Case study — Google Ads
hlc mortgages.
how £571 in google ads spend generated 73 appointments and 65 signed clients in three months.
results at a glance
total google ads spend
mortgage appointments booked
first-time buyer clients signed
total estimated client value
advertising cost per signed client
to plan, build and launch
campaign performance
clicks and impressions.
Reconstructed from Google Ads data. Apr 13 to Jul 1, 2026. Blue = clicks (left axis), red = impressions (right axis).
Clicks
1.3K
Impressions
41K
Avg. CPC
£0.44
Total Spend
£571
the challenge
a small budget in a competitive market.
Paying for clicks from unsuitable prospects.
Competing across searches with weak buying intent.
Spreading the budget across too many locations.
Generating enquiries that were difficult for advisers to convert.
Running out of budget before enough data could be collected.
Sending prospects to a generic page without a clear reason to act.
Rather than attempting to reach everyone looking for a mortgage, Blueprint focused the available budget on one defined customer group with a clear need and a relevant local connection.
the strategy
four connected stages.
01
target a specific local audience.
The campaign focused exclusively on first-time buyer searches within selected local branch areas. This reduced wasted spend and kept every impression relevant to the available budget.
02
use a message built around the customer.
Campaign copy addressed first-time buyer concerns directly. Prospects saw a message built around the questions they were already asking, not generic mortgage language.
03
create a lead-magnet video.
Blueprint scripted and filmed a video sales letter for the first-time buyer audience. It gave prospects useful information and positioned HLC Mortgages as a helpful source of guidance before asking for a booking.
04
automate the follow-up journey.
The funnel integrated with HLC Mortgages' CRM. Different nurture sequences triggered based on each prospect's behaviour, so the campaign continued working after every click.
implementation
4 weeks to launch.
Click each phase to see what happened.
week 1
audience & strategy.
Blueprint built the first-time buyer ideal customer profile and mapped their concerns, questions and desired outcomes. The campaign structure, keyword targeting approach and geographic focus were defined to match the available budget.
what we delivered
the full scope.
Every element was designed around one goal: generating qualified mortgage appointments from a tightly defined audience at the lowest possible cost per conversion.
Paid media strategy
First-time buyer ideal customer profile
Customer pain-point research
Local branch targeting strategy
Google Ads campaign planning
Campaign structure and keyword targeting
Advertisement copy
Lead-magnet concept
Video sales letter script
Video production
Lead-generation funnel
Landing-page journey
CRM integration
Lead segmentation
Opt-in nurture sequence
Non-opt-in follow-up sequence
Appointment-booking journey
Campaign tracking
Initial testing and optimisation
results summary
the full picture.
| metric | result |
|---|---|
| Google Ads spend | £571 |
| Campaign period | 3 months |
| Approximate clicks | 1,400 |
| Approximate cost per click | £0.44 |
| Appointments booked | 73 |
| Signed clients | 65 |
| Advertising cost per appointment | £7.82 |
| Advertising cost per signed client | £8.78 |
| Average client value | £1,152 |
| Total estimated client value | £74,880 |
the key lesson
a small budget needs a sharp focus.
the audience was clearly defined.
The campaign focused exclusively on first-time buyers in selected local areas. This prevented the budget from being consumed by broader or less relevant searches.
the message matched the searcher.
Prospects saw a message built around the questions they were already asking, not generic mortgage language. The connection between search, ad and landing page was clear.
value before the ask.
The video sales letter educated the prospect and built trust before asking them to take the next step, giving potential clients a reason to engage even if not ready to book immediately.
paid media and crm worked together.
Every lead entered a structured customer journey with relevant follow-up based on their behaviour. The campaign continued working after every click, not just the ones that booked immediately.
faq
common questions.
could your paid advertising be more focused?
let's make every click count.
Increasing an advertising budget will not fix unclear targeting, generic messaging or a customer journey that allows leads to disappear.
discuss your campaign