To address the immediate issues identified in our audit, we set out the campaigns with a holistic approach, integrating SEO and PPC. 

To begin with, we compiled in-depth competitor and keyword research and set up paid search campaigns targeting all services offered by Prospect Research, with the exception of Market Research as this was immediately identified as a very high-cost segment of the industry. By doing this, we focused our efforts on the areas of the business that would be most likely to generate clicks and conversions, while maintaining a low CPA. 

We quickly got onto improving the quality of the landing pages on Prospect Research’s website to improve their SEO. Working within the limitations of the website due to budget, we were able to create optimised landing page content for the necessary service pages, and even suggest a server change to enhance the usability and speed of the website. These keyword-optimised service pages were then used as landing pages within the designated PPC campaigns to improve Quality Score and overall ad relevance. Our efforts in SEO paid off, as Prospect Research saw a top of page rate of 69% across off campaigns.

Through carefully managing budgets and carrying out consistent keyword management and analysis, we were able to achieve a dramatic increase in overall impression share across all campaigns. At its highest, the impression share for our Appointment Setting campaign reached 90%, with the average Top of Page Rate across other campaigns at 69%. By improving Impression Share, Prospect Research gained prominence in the industry and as a result, visibility, which is important in an extremely competitive and expensive environment.

We made campaign performance and optimisation a priority to get the clients’ ad account off the ground, and provide solid ground for all future campaigns to run on. Our focus on optimisations and performance were key in driving positive results and allowed us to refine our targeting and focus on users that mattered the most.  The overall quality score continued to improve due to consistent optimisation of keywords within the campaigns. This ensured relevance to customer behaviours and searches. 

Overall, Prospect Research achieved month on month increases in positive performance, with leads generated at a lower cost and of higher quality. During the lockdown, we were faced with the challenge of a reduced B2B demand, which meant we had to adapt our optimisations accordingly. By focusing on adjusting the campaigns at a granular level, continually improving the relevance of the ads, we ensured the campaigns stayed visible to the most motivated and engaged prospective clients. 

Whilst working on these campaigns, we have remained in close contact with the client to report on  monthly progress and performance and to discuss ideas for optimisations and improvements. During this time we made suggestions on areas we thought could advance their position and listened to feedback given, taking appropriate action in line with the business direction and objectives. 

When COVID-19 was at its peak, and lockdowns first started, we identified key areas to pull back on activity to protect not only Prospect’s budget, but also the effectiveness of the campaigns and therefore their quality as determined by Google. 

However, during the last 6 months we have driven an uplift in Prospect Research’s online presence in this competitive B2B market as businesses reopened, and the consumer and client landscape began to regain traction. 

Although we saw a slightly lower activity on our ads in general, reflected largely in the B2B industry as markets opened, we have been able to drive a constant stream of direct conversions as a result of our accurate and relevant Google advertising. We have also achieved an overall click through rate of 4.16% during this time, which is above the average for the industry and indicative of compelling copy, accurate targeting and management to ensure that our messaging remains in line with consumer needs. We also drove an increase in direct conversions as a result of our Google advertising, compared to the previous period.

During this time, we also managed to achieve this positive performance with only a slight 0.15% increase to the cost per conversion, despite the rise in the overall cost per click due to competitiveness and demand. This was all while driving an aggregated Top of Page Rate of 75.51% across our Google advertising campaigns within the highly competitive industry, which we will continue to maintain, as we continue our partnership with Prospect Research to scale their business and continually increase their traction in the B2B industry.