How long did it take to see results?

We stopped the bleeding immediately by pausing obvious waste. Meaningful improvements were visible within 30 days. The transformation to a genuinely profitable account took about 3 months of consistent optimisation work. The 6-month figures show sustained performance, not a temporary spike.

What was the monthly budget during optimisation?

We started at £15,000/month. Within 6 months, we increased to £28,000/month because the campaigns were profitable enough to justify more spend. The client's total ad spend increased, but their customer acquisition cost actually decreased—the ideal scenario.

Did you increase prices or change the product?

No changes to pricing or product. All improvements came from better media buying, targeting, and optimisation. This is purely a marketing performance story, not a business model change.

What tracking tools did you implement?

We implemented server-side Google Analytics 4, enhanced conversions for ads, custom conversion actions for micro-conversions, and built a custom Looker Studio dashboard for real-time visibility. The previous setup was basic GA3 with no enhanced measurement.

Could these results be replicated in any industry?

The principles apply universally, but the magnitude of improvement varies. E-commerce typically has more optimisation levers than lead gen businesses. That said, we've seen similar percentage improvements in professional services, home services, and education sectors. The key is having sufficient data and tracking in place.

What happened after 6 months?

The client has continued to see steady improvement. We're now expanding into Microsoft Advertising and testing Meta prospecting campaigns. The Google Ads foundation we built provides reliable, profitable cash flow while we test new channels. They've grown their team and are now investing in broader marketing activity.

Case Studies

How UK E-commerce Brand Reduced CPA by 45% with Strategic PPC Overhaul

45% CPA reduction, 2.3x revenue growth

Overview

UK E-commerce Brand Slashes CPA by 45% While Scaling Revenue 2.3x

A complete PPC overhaul turned a struggling account into a profitable growth engine.

Google AdsE-commerceUK Market

Get Results Like This

Scope

The Client

A mid-sized UK e-commerce brand selling home and garden products online. Operating in a competitive market with multiple well-established competitors.

Industry: Home & Garden E-commerce
Location: United Kingdom (nationwide shipping)
Team Size: 15 employees
Marketing Budget: £15,000/month (pre-optimisation)

Common Gaps

The Challenge

Rising costs per click making existing campaigns unprofitable

No clear view on which products or keywords actually drove profit

Previous agency focused on vanity metrics (clicks, impressions) not business outcomes

Shopping campaigns hemorrhaging budget on low-intent queries

Brand campaigns cannibalising organic traffic without adding value

Mobile traffic converting at half the rate of desktop (but no mobile-specific strategy)

Execution Flow

What We Did

1
1. **Full Account Audit**: Identified £6,000/month wasted on non-converting keywords and negative keyword gaps
2
2. **Tracking Overhaul**: Implemented server-side tracking, enhanced conversions, and revenue-based conversion values
3
3. **Campaign Restructure**: Built new campaign structure based on product margins and customer lifetime value
4
4. **Shopping Campaign Optimization**: Fixed feed issues, implemented priority campaigns, added negative keywords
5
5. **Mobile-Specific Strategy**: Separate mobile campaigns with adjusted bids and mobile-optimised ad copy
6
6. **Testing Programme**: Continuous A/B testing of ad creative, landing pages, and bidding strategies

Impact Focus

Results in 6 Months

Cost Per Acquisition

-45%

Monthly Revenue

+131%

Return on Ad Spend

3.2x to 5.8x

Scope

The Breakdown

Beyond headline numbers, here's what actually changed in the account:

Shopping Campaigns: ROAS improved from 2.8x to 6.1x through feed optimisation and query management
Search Campaigns: CPA dropped from £42 to £23 by pausing low-performers and scaling winners
Brand Campaigns: Reduced spend by 70% after proving cannibalisation; reallocated budget to conquest
Remarketing: Added customer list exclusions and value-based bidding; incremental revenue +£8k/month
Mobile Conversion Rate: Increased from 1.2% to 2.1% through mobile-specific creative and landing page work

Next Step

Want Similar Results for Your Business?

Every account is different, but the principles that drove these results apply across industries. Let's audit your PPC setup and identify your optimisation opportunities.

Book Your Free Audit

Detailed Timeline

Month 1: Foundation

Full technical audit and tracking implementation
Immediate waste reduction (paused £6k/month in non-performing spend)
New campaign structure build-out
Shopping feed optimisation

Month 2: Optimisation

Mobile-specific campaigns launched
A/B testing programme initiated
Negative keyword expansion
Bid strategy refinements

Month 3: Breakthrough

Crossed profitability threshold for first time
Scaled winning campaigns
Added remarketing layers
Landing page optimisation based on heatmapping data

Months 4-6: Scale

Incremental budget increases as ROI proved
Expansion into product categories previously paused
Advanced bidding strategies (tROAS, value-based)
Integration with inventory management for automated budget allocation

Key Learnings

Most accounts have significant hidden waste. This client was spending £6,000 monthly on keywords that had never converted. Basic negative keyword management solved this immediately.
Tracking quality determines optimisation quality. Without proper revenue tracking and attribution, we were flying blind. Server-side implementation and enhanced conversions were game-changers.
Mobile requires separate strategy. Treating mobile the same as desktop was costing conversions. Device-specific campaigns with tailored creative and bids unlocked significant value.
**Shopping feeds are often under-optimised. ** Basic feed improvements (titles, attributes, GTINs) had outsized impact on Shopping campaign performance.
Profitability matters more than CPA. Some products had higher CPA but better LTV. Shifting focus from CPA to contribution margin allowed us to optimise for business outcomes, not arbitrary metrics.

Technical Implementation

Ready to improve your marketing results?

Book a free strategy call - we'll audit your current setup and identify the highest-impact fixes.

Book Free Call

Tracking Stack

Server-side GA4 with custom data layer
Enhanced conversions for Google Ads
Google Merchant Center with automated feed management
Looker Studio dashboard for client visibility
CallRail for phone call attribution

Campaign Architecture

Shopping: Priority campaigns for best-sellers, separate by product margin tier
Search: Branded vs non-branded split, then by product category and intent stage
Remarketing: Customer list exclusion, segmented by time since purchase and value
Display: Limited, focused on remarketing only
Mobile: Separate campaigns with mobile-optimised creative and landing pages

Get in Touch

This case study represents what’s possible with proper strategy, execution, and optimisation. Your business is unique, but the principles apply.

Book a free audit and let’s identify your opportunities for improvement.