When we were still a relatively new agency, a client who also happened to be a good friend reached out and said he wanted to inject Google Ads PPC into his business.
Everything sounded great… except for one small challenge:
He wanted to run the campaign in St. Louis, a market we had never worked in before and honestly knew very little about.
But instead of hesitating, we took it as an opportunity.
Because when you truly want to help a friend succeed and prove what your system can do, you don’t back away from a new market. You double down and figure it out.
So what did we do?
And more importantly, what’s the process we follow anytime we face a new local market we don’t know yet?
Simple.
The first thing we do is map out the biggest competitors and top performers in the Google Ads space operating in that market.
By combining Google’s own research tools, third-party data, and good old-fashioned research, we build a clear picture of what we’re up against.
We usually identify around 5–10 of the best-performing companies, and then start a process we call “cherry-picking what works.”
In that step, we carefully extract the best ideas, angles, and elements from their landing pages — the ones that are relevant and can still authentically represent our new client’s brand.
Finally, we lay everything out in a profiling document and review it together with the client to make sure we’re aligned before moving forward.
Once the research phase is done, we move on to building the site.
We mostly work with WordPress, but the same process applies to other CMS platforms like Carrot, Wix, or anything else our clients use.
After the website takes shape, we run another round of comparisons — putting our version side by side with the top competitors we analyzed earlier.
This is when we make our final tweaks and refinements to ensure every element performs at its best.
We also blend in a few core internet marketing principles that we know boost conversions:
- Keeping the phone number highlighted and always visible
- Adding personalization in the hero section — whether through a short video or a strong, friendly photo of the client
- Designing a clear and simple lead form that stays above the fold
- And ensuring the testimonials section is easily accessible from the top of the page
These small but crucial touches make a big difference when it comes to trust and conversions.
It took some time and fine-tuning, but it was absolutely worth it.
Right from the start, we began seeing strong conversion numbers — turning clicks into leads at a rate that surprised even us.
Because we used Google Ads to target high-intent, direct-to-seller keywords — especially those tied to distressed property sellers — the traffic we brought in was highly motivated and ready to take action.
It didn’t take long before we were hitting double-digit conversion rates, and soon after, we were consistently crossing 20% — even reaching 30–40% on some days.
And you know what’s the funny thing?
It’s not rocket science.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to experience, curiosity, and a genuine desire to understand the market and its top players.
From there, it’s about finding the right way to help each client stand out, let their brand shine, and attract real leads that can turn into contracts and deals.
Because great marketing isn’t about complicated formulas — it’s about caring enough to learn, adapt, and execute with precision.
Even if it’s a PPC landing page.
