From $245 to $43 Per Lead: How We Fixed a Broken Google Ads Campaign in 30 Days

Executive Summary

A North Carolina-based installer of custom storage and organization solutions was hemorrhaging money on Google Ads. They were spending consistently but generating almost no leads, with a cost per conversion sitting at an unsustainable $245. Within just 30 days of partnering with us, we brought that cost down to $43 per lead—an 82% reduction that transformed their entire lead generation engine from a cash drain into a profitable growth channel.

Black Friday Facebook Ad Performance Chart

The Problem

This established local installer had built a strong reputation across the North Carolina area for delivering high-quality custom storage solutions, from closet systems to garage organization to pantry redesigns. Their work spoke for itself, their customers were happy, and word-of-mouth referrals kept them busy. But they knew they needed a scalable lead generation system to grow beyond what referrals alone could provide.

They had turned to Google Ads as the logical answer. Home improvement services live and die by local search intent, and Google should have been the perfect channel. But despite consistent ad spend, the leads weren't coming. When they did trickle in, the cost was devastating. At $245 per lead, the math simply didn't work. Even with their premium service offering and strong close rates, they were paying more to acquire a lead than many competitors charged for entire projects.

The Google Ads account was actively running, budget was being spent, but something fundamental was broken. Generic ad copy that could have described any storage company anywhere. A landing page that sent traffic to their general website homepage rather than a conversion-focused destination. No clear value proposition communicating why someone should choose them over the three other installers they were comparing. They were spending money to enter an auction they had no strategy to win.

The Solution

We didn’t guess. We tested.

We rebuilt the campaign foundation from the ground up, starting with the two elements that matter most in local service advertising: the message and the destination.

The existing ad headlines read like product descriptions. Generic statements about custom storage solutions and professional installation that told prospects nothing about why this company deserved the click. We rewrote every headline to lead with differentiation and specific value. Instead of describing what they did, we communicated what made them different. We highlighted their unique selling points as they were the specific reasons a homeowner comparing three different storage installers would choose to call this company first.

But better ad copy alone wouldn't fix a $245 cost per lead. The second critical intervention was building a dedicated landing page engineered specifically for paid traffic conversion. The existing setup sent clicks to the company's general website homepage, where visitors landed among navigation menus, company history, and links to various service pages. We eliminated all of that friction. The new landing page had one job: convert the click into a lead. Clear headline reinforcing the ad promise, trust signals placed prominently and a simplified lead form asking only for the essential information needed to qualify and follow up. Zero navigation menu, zero exit points, zero distractions from the conversion goal.

We also restructured the campaign targeting to focus budget on the highest-intent search terms. Generic broad match keywords that were attracting tire-kickers and information seekers got cut. We concentrated spend on specific searches indicating genuine project intent - people searching for custom closet installation, garage storage systems, pantry organization contractors.

The Results

The transformation happened faster than even we anticipated.

Within 30 days, cost per lead dropped from $245 to $43 - an 82% reduction that completely changed the economics of the channel.

Suddenly, Google Ads shifted from a problematic experiment into their most profitable lead source. At $43 per lead with their existing close rates, every dollar spent on advertising was generating predictable, profitable customer acquisition. The math finally worked, and it worked decisively.

More importantly, the lead quality improved alongside the cost reduction. By tightening targeting to high-intent searches and building a landing page that clearly communicated their differentiation, we attracted prospects who were genuinely ready to move forward rather than just collecting information from every contractor in the area.