(323) 208-0820 Book a call
Menu
Book a 15-minute call
Google Ads / 7 recent case studies

The before was expensive.
The after is documented.

Seven local-service accounts. Real starting numbers, real account views, and the exact work between them. Client identities stay private. The economics do not.

Open the accounts Source report updated October 2025
7 Accounts
66% Median reported CPL decrease
5.56x Best reported return
$19.49 Lowest reported CPL
The repeated pattern

Different cities.
Same four pressure points.

No case was fixed by one clever bid. The gains came from tightening what entered the account, measuring what became a lead, and matching the page to the reason somebody searched.

  1. 01Intent

    Read the search terms. Keep the buyer. Exclude the researcher, the DIY click, and the wrong service.

  2. 02Measurement

    Track calls and forms before judging a keyword, an ad, or a landing page.

  3. 03Territory

    Run where the business works, during the hours the phone can become an opportunity.

  4. 04The page

    Match the service, location, and next step to the words that earned the click.

The controls are documented by Google: conversion measurement, search-term analysis, location refinement, and landing-page evaluation.

01 / Garage door company Seattle

A $171 lead became a $55.61 lead.

Outcome68% lower cost per lead
The problem

The account was paying too much for each lead, and the website was not turning enough visitors into calls.

The goal

Lower the cost per lead and create more tracked calls and forms without sacrificing volume.

What changed

  1. 01

    Reviewed search terms and concentrated spend on repair and emergency intent.

  2. 02

    Added complete call and form tracking, then tightened locations and operating hours.

  3. 03

    Improved the service page so the message matched the reason for the search.

Anonymized Google Ads account Before / After
Before Before anonymized Google Ads account view for the garage door company case study
Before account view, reproduced from the supplied case-study report.
After After anonymized Google Ads account view for the garage door company case study
After account view, reproduced from the supplied case-study report.
MetricBeforeAfterChange
Cost per lead $171 $55.61 68% lower
Conversion rate 11.21% 30.23% 170% higher
02 / Insulation company Los Angeles

Conversions more than tripled while CPL fell to $58.11.

Outcome63% lower cost per lead
The problem

The account was buying clicks without producing enough useful inquiries.

The goal

Create more real inquiries at a lower cost.

What changed

  1. 01

    Separated keywords by intent and removed waste terms.

  2. 02

    Added fast contact options for calls, forms, and text messages.

  3. 03

    Narrowed the service map and added remarketing for visitors who did not contact.

Anonymized Google Ads account Before / After
Before Before anonymized Google Ads account view for the insulation company case study
Before account view, reproduced from the supplied case-study report.
After After anonymized Google Ads account view for the insulation company case study
After account view, reproduced from the supplied case-study report.
MetricBeforeAfterChange
Conversions 14 46 3.3x
Cost per lead $157 $58.11 63% lower
Spend $2,000 $2,600 Slightly higher
03 / Locksmith Chicago

Cheaper leads made a $70K budget make sense.

Outcome72% lower cost per lead
The problem

Too many clicks came from people without immediate intent, while slow hours produced expensive traffic.

The goal

Create more high-intent calls while lowering the acquisition cost.

What changed

  1. 01

    Focused the account on searches that clearly signaled an immediate locksmith need.

  2. 02

    Filtered DIY and competitor traffic, added call assets, and limited delivery to the strongest hours and areas.

  3. 03

    Re-engaged previous visitors without letting remarketing replace high-intent search.

Anonymized Google Ads account Account view
Account view Account view anonymized Google Ads account view for the locksmith case study
Account view account view, reproduced from the supplied case-study report.
MetricBeforeAfterChange
Cost per lead $113 $32.07 72% lower
Spend $45,000 $70,134 Scaled
04 / Insulation company Texas

From 0.7x return to 5.56x.

OutcomeAbout 8x better return
The problem

The advertising was not paying for itself, and lead value was not visible inside the account.

The goal

Make profitability measurable and move spend toward the work creating the most value.

What changed

  1. 01

    Connected lead activity to revenue so campaigns could be judged on value.

  2. 02

    Separated campaigns by service and removed weak searches.

  3. 03

    Improved the landing pages and prioritized the services producing the strongest return.

Anonymized Google Ads account Before / After
Before Before anonymized Google Ads account view for the insulation company case study
Before account view, reproduced from the supplied case-study report.
After After anonymized Google Ads account view for the insulation company case study
After account view, reproduced from the supplied case-study report.
MetricBeforeAfterChange
Reported return 0.7x 5.56x About 8x better
Cost per lead $354 $89.40 75% lower
Conversions ~16 ~80 About 5x
05 / Interior painter Georgia

$19.49 per lead from a new campaign.

Outcome156 tracked conversions
The problem

A new campaign needed to generate estimate requests quickly without letting the acquisition cost drift.

The goal

Build a steady flow of estimate requests below $25 per lead.

What changed

  1. 01

    Focused keywords on searches that signaled readiness to hire.

  2. 02

    Limited delivery to the real service area and used call-friendly ads.

  3. 03

    Sent traffic to a focused page with trust signals, then followed up with non-converting visitors.

Anonymized Google Ads account Account view
Account view Account view anonymized Google Ads account view for the interior painter case study
Account view account view, reproduced from the supplied case-study report.
MetricBeforeAfterChange
Conversions Not shown 156 Tracked
Spend Not shown $3,004 Total
Cost per lead Not shown $19.49 Below goal
06 / Remodeling company San Jose, California

Four times the conversions at 59% lower CPL.

Outcome37 conversions from 9
The problem

Leads were expensive and one general website page tried to cover every remodeling service.

The goal

Create more qualified forms and calls at a lower cost.

What changed

  1. 01

    Split campaigns by kitchen, bathroom, and ADU intent.

  2. 02

    Removed weak searches and added city-specific pages.

  3. 03

    Expanded ad assets and completed tracking for both calls and forms.

Anonymized Google Ads account Before / After
Before Before anonymized Google Ads account view for the remodeling company case study
Before account view, reproduced from the supplied case-study report.
After After anonymized Google Ads account view for the remodeling company case study
After account view, reproduced from the supplied case-study report.
MetricBeforeAfterChange
Conversions 9 37 4.1x
Cost per lead $360 $149 59% lower
Spend $3,240 $5,530 Scaled
07 / Chimney services San Diego, California

3,000+ negatives. Four times the conversions.

Outcome59% lower cost per lead
The problem

Leads cost more than $300 and skewed toward cleaning, while the business needed more repair inquiries.

The goal

Lower acquisition cost, raise volume, and shift the mix toward repair leads.

What changed

  1. 01

    Added campaigns and made the promotions more visible.

  2. 02

    Rebuilt the landing page to match the visitor location and search phrase.

  3. 03

    Added more than 3,000 negative keywords to remove irrelevant intent.

Anonymized Google Ads account Before / After
Before Before anonymized Google Ads account view for the chimney services case study
Before account view, reproduced from the supplied case-study report.
After After anonymized Google Ads account view for the chimney services case study
After account view, reproduced from the supplied case-study report.
MetricBeforeAfterChange
Conversions 1x 4x Fourfold
Cost per lead $300+ See change 59% lower
Negative keywords Not shown 3,000+ Added
Beyond the case studies

The proof does not end at a screenshot.

Case studies show what changed. These three checks show how the work is run now. Open the reporting, inspect the price, and see what we look for when an account is underperforming.

01 / Live account view

Open the portal.

See spend, leads, channels, call activity, and campaign movement without waiting for a monthly PDF.

Look inside the dashboard 02 / Public numbers

Check the price.

Every management tier and budget rule is published. The fee should not become a surprise after the sales call.

See every plan 03 / Account teardown

Inspect the method.

Read the recurring problems we find in inherited accounts, including when a lower-cost agency is genuinely enough.

Read the teardown
Want a human reference?

Ask us to connect you with a client in your trade. A real conversation is stronger evidence than another badge or testimonial block.

Read the fine print

Numbers need a source.

Source: CASE STUDIES - GOOGLE ADS.pdf, supplied by Mighty Apes and marked updated October 2025. Client identities are intentionally withheld. Figures, comparisons, and screenshots are reproduced as supplied, with rounding retained.

The 66% figure is the median reported cost-per-lead decrease across the six studies that include a before-and-after CPL comparison. Reporting windows differ by account. Past performance does not guarantee the same outcome for another business.

Platform credentials

Fifteen minutes, and you will know whether this is worth doing.

Bring your numbers if you have them: what you spend, what a lead costs you, what a closed job is worth. We will tell you what we would change, whether or not you hire us.

Book a 15-minute call Or call (323) 208-0820