Increasing Leads, Decreasing CPL, With a Full-Funnel Paid Media Strategy

Summary

• Our client asked us to help generate more leads from high-intent users.
• We rebuilt the client’s paid ads strategy to better harness the strengths of Google and Meta Ads.
• The client saw a 200%+ increase in leads and a 67% drop in cost-per-lead (CPL).

Background

We were approached by a client with the goal of generating more high-quality leads for LASIK services within a specific geographic region. While the client already had paid ad campaigns on Google and Meta, lead volume was inconsistent, and many leads were low-intent or irrelevant.

We agreed to a monthly budget of $2,000 split between paid ads on Google and Meta, with the aim being to improve both lead quality and quantity while maintaining ad spend efficiency.

The Challenge

Before our work on this project, the client’s ad campaigns had three core weaknesses:

• Lack of Historical Data – A new Meta campaign was being created monthly with a lifetime budget. This meant campaigns frequently had to start from scratch, preventing Meta from using historical data to optimize effectively.
• Limited Creative Variety – Meta was relying on a single prospecting audience and one static banner creative. This limited testing opportunities and reduced the account’s ability to find winning messages and formats.
• Overly Broad Traffic – Google campaigns were targeting broad LASIK-related searches, but the ad copy was not always aligned with user intent. The account was also receiving traffic from search queries related to competing clinics, which generated calls but not the right type of leads.

Our Strategy

Our approach was to rebuild the client’s paid ad strategy centered on a clearer full-funnel structure:

• Prospecting – Google Ads became the primary prospecting channel, focused on capturing high-intent users actively searching for LASIK services.
• Retargeting – Meta became a remarketing engine, focused on re-engaging users who had already shown intent by visiting the LASIK page or opening a lead form but not converting.

This shift allowed each platform to play to its strengths: Google drove new demand, while Meta helped recover warm prospects who needed additional touchpoints before taking action.

Our Strategy in Action

Meta Ads: From Monthly Resets to Always-On Optimization

We moved Meta from monthly campaign launches to an always-on campaign structure with daily budgets. This allowed the campaign to build and retain historical learning, giving the algorithm more data to optimize performance over time.

We also improved the lead form experience by requiring users to manually enter their email address and phone number. Because Facebook profile information is often outdated, this helped improve the accuracy of submitted lead information.

Remarketing was also introduced as a major opportunity. Many users were visiting the LASIK page or opening the Facebook lead form without converting. By targeting these high-intent audiences, remarketing began driving approximately 10% of monthly Meta leads.

Finally, we expanded the creative mix. Instead of relying on one static banner, we introduced:

• Carousel ads promoting the client’s core services
• Static banners
• Promotional video creative
• Testimonial video creative

As a result, Meta's click-through rate improved from 0.7% to 1.10%, and its conversion rate also improved.

Below, you can see examples of a carousel, video, and static banner ad that we created for this client.

Carousel Ad

Video Ads

Static Banners

Google Ads: Cleaner Structure, Higher-Intent Traffic

Google Ads required a major cleanup. We restructured campaigns and rewrote ad copy so that the messaging better matched what users were searching for.

We also cleaned the search terms report aggressively. Search queries related to competing clinics and irrelevant local eye care providers were excluded through negative keywords. This reduced wasted spend and helped the campaigns focus on users actually looking for the client’s LASIK services.

At first, conversion volume declined after the cleanup, but lead quality improved. Once search terms became more relevant and lead quality increased, more budget was shifted toward Google.

The results followed quickly. Google had previously peaked at 15 calls in April 2024, but after the restructuring and budget shift, Google began generating 30+ leads per month consistently, eventually reaching more than 100 monthly leads in several months.

To scale performance further, we added a Performance Max campaign. This helped significantly increase lead volume while ongoing search term reviews ensured traffic quality remained strong.

Landing Page Improvement

We also added a sticky call-to-action with the phone number on the LASIK landing page. This made it easier for users to contact the client directly while browsing, helping reduce friction and improve conversion opportunities.

Impacts

The optimization strategy delivered a major improvement in both efficiency and scale.

• Leads increased by more than 200% – Early performance averaged roughly 26.5 leads per month in August and September 2024. Over the most recent six-month period available, the account averaged 123 leads per month.
• Cost per lead improved by approximately 67% – CPL dropped from roughly $55.42 in the first two months to approximately $15.89 over the most recent six-month period.
• October was the client’s best month – October 2025 generated 147 leads at a $13.65 CPL, the strongest overall performance in the data provided.
• Google became the primary growth engine – After cleanup, restructuring, budget reallocation, and Performance Max expansion, Google consistently drove the majority of monthly leads.

You can see the increase in leads and decrease in CPL between August of 2024 and January of 2026 below:

Below, you can see the change in conversions and the cost of conversions between the first quarter of 2024 and the first quarter of 2026, as shown on Google Ads manager.

Our Findings

The biggest improvement came from aligning each channel with its strongest role.

Google Ads captured high-intent demand from users actively searching for LASIK-related services. Meta Ads re-engaged people who had already interacted with the client but needed another touchpoint before converting.

By cleaning up irrelevant traffic, improving campaign structure, expanding creative, strengthening remarketing, and reducing landing page friction, the client was able to generate significantly more leads at a much lower cost.

Conclusion

We were able to improve the client’s paid media performance significantly by shifting the strategy from broad, inconsistent campaign activity to a focused, full-funnel system. We harnessed Google to capture new high-intent prospects, while Meta remarketing helped bring warm audiences back into the funnel. The result was a scalable lead generation engine that increased monthly lead volume by more than 200% while reducing cost per lead by approximately 67%.

Want to learn more or see what results we can produce for you? Get in touch with our team.

Schedule a Strategy Session