Google Ads Case Study – Local Taxi (UK)
A practical look at how we took a local taxi advertiser from scattered structure to a geo + daypart system and evolved bids from Manual CPC to Max Conversions—finding a surprising winner: weekend 24/7.
Why We Always Start with the Market (Not the Account)
Before touching the campaigns, we audit the market: competitors, landing page angles, ad assets in use, keyword themes, and campaign types active in the SERP. This intelligence shapes the structure and messaging.
The 100+ Point Account Audit
We assess bidding, budgets, devices, geo, hours, scripts/automations, conversion setup, and tracking quality. We also study historical data to see if competitors change bids by hour/day and what experiments they run.
Client Snapshot (Anonymized)
- Local taxi operator in a UK city (with iOS & Android apps)
- Goals: ride bookings, calls, and app engagement
- Constraints: highly competitive local market
Campaign Architecture: Geo + Dayparting
- By Area: We split the city into 4–5 logical areas and built dedicated campaigns per area.
- By Time: Day (8am–4pm), Evening (4pm–12am), and a dedicated Weekend 24/7 campaign.
- Why: Transparent budget control, clearer bidding signals, and easier creative/offer testing by context.
Bid Strategy Evolution (Data-Driven)
- Manual CPC to tightly control early spend and learn.
- Maximize Clicks to accelerate volume and expand queries.
- Maximize Conversions (tCPA) once we reached stable conversion density (smart bidding needs data).
The Asset Stack That Mattered
- Sitelinks (service types, pricing, booking shortcuts)
- Promotions & Price (value framing)
- Callouts (reliability, fleet size, app availability)
- Call & Location (crucial for local intent)
- App (deep-link where appropriate)
Keywords, Match Types & Negatives
- Mix of phrase and controlled broad to capture local intent and brand variations.
- Ongoing negative keyword expansion to guard budget.
Testing Culture: The 80/20 Rule
We dedicate most spend to proven winners while reserving ~20% for structured tests (new headlines, LPs, offers, and audiences). This keeps performance growing without risking the core.
Results (Illustrative)
- Last Month: ~4,873 conversions
- Cost/Conversion: ~£1
- Conversion Value: ~£16,000 on ~£3,321 ad spend
- Optimization Score: ~95% (useful guide—not a KPI)
- Surprise Winner: Weekend 24/7 campaign outperformed expectations.
Privacy note: Numbers shown are rounded/anonymized to respect client confidentiality while preserving the strategic lessons.
What This Means for Other Local Services
- Segment by geo & time for clarity and control
- Don’t rush to Smart Bidding—earn it with data
- Stack assets (especially location & call)
- Guard with negatives; allow intelligent broad to scale
- Keep a permanent testing budget
Useful Next Reads
- Full Google Ads Case Study with ROI math
- How to Advertise on Facebook (great as a retargeting layer)
- SEO vs PPC in 2025 (choosing the right mix)
- Dealing with Google Ads Suspensions (if you hit a policy snag)
CTA
If you want this structure applied to your local service business, get in touch. We’ll start with a market audit and show you exactly where the opportunities are.
Ali Raza is a Google Ads Certified Digital Marketing Expert. Hire us today!