48% Increase in Leads with AI Bidding, Gated Content & Keyword Cleanup

Executive Summary

Our client reached out to us to ask for help in optimizing their Google Ads account. After an account audit, we gave our recommendations utilizing AI-powered automated bidding, gated content, and keyword cleanup. Within several months, the account’s performance improved. Transitioning from an initial project, we now manage the account to continually optimize the campaigns and improve results.

Comparing results before and after our initial engagement, we saw significant improvements:

• +47.9% improvement in the number of conversions
• + 33.2% improvement to the conversion rate, now consistently at 5.7%.

Now that the account is better optimized, we adjusted the conversion value of high-value lead forms. The value is now based on historical sales data so that conversion value more accurately reflects actual monetary value.

What We Did

Building Awareness/Lead-Gen Campaigns Around Quality Content

The campaign generated about 100 eBook views per month within the five months since its launch. eBook download conversion rate remained steadily high at over 16%. In addition to generating highly engaged key content consumption, the campaign also generated high-value lead forms, which included partnership applications and demo requests. As a result, the campaign has yielded a positive ROI (return on investment) and ROAS (return on ad spend).

Adopting AI-Powered Automated Bidding Strategies in Google Ads

Comparing one year before October 2021 and one year after we started managing their Google Ads account, we see dramatic improvements, mainly in the following areas:

• Conversions went up by 664.4%, driving high-value form submissions
• Conversion value now reflects actual monetary value more accurately
• The AI-bidding strategy conversion rate increased to 6.7%, representing a 470.1% improvement.

Keyword Cleanup and Updating Negative Keywords

When optimizing online ads accounts, we believe that removing and refining generic keywords is just as crucial as targeting specific keywords. We eliminated generic keywords that brought in traffic volume with few conversions, causing cost per conversion (CPC) and cost per acquisition (CPA) to be too high. We also removed irrelevant search terms by adding them as negative keywords. Lastly, we added high-performing and converting queries to the keyword list. 

All the above fine-tuning and optimizing contributed to significant improvements in ad performance.

Developing Gated Content & Testing Lead Gen Campaigns in Channels that Matter

After reviewing existing content and campaign performance, we recommended the client gate several eBooks for lead generation purposes. As new eBooks are produced, we add promotional campaigns in Google Ads and LinkedIn. So far, the results are promising. Quality form submissions, conversion rates, and cost per lead indicate this strategy will positively contribute to the account’s overall performance. 

Conclusion

Our client is one of the many who found Google Ads to be a cost-effective lead-generation channel. As with most digital marketing efforts, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy. The first step is ensuring that your analytics and reports are accurate. We recommend starting with a Google Analytics audit. Then, a comprehensive strategy can be customized to your specific needs. Interested to know more? 

Schedule a 30-minute free consultation with us.