It doesn't have to be hard to run a successful Google Ads campaign. Kyle from Max Conversion recently showed us a successful campaign for a nationwide HELOC loan company. He showed us how keeping things simple and optimizing them smartly can lower the cost per lead while raising the quality of the leads. If you're a business owner or marketer who wants to get the most out of your Google Ads, this episode gives you tips you can use right away.

Table of Contents

Simplifying Google Ads for Maximum Performance

One of the most important things I learned from this campaign is that sometimes less is more. Kyle says that the winning campaign was the "easiest campaign we've ever run on this channel."

This is what it looked like in real life:

• One Broad Match Keyword: The campaign was all about one main keyword: HELOC Loan Lenders.
• Strong List of Negative Keywords: Keeping the list of negative keywords up to date made sure that bad clicks were kept to a minimum.
• Multi-Step Lead Form: Leads filled out a 17-step form that asked for important information like their credit score, veteran status, refinancing goals, and loan amounts.

Kyle says that this method cost $16 per lead and had an 11% conversion rate, which led to more than 322 qualified leads in the last 90 days.

Using AI and Automation to Optimize Campaigns

Automation was a big part of making things as efficient as possible. Max Conversion used Google's AI tools and bidding strategies to improve the performance of their campaigns:

• Max Conversions Bidding Strategy: The campaign started with max clicks for a short time, then switched to max conversions to lower the cost per lead.
• AI Ad Extensions (AIAX): Allowed AI to optimize ads while turning off final URL expansion and custom text, keeping campaigns clean and on track.
• Search Partner Targeting: To reach more people without raising costs, search partners were added, with quality control measures in place.

Kyle says, "The most important thing to remember is that we have a very, very strong list of negative keywords that we add to all the time so we don't get bad terms."

Ensuring Lead Quality With Multi-Step Verification

In fields like finance, the quality of leads is just as important as the number of leads. Max

Conversion added several guardrails to make sure that only serious prospects filled out the form:

• Phone Verification: Leads had to confirm their phone number with a text code after filling out the 17-step form and before sending it in.
• Tracking Form Submissions: Completed form submissions were used to measure conversions, which made sure that reports were accurate and campaigns were optimized.

This extra step of verification helped keep the lead pool high quality, especially since the cost per click (CPC) for HELOC loans is so high ($10–$15 per click).

Audience Targeting and Geographic Insights

The campaign ran all over the country, except for Alaska and Hawaii. However, it was hard to target specific audiences because of rules in the industry.

We used observation mode to get demographic information and see which groups were converting the best:

• New York, Texas, Tennessee, and New Jersey are the states with the most conversions.
• CTR: An impressive 13%, which shows that the targeting and ad messaging were very relevant.

This shows that a well-planned campaign with strong keywords, negative keyword management, and lead forms that focus on quality can get great results even if you don't target a specific audience.

Key Takeaways From This Campaign

1. Simplicity Wins: One focused keyword and a strong negative keyword list outperform complicated campaigns.
   
2. Multi-Step Forms Improve Lead Quality: Detailed forms filter out unqualified leads while collecting essential information upfront.
   
3. Leverage AI & Automation: Max conversions bidding and AI-powered ad features optimize campaigns without micromanagement.
   
4. Verify Leads: Phone verification ensures leads are legitimate and increases ROI on ad spend.
   
5. Observe, Don’t Over-Target: Broad geographic and demographic targeting can work when the campaign structure is strong.
   
   

Kyle sums it up perfectly: “This sort of campaign is perfect if you are in the HELOC or loan space. You need to make sure that quality guardrails are in place so you’re not spending money on unqualified leads.”

Boost Your Google Ads Performance

These ideas from this HELOC campaign can help you lower your cost per lead, raise your conversion rates, and get the most out of your ad spending, no matter what field you're in.

Max Conversion can help you improve your Google Ads performance. Just book a free strategy call with them.