form on the website | 38 |
| Called from the website | 18 |
| Called straight from the ad | 4 |
| Total leads | 60 |
Straight from Google Ads.
No rounded numbers, no cherry picked days. These are the live campaign results for the full period, broken down by calls and forms.
What this means for your business.
A campaign built for clicks will bring clicks. Tell Google you want calls and quotes, and it goes after those instead.
Calls from ads, calls from the website and forms all count. Tracking all three gives Google the full picture.
On $24 a day, cutting waste matters more than spending more.
One change in setup cut the cost per lead by 61%.
Getting clicks
but not calls?
Free 30-minute strategy call. We’ll look at your current Google Ads, show you where your budget is leaking, and tell you exactly what we’d change.