Michigan Air Solutions
The Situation
Michigan Air Solutions sells, services and supplies parts for industrial air compressors across Michigan. Google Ads is one of its main sources of service calls and quote requests, and the company sets a firm budget of $3,000 a month. The account was actively managed, and the reports looked healthy: 413 conversions over the prior 12 months at about $84 each.
Two things did not add up. The monthly budget kept running out early, so ads went dark for the last 10 days of August and 15 days of September. And the company's own analytics showed far fewer real inquiries than the ad reports claimed. In August, as part of our Fractional Marketing Director engagement, we ran an independent audit of the account. The goal was simple: confirm that every dollar was producing real inquiries from real buyers.
What the Audit Found
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What We Changed
STEP 1: Count Only Real Leads
A lead is now a completed form or a phone call lasting at least 60 seconds. Phone taps and email clicks are still tracked, but they no longer drive bidding or cost per lead. The number leadership sees now matches what the sales team experiences.
Measurement came first, because every later decision depended on numbers we could trust.
STEP 2: Stop the Waste
We added targeted negative keywords, tightened broad match terms, and paused the online store campaigns until its checkout was working again. Search terms are now reviewed every week.
Five focused campaigns replaced a mix of overlapping ones: service and repair by market, equipment, brand, and one Performance Max campaign.
STEP 3: Put the Budget Under Control
Enabled daily budgets dropped from about $500 to $139. Search campaigns run on weekdays, when buyers search. A $10 ceiling now caps keyword bids, set at that level because the keywords producing leads trade at $11 to $12 a click.
A weekly check-in tracks spend against the cap, cost per lead and new search terms, and confirms that Google Ads and Google Analytics still agree.
The Results
Cost per qualified lead is down 42% from August. Qualified leads per month are up 70%. The budget is the same $3,000.
The next step is shifting budget toward the campaigns with the lowest cost per lead. The target for November is a cost per qualified lead under $100. We will update this page as each month closes.
A qualified lead is a form submission or a phone call of 60 seconds or more. October figures run through October 20 and are projected to month end. September is restated on the new lead definition.