Once you make the decision to hire a Google Ads consultant, the next item on the agenda is finding the right person for the role. So that you can see clearly the value a Google Ads consultant can bring to your business, I put together several real-life examples of successes I delivered to my clients.
At SMM Headquarters, we work with small businesses in many sectors, but the clients who come to us most often are:
- Business service professionals – web developers, graphic designers, accountants, HR consultants.
- Ecommerce startups – fashion brands, grocery delivery platforms, vitamin and supplement makers.
- SaaS (software as a service) companies.
- Local Toronto businesses in the wellness sector, such as alternative medicine, physiotherapy, psychotherapy.
- Non-profits and charitable organizations.
That’s a wide range of clients and industries! Each has unique needs that go beyond simple ads to get clicks and website visits. (Although there is nothing wrong with growing your traffic with the help of Google Ads.) I’m fortunate to be able to share different examples of projects I’ve worked on so that YOU can see if Google Ads can add value to your marketing mix!
Let’s jump right in.
Case Study #1 – Very low budget ad campaign in a very competitive field
“What should my budget be?” is the most common question about Google Ads, by far. The answer depends on what you can afford and how quickly you want the results to roll in.
The truth is that a very low budget may cost you more in the end. If you’re willing to invest $1500 into Google Ads, the performance of the campaign will be very different if it’s a 6-month campaign with a daily budget of $8 or a month-long campaign with a daily budget of $50.
The client
In this example, the client was extremely budget-conscious and wanted to test the waters with an extremely conservative spend. His budget was $300 per month, but the kicker was: his field—bookkeeping—is extremely competitive, especially in the online search space!
The task
For this Google Ads campaign, I had to figure out how much bang we could get for our buck. Finding relevant keywords was key, as was the landing page optimization, striking the balance between broad and strict keyword matches, and controlling the cost per click from spiralling out of hand, given the competitiveness of the sector.
What I did
I proposed a 21-day initial campaign to test the keywords uncovered in the research phase. It would be followed by another 21-day campaign with several SKAGs (single keyword ad groups) and ad creative tailored to exactly match the landing page.
Going with three weeks instead of 4.5 weeks duration allowed us to maximize the budget while having room to maneuver and adjust the strategy without necessarily pausing and changing the first campaign since it was so short.
We also spent a lot of time tweaking and refining the landing page copy to get the most out of every (expensive!) click!
The outcome
We reached a CTR of over 7%, kept the cost per click below $10 and maintained the Quality Score of 7/10 for the most important keywords for the client. Nice!
In the end, however, there were not enough clicks in absolute terms to go above breaking even. This happens with low budgets. That’s also A-OK!
If all the other metrics of the campaign are healthy, just like this client’s ones were, the solution I recommend is… No, not to throw more money at the campaign! Get even more creative with the landing page. Really nail it, make it irresistible for the prospects, and improve your conversion rates.
That’s exactly what this client is working on right now.
Case Study #2 – Niche offering from a local biz
With Google Ads, no one size fits all. While I prefer longer, more complex projects with enough client trust to carry out tests, experiment and land on a formula that works for that specific client, I understand that sometimes you simply need someone knowledgeable to just set stuff up for you.
When I was asked to simply create a campaign with optimal settings without no management required afterwards, I went for it. A quick and easy project for me and a big weight off this client’s shoulders. Win-win!
The client
A local psychotherapy clinic in East Toronto was looking for help with Google Ads. Before learning more, I expected that the project would be about getting more clients for them. A noble goal, but it turnedout I was totally off the mark!
The task
The founder of the clinic together with her business partner, both certified psychotherapists, has developed an extremely niche product—an online course to prepare candidate psychotherapists for a College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) licensing exam.
The course was set to launch in one month and they wanted to generate more leads to sell the course out. Given the unique offering, the low competition for keywords and the low expected cost per click, this was the perfect fit for Google Ads.
What I did
Any successful campaign starts with keyword research, and this project was no exception. I quickly realized that the keywords were almost too niche—the monthly search volumes for the target keywords were so low I expected some keywords not to perform at all. On the flip side, the costs would be low as well.
Another challenge was careful copywriting for the ad creative. Psychotherapy is a regulated industry and we wanted to ensure complete compliance and no implied affiliation between my client and the College. Keeping the copy very clear and tailored to fit the landing page was also key.
The outcome
We knocked the campaign out of the park! The metrics were excellent. The average CTR was 12%, with some keywords reaching as high as 28%; the average CPC was $1.37, and the landing page experience was maintained as Above Average indicating excellent fit between what the ads promised and what the prospects found on the page.
And the bottom line is: the client sold out her course completely for both class slots, converting 90% of the leads received through the ads into sales. All for the ad budget of only $255!
Case Study #3 – Brand reach for a non-profit
A very special portion of my client base is non-profit and charitable organizations operating in Ontario. These clients usually offer very interesting projects with unique targets. While revenue increase is the goal of private enterprise, non-profits often measure success in other ways.
Furthermore, because the funding for the non-profits and therefore their ad budgets come from the taxpayer’s pockets, there is an added layer of responsibility. While I allocate ad spend very conservatively for all of my clients, this caution is truly next-level when it comes to dealing with public funds.
The client
Because I released a full case study on this campaign, I can openly say that the client was Ontario Caregiver Organization. They were looking to spread the word about their new caregiver helpline—a phone number caregivers across Ontario can call free of charge to get help and resources.
The task
Promoting the new helpline was at the forefront of the client’s mind. In addition, they wanted to increase traffic to the information pages on their website.
The goal, while straightforward at a glance, proved to be challenging. Not only was it a sensitive matter overall—a lot of caregivers don’t consider themselves as such—but the target audience also couldn’t be easily defined by age, gender, location or other demographics.
There are caregivers of all ages and life situations, and we wanted to reach as many of them as possible without knowing who and where they were.
What I did
Google Ads was a great fit for a “service awareness” campaign. It could provide significant reach and drive clicks for a moderate cost. Given the difficulty of targeting, we needed caregivers to self-identify, which a Google Search campaign functionality allowed. Our ads would appear on relevant Google searches without telling us who the people searching were.
This is why I did extensive keyword research, paying special attention not only to the caregiving-related terms, but words and phrases that people needing help would use. The keyword grouping I came up with was complex, encompassing several themes and potential search queries based on different target audiences.
Together with the client, we wrote very careful ad copy keeping in mind. We especially wanted to show compassion and understanding within the ads’ limited space.
The outcome
The campaign ran for three weeks and reached an impressive number of Ontario residents. It received extremely high CTR of over 8%, excellent CPC, reach and impressions across the province. The helpline is now one of the most recognized services offered by OCO to the public.
In closing
For all of the examples above, Google Ads proved to be an effective tool that drove sales, uncovered customer insights, and inspired action. It helped improve my clients’ web presence, offerings, and customer communication.
Google Ads is not a solution for every situation, but when it fits, it can really shine. I love helping my clients find that fit and play a role in the success that follows. And your business could be next! Let’s talk?
