Digital Marketing Case Study
How MPH Reduced Cost Per Lead by 82% While
Scaling Lead Volume With Google Ads, Meta Ads, SEO & GEO
A residential painting and home improvement company was generating leads but at too high a cost. MPH rebuilt the acquisition strategy across paid search, paid social, local SEO, and GEO -- cutting cost per lead dramatically while significantly increasing total lead volume.
The Results
Results After 6 Months With MPH
These are real results from a real campaign. The same multi-channel approach is available to qualifying businesses in Metro Detroit and beyond.
Lower Google Ads Cost Per Lead
Google Ads cost per lead dropped from approximately $400 to $72 through improved targeting, campaign structure, ad copy, conversion tracking, and landing page alignment.
Lower Meta Ads Cost Per Lead
Meta Ads cost per lead dropped from approximately $615 to $30 through better audience targeting, stronger creative, clearer offers, improved funnel structure, and retargeting.
More Meta Leads in 6 Months
The campaign generated 6 times more Meta leads in 6 months than the previous agency produced during the entire prior year -- while also lowering cost per lead by 95%.
| Metric | Before MPH | After MPH (6 Months) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Ads Cost Per Lead | ~$400 | $72 | 82% Lower |
| Meta Ads Cost Per Lead | ~$615 | $30 | 95% Lower |
| Meta Lead Volume | Prev. agency baseline | 6x higher | 6x Increase |
| Total Lead Volume | Baseline | More than doubled | 2x+ |
| Local Search Visibility | Limited | Significant growth | Ongoing gains |
Results reflect a residential painting and home improvement company. Individual results vary based on market, competition, budget, and strategy. Contact MPH for an assessment of your specific situation.
The Challenge
What Was Holding the Business Back
Top Shelf Painting & Improvement Specialists needed a stronger marketing system to support aggressive growth. Their existing campaigns were generating some leads, but the cost was too high and lead flow was inconsistent.
The goal was not simply to get more clicks. The business needed a more efficient acquisition system that could produce better leads at a lower cost -- and a longer-term visibility strategy that would reduce dependence on paid advertising alone over time.
That required looking at the full picture: campaign structure, audience targeting, landing pages, conversion tracking, local SEO, and the emerging role of AI search in local service discovery.
High Cost Per Lead
Paying approximately $400 per Google Ads lead and $615 per Meta Ads lead made scaling unprofitable. Every incremental lead cost more than it should have.
Inconsistent Lead Flow
Lead volume was unpredictable, making growth planning difficult and limiting the company's ability to staff confidently and expand market share.
Limited Local Search Visibility
The business was not capturing organic opportunities in key service areas, local maps, or high-intent search results -- leaving consistent leads on the table.
The Strategy
MPH's Multi-Channel Growth System
Instead of treating Google Ads, Meta Ads, SEO, GEO, and conversion optimization as disconnected tactics, MPH connected them into one performance-focused system where every piece supported the others.
Google Ads Optimization
MPH improved keyword targeting, search intent alignment, geographic targeting, negative keyword structure, bidding strategy, conversion tracking setup, ad copy, and landing page performance. Every element was rebuilt around the actual intent of people searching for painting and home improvement services.
Learn About PPC AdsMeta Ads Rebuild
The Meta strategy was rebuilt from scratch around audience targeting, stronger creative, better offer positioning, campaign segmentation, retargeting flows, and improved funnel structure. Creative was matched to where each audience was in the decision process.
Learn About Social AdsLocal SEO Expansion
MPH strengthened service-area visibility through local SEO improvements -- optimizing the Google Business Profile, improving local landing pages, cleaning up citation consistency, and building content that reflected how customers actually search in the local market.
Learn About Local SEOGEO & AI Search Visibility
MPH added GEO-focused content designed to help the business appear in AI-generated local service answers. This included structured content, entity clarity, service-area FAQ depth, and schema markup that helps ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Gemini understand and reference the business.
Learn About GEOWhy It Worked
The Three Reasons This Strategy Performed
Better Search Intent Alignment
Campaigns were rebuilt around what people who actually hire painting companies search for. This reduced irrelevant clicks and dramatically improved conversion rates -- the same budget produced far more qualified contacts.
Stronger Conversion Paths
Landing pages, calls to action, mobile experience, forms, and tracking were all improved so that traffic arriving from ads had a cleaner, faster path to becoming a lead. Better conversion rate means lower effective cost per lead even without reducing ad spend.
Long-Term Visibility Investment
Local SEO and GEO improvements build equity over time. Every improvement made to organic visibility, local maps presence, and AI search signals reduces the blended cost per lead as the business generates more free traffic alongside paid campaigns.
Services used in this campaign:
Related Reading
Resources That Support This Strategy
These articles expand on the channels and strategies used in this case study and explain how they apply to local service businesses in Metro Detroit.
GEO vs AEO vs SEO: What Businesses Need to Know
How traditional SEO, answer engine optimization, and generative engine optimization work together for modern visibility.
Local SEOHow Google AI Overviews Are Changing Local Search
How AI Overviews reshape local search visibility and what local businesses need to do to adapt.
Google Business ProfileGoogle Business Profile Optimization Tips for Higher Local Rankings
Practical tips to improve local map pack rankings with stronger GBP optimization and trust signals.
Local SEOLocal SEO in 2026: How to Dominate Google Maps
Strategies for improving visibility in competitive Metro Detroit and Michigan local search markets.
Reach MPH Directly
8 AM to 8 PM
Types of businesses MPH helps:
- Home services and contractors
- Painting and remodeling companies
- Restoration and remediation businesses
- Medical practices and healthcare
- Legal and professional services
- Local e-commerce brands
- Any business competing for local leads
Service Area
Serving Metro Detroit and Michigan Businesses
MPH Marketing Solutions is based in Berkley, Michigan and helps businesses across Metro Detroit and throughout Michigan improve visibility, reduce cost per lead, and generate more consistent qualified leads.
FAQ
Case Study Questions
Dealing With High Ad Costs or Inconsistent Leads?
If your business is paying too much per lead, getting inconsistent volume, or missing opportunities in local and AI search, MPH can help build a smarter system. Free consultation, no obligation.