Google Ads: Turning Clicks into Real Conversations

Here’s what I fixed and built:

Stop all Ineffective Ads:

I paused every campaign that was burning through budget. The old strategy, which included random keywords and Google’s built-in lead forms, wasn’t bringing in genuine leads. Most “leads” were spam and couldn’t be automated or followed up on in a timely manner.

Ad Campaign Structure:

I started from scratch, segmenting campaigns by what families in this industry actually search for: general tutoring + Location, reading + writing help, math tutoring, and a “click-only” campaign (directing to our long-form Contact Us page).

Landing Pages That Match Intent:

Instead of pinging every paid visitor to the homepage, I spun up unique landing pages for each campaign and keyword cluster. Each page, like this one for Reading & Writing help, was tailored to address our target audience's needs, which is not just “we tutor kids,” but “here’s what reading/writing support actually looks like at TLC.”

Actual Keyword Research (and Competitive Realities):

Used Semrush and a deep Google search for keyword research and buyer's intent. Had to navigate a tight line: TLC markets heavily to kids with dyslexia, ADHD, and other neurodivergencies, but Ad policies flagged these keywords as “sensitive.” That meant outsmarting bigger, deep-pocketed competitors (Sylvan, Kumon, etc.) by focusing on “general” terms like “reading tutor” and “writing tutor,” and making the ads/landing pages do the heavy lifting for the specific tutoring specialties we offer.

Budget & Results:

Was given a $10K/mo budget in August. By mid-November, we'd invested $15K total in search (very cost-aware for this industry) and landed over 250 trackable, high-ticket conversions, not even counting all the click-campaign leads (which, due to policy gaps, weren’t auto-tracked during my first month). Our $63 cost-per-conversion is solid in a Canadian market where CPCs are brutal, and those conversions were direct: calls, booked consults, or full inquiry forms. by the end of November, we had recorded a 26:1 (2,600%) ROAS in just 3 months.

Full-Funnel Tracking:

Set up Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager from scratch, since all tracking was basically absent before. Now, every call from ads, website form submission, Calendly booking, and Facebook/Meta pixel event is accounted for. I built a thank-you page sequence for form tracking, made the phone number on the website clickable (tracked on the website and in ads), synced everything through Tag Manager (including all Meta codes), and exported it into Google Ads as real conversion goals for ongoing optimization.

Retargeting:

Built out retargeting audiences so we could follow up with parents who engaged but didn’t sign up for our Free consultation.

The Results: TLC went from “throw ads at the wall and hope” to hands-on, full-funnel digital campaigns

Before my campaigns, TLC averaged 8 new clients a month. With my ads live, TLC has been closing on average 33 new clients a month and counting, since many leads are still in the pipeline even 3 months later, depending on whether they are awaiting assignment to a tutor or government funding approval.
250+ new conversions, not counting over 100 more from a manually reviewed Contact Us form click campaign.
$63 per tracked conversion (below the industry average, especially with US giants driving bid prices up).
Cleaner funnel: all new paid traffic lands on a unique, intent-specific page, with tracking and analytics running behind the scenes.