If you’ve ever run Google Ads yourself or employed a PPC Manager, you’ll know this feeling: your ads are getting views, clicks are coming in, the budget’s being spent, but the phone isn’t ringing as much as you’d like. Leads trickle through but nowhere near enough to justify the cost or effort.
My name is Paul Edwards. I’m a Web Consultant and PPC Manager with a background in WordPress development. Since 2005, I’ve helped businesses turn underperforming websites into reliable sources of leads and growth. You can call me directly on 01903 527927.
Background
That’s exactly where Go Flow found themselves. Their campaign was running, but it was trying to do too much at once: one big setup covering multiple services and audiences. It worked just enough to keep going, but it wasn’t reaching its full potential. Combine this with the unfortunate reality that many PPC managers just auto-apply Google’s suggested campaign changes, and you may find that your budget is just bleeding away. Google are consistently good at one thing, suggesting changes which lead you to a bigger budget.
Some time later and things looked very different. The phone was ringing so consistently that calls started being diverted to another number and website form submissions were landing daily. Here’s the story of how together we turned things around and why this approach works for any service-based business.
Step 1: Understanding the Starting Point
The original “Screeding & Heating” campaign lumped everything together. It tried to serve:
- Early-stage researchers looking for general information.
- Mid-stage prospects comparing services.
- Ready-to-buy customers who just needed a quote.
The problem? Those are three very different audiences, with very different needs and intent. Trying to address all of them in the same campaign is like trying to hold three separate conversations at once. You either end up diluting your message so that it doesnt focus on anyone’s specific intent or you focus the message and miss out on two thirds of your potential audience.
This structure meant the same budget and ads were competing for completely different types of searches, which left plenty of potential on the table.
Step 2: Building the New Structure
Initially we refined the existing campaign in order to learn more about audience behaviour and to let me get to know the company. I firmly believe that if you are going to run services for a client, you need to take time to get to know them, their services and what their clients need.
After the initial learning period I conducted a large amount of keyword research focused around visitor intent. Rather than tweak around the edges, we rebuilt the campaign from the ground up. The goal was simple: make sure the right message reached the right person at the right stage of their buying journey.
We designed three separate campaigns, each laser-focused on a specific stage of intent.
Top of Funnel (ToFu)
Ads aimed at people just starting their research. These build awareness and introduce Go Flow as a trusted expert in their field. These are visitors that may not become buyers for quite some time, but we want to nurture them and get them used to seeing and hearing the clients name for the product they are researching.
Middle of Funnel (MoFu)
Ads for prospects actively comparing providers and solutions. These position Go Flow’s services as the logical, best-fit choice. We answer questions, handle objections and position the client as experts who can be trusted.
Bottom of Funnel (BoFu)
Ads targeting people ready to act right now, focusing on quote requests and direct calls. This is the part of the funnel that everyone wants to focus on, and it’s where a significant part of our budget spent is allocated due to a higher cost per click/cost per conversion.
Within each of those campaigns, we created seven service-aligned ad groups. Each ad group spoke directly to the customer’s specific interest — from flow screeding to underfloor heating installation — meaning every click was more relevant and more likely to convert.
Step 3: Phasing Out the Old Campaign
We didn’t just switch the old campaign off overnight. Instead, we ran the new structure alongside it, monitoring performance closely. This allowed us to:
- Compare click-through rates and conversion data side-by-side.
- Identify which service areas were delivering the best early wins.
- Gradually reallocate budget to the higher-performing campaigns.
As the data rolled in, the difference became clear — the new campaigns were generating better quality enquiries at a lower cost per conversion. We still didn’t simply switch the old campaign off though. Over time we moved budget from one to the other, BoFu first, then MoFu and lastly ToFu.
Step 4: Seeing the Results
With a marked increase in phone enquiries and the client calling me out of the blue to tell me how much the phone was ringing, that’s when we made the decision to retire the old campaign. Now we can iterate and improve over time.
Go Flow’s team called me to say:
“Phone enquiries were coming in while I was still talking to the previous caller. Calls started being diverted to other staff members phones. We’re also getting multiple website form submissions alongside the calls.”
This wasn’t just a boost in activity it was a transformation in lead flow. By structuring the campaigns around actual buying behaviour, we’d built a PPC setup that delivered not just more clicks, but more valuable clicks. Here’s just a few recent messages I got from the client:
Why This Approach Works for Any Service-Based Business
The success here wasn’t about throwing more money at the problem it was about spending smarter.
When you:
- Match campaigns to the buying journey.
- Segment by service so your ads are hyper-relevant.
- Phase changes in carefully to avoid disruption.
- Cut wasted spend on irrelevant searches.
…you create a system that turns ad spend into real, measurable business growth.
Ready to See the Same for Your Business?
If your Google Ads feel like they’re just ticking along, or you’re unsure where your budget is really going, it might be time for a fresh pair of eyes.
I can apply the same proven process I used for Go Flow to get your campaigns generating more of the leads you actually want and fewer of the ones you don’t. Naturally, there’s more to it than what I’ve written here. But I’m always happy to chat through the detail.
Contact me or click here to call and find out how your phone can start ringing again.