The situation
When this York-based plumbing company came to Ben, they were frustrated. They'd been with two different agencies over three years, spending £2,500/month on Google Ads, and averaging just 12 leads per month. Most of those leads were poor quality - wrong area, wrong service, or tyre-kickers who never converted.
The business owner was ready to give up on Google Ads entirely. He'd spent over £90,000 on advertising over three years with minimal return. His previous agencies had assured him the campaigns were "performing well" - but the phone barely rang.
The audit revealed the problems
Ben's initial audit uncovered exactly what was going wrong. The problems were not subtle - they were fundamental:
- 68% of budget wasted on broad match keywords with no negative keyword list
- Ads showing for completely irrelevant searches like "plumbing courses" and "plumber salary"
- All traffic sent to the homepage, not service-specific landing pages
- Conversion tracking set up incorrectly - counting page views as conversions
- No call tracking in place, so phone leads weren't being measured at all
The previous agencies had essentially set up the campaigns on day one and never touched them again. Search term reports had never been reviewed. No negative keywords had ever been added. The account was haemorrhaging money on irrelevant clicks.
The rebuild
Ben rebuilt the entire account from scratch using the 90-Day Revenue Takeover framework. The rebuild included:
- Separate campaigns for emergency plumbing, boiler services, bathroom installations, and general plumbing
- Dedicated keyword sets for each campaign with proper match types
- Custom ad copy written to qualify clicks and match specific search intent
- Dedicated landing pages recommended for each service category
- Comprehensive negative keyword list with 400+ exclusions
- Proper conversion tracking for both form submissions and phone calls
- Call tracking implementation with recording for lead quality assessment
The results after 90 days
Same budget. Completely different results:
- Leads per month: 12 → 87 (625% increase)
- Cost per lead: £208 → £31 (85% reduction)
- Ad spend: Remained at £2,500/month
- Revenue generated: Increased from ~£8,000/month to ~£52,000/month
- Return on ad spend: 3.2x → 20.8x
The same budget. Completely different results. That's what happens when your account is built properly from the ground up.
The business owner has since increased his budget to £5,000/month and hired two additional plumbers to handle the increased workload. His business has grown by over 500% in 12 months - all from the same advertising platform he was ready to abandon.
Think your account could deliver more? Request your free 90-Day Growth Plan and find out.
Frequently asked questions
How much do Google Ads cost for a local business?
Costs vary significantly by industry and location. A local plumber might pay £2-£5 per click, while a solicitor could pay £10-£30 per click. Ben's 90-Day Growth Plan provides exact cost projections for your specific business.
Are Google Ads worth it for small local businesses?
Yes, when set up correctly. Google Ads is one of the most effective channels for local businesses because it targets people actively searching for services in your area. The key is proper location targeting and conversion tracking.
What is the minimum budget for local Google Ads?
Ben recommends at least £1,000-£2,000 per month for local businesses. This provides enough clicks and data to optimise campaigns effectively and generate a meaningful return.
How do I stop my Google Ads showing to people outside my area?
Change your location targeting from 'Presence or interest' to 'Presence only' in your campaign settings. This ensures ads only show to people physically in your target location, not just people who have shown interest in the area.
Should I use Google Ads or social media ads for my local business?
Google Ads targets people actively searching for your services (high intent), while social media targets people based on demographics and interests (lower intent). For immediate leads and enquiries, Google Ads typically delivers faster results for local businesses.
