Cost per lead down 80%.
I rebuilt Millpond's Google Ads region by region. Leads went from $273 each to $55, and came in eight times as often.
80%
lower cost per lead
A fifth of the cost, year after year.
- 80%lower cost per lead, $273 down to $55Google Ads, Jun to Dec 2021 vs Jan 2022 to Jul 2024
- 8xmore leads a month, 5 to 42Google Ads, same periods
- 1,295leads in 31 monthsGoogle Ads, Jan 2022 to Jul 2024
2021 covers June to December. 2024 covers January to July.
The short version
- The problem
- Millpond runs project management training and consulting. In late 2021, their Google Ads cost $273 for every lead, and in two of those months the account brought in a single lead.
- What I did
- I rebuilt the account region by region, with ad copy written for each area. Budget moved away from Auckland, where clicks cost the most, and the bidding was tuned to a target cost per lead.
- The result
- Over the next 31 months, leads averaged $55 each and came in eight times as often. The low cost held year after year, with 2023 the best at $52 a lead.
Paying too much for every lead?
Book a free 20-minute call and I'll tell you where I'd start, even if it's not with me.
How I did it
Jun to Dec 2021
Find where the money was going
Before changing anything, I looked at where the budget went and what it brought back. Most of it bought expensive clicks that never became enquiries.
- $9,559 spent for 35 leads, about five a month
- Auckland, the most competitive market, took 38% of the budget at $213 a lead
- Only about 1 in 100 clicks became a lead
Late 2021 in numbers
- $273 cost per lead
- 38% of the budget spent on Auckland
- 1.04% of clicks became a lead
- $2.83 average cost per click
January 2022
Rebuild the account region by region
Each region got its own campaign, budget and ad copy, and money moved to where leads were cheaper. Leads jumped from the first month.
- A campaign and budget for each region, instead of one national campaign
- Ads written for the area people were searching from
- Auckland's share of the budget cut from 38% to 18% by 2023
- Jan 2022: account rebuilt
Lead counts are rounded. Google Ads can split one lead across campaigns.
2022 to 2024
Keep the cost down
Cheap leads for one month are easy. Keeping them cheap for two and a half years took steady tuning of the bidding and audiences.
Where the savings came from
- Canterbury 201 leads at $21.50 each in 2022
- New South Wales 109 leads at $12.67 each in 2022
- Auckland cost per lead down from $213 to $35
- Bidding aimed at a target cost per lead
- Audiences tighter, plus retargeting for past visitors
Three things that made the difference.
Build campaigns around where you sell
Millpond runs training in different regions, so one catch-all campaign treated very different markets the same. A campaign for each region let the budget follow the leads.
Write for the region
A local message beats one national ad. People click on what feels like it's meant for them.
Judge the account on cost per lead
Clicks and impressions are easy to grow. The number that matters is what each enquiry costs.
More case studies
Paying too much for every lead?
Book a free 20-minute call. I'll tell you where I'd start, even if it's not with me.
