V'NIA
Twice the leads at half the cost per lead, in six weeks.
Can-Do Crew is a 25-year, family-owned plumbing, heating and AC company serving 14 Kern County cities. It came to paid search with no account history, in one of the most expensive local markets on Google. We built the account from competitor research up, launched May 5, and optimized it every week.
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Book a strategy call →Pricey clicks, a crowded auction, and no data to start from.
HVAC and plumbing clicks are among the most expensive on Google, and 6–10 local firms bid on the same terms alongside national lead marketplaces. The account launched with zero conversion history. And the two highest-intent actions, Schedule Online and Instant Estimate, open third-party widgets with no thank-you page, so real bookings were invisible to Google's bidding.
- 01
Research before spend
We audited five Bakersfield competitors. Can-Do Crew was the only one with dollar-off promotions, a price-or-it's-free guarantee and free second opinions, but they were buried on the site. The ads led with them.
- 02
Tracking before spend
Six conversion actions ranked by intent, set up with Google Tag Manager, GA4, call tracking and Enhanced Conversions.
- 03
Campaigns split by intent
AC Seasonal, Plumbing, Next Day Plumbing, Water Heaters and Brand, with Bakersfield as the primary area and nearby cities and mountain towns tiered behind it.
- 04
An honest read of launch
The first 12 days brought 5 leads but 24 total conversion signals. We treated it as a diagnosis: plumbing clicks too broad, no ceiling on AC click costs, and bookings not recording.
- 05
Weekly optimization
Capped AC click costs with a portfolio bid strategy, tightened Plumbing to its strongest keywords, paused what spent without converting, and raised Brand bids that were limiting volume.
Discipline beat budget.
The gains came from cutting waste and fixing measurement, not from spending more. The first full month produced 21 primary leads and 110 total conversion signals, including 39 Schedule Online and 26 Instant Estimate clicks.
Leads doubled while cost per lead fell by about half
(12 days)May 14–20May 21–27May 28–Jun 3Jun 4–10
Bars show primary leads per period. Labels show cost per lead indexed to launch (May 1–12 = 100), so no dollar figures are shared.
| Metric | Start | Jun 4–10 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per lead (index) | 100 | 51 | −49% |
| Primary leads | 5 in 12 days | 10 in 7 days | 2x |
| Conversion rate | 3.85% | 5.92% | +54% |
| AC Seasonal cost per lead (index) | 100 | 38 | −62% |
Start = May 1–12 (conversion rate is the May average). Cost per lead is indexed to keep dollar figures private.
| Campaign | May leads | Jun 4–10 leads | Cost per lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| AC Seasonal | 6 | 6 | −40% |
| Plumbing | 4 | 2 | −41% |
| Brand | 11 | 2 | Cheapest in account |
| Account total | 21 | 10 |
Cost per lead change is from the May average to the week of June 4–10. AC Seasonal matched its whole May lead count in a single June week.
Not a straight line
The week of May 28 – June 3 dipped to 4 leads as cost per lead climbed back up. Steady weekly review turned it around, and the following week was the account's best yet. Bookings through the Schedule Online and Instant Estimate widgets still weren't recording, so reported cost per lead overstates the true cost.
In a high-cost local market, cutting waste and fixing measurement beats spending more.
- Research shapes the offerCompetitor analysis showed Can-Do Crew's offers were unique, so the ads led with them.
- Brand search is the cheapest insuranceBranded leads came in at a fraction of the account average.
- Cap what a click can costA ceiling on AC Seasonal cut its cost per lead 62% without losing volume.
- Prune fastAd groups that spent without converting were paused within weeks.
- Tracking is the biggest leverWidget bookings were real but invisible to Google until they record.
Record Schedule Online and Instant Estimate bookings as primary conversions, scale budget 20–35% above May while targeting a cost per lead about 30% below the May average, move proven campaigns to Target CPA, expand into high-margin services, and feed closed jobs back into Google Ads so bidding optimizes for booked work.
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