Studix.eu: Boosting PPC Conversions by 251% but Losing the Client

Task: Setting up and optimizing advertising campaigns in Google Ads
Industry: Study abroad
Location: Poland, Ukraine
Duration: 4 months (March 8, 2021 – June 21, 2021, compared to the period of March 2, 2020 – June 29, 2020)
*advertising was not active during the comparison periods due to the absence of established study groups
**the compared periods had different durations (17 weeks and 15 weeks)

Advertising budget: $980

Initial setup: Previous search campaigns did not yield the expected conversions. Over a span of 17 weeks, there were only 45 conversions, costing $9 each. This indicates a low conversion rate at a high cost.

Goals and Objectives:
– generate a high number of leads
– achieve sales goals by acquiring the expected number of students who apply for studies in Polish universities as clients

What we did: Our work commenced in March when Polish universities started accepting applications.

Considering the previous statistics, we made the decision to create a dedicated campaign focused on conversion keywords.

To achieve our goals, we thoroughly analyzed all the keywords and search queries and carefully selected the ones that had previously resulted in conversions. We then created a well-structured campaign with an appropriate budget, exclusively incorporating these high-converting keywords. Other keywords were allocated to separate campaigns with minimal budgets.

As a result, this particular campaign successfully generated 48 conversions within a 15-week period.

While the campaign described above demonstrated improvement, it did not meet our desired targets entirely. Consequently, we decided to implement remarketing strategies. This addition yielded 28 conversions during the specified period. Notably, the cost per conversion for these remarketing efforts was approximately half of what was achieved through regular keyword campaigns.

Next, we decided to explore the potential of a Discovery campaign, as it had proven successful for other projects. We created two targeting groups: one focused on individuals who entered specific keywords (based on keywords that had previously generated conversions in other campaigns), and another group targeting users who visited pages similar to those of our competitors (using data from the auction insights report). Despite the low cost per click of only $0.03 and a total of 1.07 thousand clicks, this campaign did not result in any conversions. Consequently, we halted the experiment and reallocated the budget to explore alternative options.

We then proceeded to create a traditional display campaign, utilizing the same target audiences. However, we excluded displays in mobile apps and carefully selected impactful marketing materials. This approach proved to be successful, as we immediately observed conversions. Over the campaign period (May 20 – June 21), we achieved 18 conversions at a cost of $6 per conversion.

Subsequently, we intended to proceed with testing Smart GDN (Google Display Network), but the client requested that we halt our efforts. The reason for this was that the study groups had reached their maximum capacity, and advertising was temporarily suspended until the next application period.

Results. In terms of results, we achieved an additional 113 conversions, representing a substantial increase of 251% compared to previous campaigns. Furthermore, by implementing the new campaigns, we successfully reduced the cost per conversion by $3.8, resulting in a significant decrease of 38.84%.

As a result, we were able to successfully meet the sales targets, allowing us to conclude our work with the client two weeks ahead of the previous year. We are pleased with the outcome and eagerly anticipate the upcoming season.