Running Google Ads for my moving company in five East Coast metros
$1,281,235 ad spend · 64,009 leads · $19.97 cost per lead · 40.04% conversion rate · $9,167,785 in sales · 716% return on ad spend
Sources
- Period
- Google Ads · Jan 1, 2016 – Dec 31, 2024
- Geography
- 5 East Coast metro areas
The business
The data in this study comes from the moving business I owned and ran. My main role was managing its Google Ads account, which fueled the business.
The company served five metro areas: Washington, DC; Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina; Philadelphia; and Atlanta. Every number comes from its Google Ads account, covering 2016 to 2024. At the same time, I also owned a second moving company in Florida, serving Tampa and Orlando.
As the owner, I needed Google Ads to be cost-effective, so I watched the bottom line, not just clicks and leads. Unlike a marketing agency, I concentrated on the metrics that mattered most: booked moves and sales.
A lead that does not convert is money wasted on both advertising and sales staff. So is a click that does not turn into a lead.
The numbers
What led to these numbers
- A conversion-optimized website, rigorously tested using Google Analytics and Google Ads performance data.
- A conservative initial campaign setup to avoid waste, with room to expand once the numbers work: more keywords, other match types, a wider radius around a zip code.
- Initial keyword research and continuous keyword optimization, especially trimming the keywords that do not convert.
- Ad copy revisions, backed by data.
- Sales offers and promotions, tracked by Google Analytics and Google Ads performance data.
- A consistent message and tone through every channel: ad --> website --> sales staff.
- Sales staff supervision and continuous training.
- Software and tools to optimize the sales process.
I carry the experience from those years, as both a business owner and a Google Ads manager, into D2CEBL. It helps D2CEBL see the big picture of any business more clearly and, together with my computer science background, build tech solutions that are uncomplicated, nimble and simply work.