What goes on behind the scenes of a successful Google Ads campaign? For a lot of service-based businesses, especially those in highly competitive local markets, the difference between wasting money and growing their business is having the right strategy, structure, and smart optimization.

Kyle from Max Conversion shows us a real tree removal company's Google Ads account in this episode. The campaign is bringing in a lot of leads at a low cost per lead, showing that even local service providers can greatly improve their performance with the right PPC strategy.

This breakdown shows you exactly what is working and why if you want to lower your cost per lead, get the most out of your ads, and build a campaign that always gets qualified inquiries.

Table of Contents

Campaign Snapshot: Strong Performance Early On

The campaign had been going on for about 60 days, which was long enough for it to stop learning and start giving reliable data. The numbers paint a clear picture: 

• Daily ad spending: about $100 to $120
• Rate of conversion: 28%
• Cost per lead: About $43
• The average CPC is about $12.

We kept track of conversions at different points of contact, such as form submissions, phone calls from the landing page, and calls from the call asset.

What is one important thing you learned? Lead forms were responsible for most of the conversions.

"We're getting a lot more submissions of lead forms than phone calls right now." So, it's about 75% and 25%.

This is a good reminder of an important rule for managing Google Ads: don't rely on just one way to convert. Giving potential customers more than one way to get in touch with you will increase the number of leads you get.

Smart Bidding Strategy That Fuels Growth

The account followed a tried-and-true path that many successful PPC campaigns use:

1. To get traffic and data, start with Maximize Clicks
2. When you have enough signals, switch to Maximize Conversions with a target CPA.

This method helps Google's algorithm figure out how people use the site before focusing on the actions that matter most.

If a business isn't sure how to set up bidding, hiring a professional Google Ads management team can speed up the process and save money by avoiding mistakes. Visit the Google Ads services page at MaxConversion.com to find out more about how we work.

A Massive Account Structure Built for Coverage

Most advertisers are told not to build too many ad groups, but this campaign worked well with 129 ad groups.

What made it work? Because the client served multiple locations with enough search volume to make granular targeting worthwhile.

Ad groups that brought in the most money were: 

• Getting rid of trees
• Cutting back trees 
• Grinding stumps
• Reports from arborists

Cutting down trees and trimming them back was the most effective: 

• Cost of tree removal per lead: about $38
• The cost of tree pruning per lead is about $26.

This level of segmentation lets advertisers set budgets, customize messages, and find out exactly where profitable leads come from.

"Having a strong list of negative keywords will put you light years ahead of a business that doesn't."

The Real Secret Weapon: Negative Keywords

While a lot of advertisers are obsessed with adding keywords, the best campaigns are just as focused on leaving out the wrong ones.



The campaign didn't waste money on low-intent traffic by regularly checking the search terms report and adding negatives.

The main point for improving your campaign is:

• Check search terms every week.
• Get rid of irrelevant queries right away.
• Keep your budget safe for good leads.

This is one of the quickest ways to lower the cost per lead without spending more.

Device Optimization: Where Conversions Actually Happen

It's interesting that this campaign had higher conversion rates on desktop than on mobile, which is not normal for local services.

The team made a strong decision instead of spreading the budget too thin:

• Tablets were not included at all because they didn't have a good chance of converting.

People often forget about device-level changes, but they can make a big difference in how well PPC works overall.

Audience Targeting That Improves Lead Quality

Another big improvement came from making it clearer who could see the ads.

The campaign didn't include:

• People between the ages of 18 and 24
• People who rent 
• Students right now

Why? Because they were less likely to own land or need help removing trees.

Better targeting means fewer wasted clicks and better leads, both of which are important for getting the most out of your ads.

Actionable Lessons for Service Businesses

Whether you run a landscaping company, HVAC business, law firm, or home services brand, these strategies translate across industries.

1. Let Data Guide Your Bidding Strategy

Start broad, gather data, then shift toward conversion-focused bidding.

2. Build a Strong Negative Keyword List

This is often the difference between average and elite campaigns.

3. Segment Campaigns Where It Matters

Granular ad groups help identify your most profitable services.

4. Optimize Devices and Audiences

Stop paying for traffic that is unlikely to convert.

5. Offer Multiple Conversion Paths

Forms, calls, and extensions should all work together to capture demand.

If you want deeper insights into building profitable campaigns, explore more PPC strategy content on Max Conversion

Conclusion

This campaign to cut down trees shows that big brands don't have to have high conversion rates and low lead costs. Local businesses can compete hard and grow in a predictable way if they have the right structure, targeting, and optimization plan.

The most important thing to remember? There is no such thing as performance by chance. It is built through careful testing, smart exclusions, and choices based on data.

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