Google Ads case studyFixed the tracking, optimized the account and campaigns. The store got busier.
A brick-and-mortar hardware store was paying for Google Ads but couldn't tell whether the ads brought anyone through the door. I rebuilt the tracking from 1 conversion action to 9, added call tracking and restructured the campaigns. Over nine months, store visits from ads grew 64% and clicks 113%, at a 29% lower cost per click.
Jan–Sep 2026 vs. the same months of 2025
Ad spend rose about 50% over the same period. Store visits and clicks grew faster than that.
Store visits from ads
Measured by Google, year over year, growing faster than spend.
Clicks from ads
More than double, with cost per click down 29%.
Calls from ads in 3 weeks
Tracked for the first time with a dedicated call-tracking number.
In-store sales growth
Year over year, as reported by the owner.
Almost no signal for Google to learn from
The only conversion counted was a call from the ad itself. Website conversions were broken, and the tag container was missing from part of the site, so Analytics lost traffic too.
With almost no signal, automated bidding couldn't find the right local shoppers, and the owner had no way to see what the ads were really doing. The budget was being judged on clicks alone.
Eight steps, tracking first
- Audited everything: account, website, Tag Manager, GA4 and Search Console. Fixed tag coverage and resubmitted unindexed pages.
- Rebuilt conversion tracking around store visits: calls, directions, store visits, form, click-to-call and map clicks (9 actions instead of 1).
- Set up call tracking that swaps in a dedicated number for ad visitors, so every call from ads is counted.
- Worked with the store's developer to add a contact form and a click-to-call number, and to improve navigation.
- Connected Google Ads with GA4, Search Console, Business Profile and every other service the account relies on, and built remarketing audiences.
- Rebuilt keyword targeting: detailed keyword lists from Keyword Planner research, a full search-terms audit and extensive negative keyword lists to cut wasted spend.
- Restructured existing campaigns and launched new ones across Search, Performance Max and Demand Gen, with cleaner ad groups and less spend on underperforming YouTube ads.
- Built the strategy together with the owner: what to promote and when, which campaign types to use, and ad copy written by me and approved by the owner. Plus seasonal pushes like lawn mowers and garden in spring.
Clean signals, a busier store and a bigger budget
With clean signals, bidding started reaching the right people. Clicks more than doubled at a lower cost per click, and Google-measured store visits grew faster than spend.
Once the owner could finally see the calls and visits, they raised the budget by about 50%. Call tracking also showed how many of those calls went unanswered, a gap the store couldn't see before.
Figures from Google Ads, Jan–Sep 2026 vs. Jan–Sep 2025, during which ad spend rose about 50%. Store visits are modeled by Google. Calls come from the store's call-tracking report (Aug 5–25, 2026). Sales growth as reported by the owner. Disclosure: this store is owned by a member of my family.
What this means if you run a local business
- Check what your account counts. If only one kind of action is tracked, Google is optimizing on a fraction of your real results.
- Track calls from the website as well as from the ad. Many customers click, read and then call.
- Store visits are measurable. For eligible stores, Google can report visits from ads, which is the number a local store cares about.
- Fix tracking before you raise the budget. More spend on bad data buys more of the wrong clicks.
Your business is different, and results depend on your market, but the first step is the same: find out what your ads are really doing. That's what the free initial audit is for.
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