boost your licensing business: Google Ads Success Case Study
Almost 100 leads generated in just 4 months for this liquor licensing company
This Australian liquor licensing company’s primary goal was to grow their business by reaching more clients in new states. After years of poor results with unreliable consultants and ineffective campaigns, the company reached out to Bel Digital for help. Since then, we’ve rebuilt their Google Ads strategy, leading to strong, consistent lead generation and opened up new service areas for future growth.
8.75% CTR
8.75% of people who saw an ad, clicked on it
$44.51 CPA
Cost per lead had averaged $44.51
96 leads
Generated 96 high-quality leads in 4 months
9% Conv Rate
8.75% of people who clicked converted
about the liquor
licensing company
With over 15 years of experience in the hospitality sector, this liquor licensing company supports businesses across Australia in securing liquor and food licences. What started as a simple consulting service has grown into a comprehensive business partner, guiding clients through the complex licensing landscape.
The company understands that a food or liquor licence is often the final hurdle before opening day. With that in mind, their mission is to remove the red tape and help their clients succeed as efficiently as possible.
After a disappointing experience with previous consultants, the business owner reached out to Bel Digital. We first spoke over a year ago, where we offered website and conversion rate optimisation advice, which he quietly implemented on his own.
However, after experiencing continued poor Google Ads results, he realised it was time to partner with experts to turn his marketing around.
The problem
The liquor licensing company was ready to grow but restricted themselves with a poorly structured Google Ads account. Ads were only displayed in Queensland, limiting lead potential, and even within that state, performing areas were penalised through incorrect negative bid adjustments. This severely impacted visibility in locations where enquiries were most likely.
Their campaign setup lacked strategy. Overlapping campaigns and duplicate ad groups meant their ads competed against each other, driving up costs unnecessarily.
Broad, general keywords led to irrelevant traffic that rarely converted, while ad copy focused solely on Queensland, ignoring potential clients in other states.
Technically, the account was underperforming too. Conversion tracking missed crucial lead form submissions, while duplicate phone conversions distorted reporting. Negative keywords were poorly managed, with no structured approach to filtering out irrelevant searches.
Left unchecked, this setup was wasting budget and missing significant growth opportunities across Australia.
what Bel. Digital found
- Ads were showing exclusively in QLD, missing potential leads from NSW and South Australia.
- Performing locations were incorrectly penalised through negative bid adjustments.
- Overlapping campaigns created duplicated search terms, causing the company’s own ads to compete.
- Broad, non-specific keywords were generating irrelevant traffic and wasting ad spend.
- Ad copy referenced QLD only, failing to appeal to prospects in other states.
- Conversion tracking was incomplete and redundant conversion actions were inflating reported results.
- No structured negative keyword lists were in place.
- Google’s automated recommendations and extensions were applied without review.
- Ads were being shown to global audiences due to missing geographic exclusions.
conversion tracking
Conversion tracking was completely rebuilt. Added lead form submission tracking, enhanced conversions, and removed redundant conversion actions.
market relevance
Created new campaigns and added geographic exclusions to make sure ads are being shown only to the right audiences: QLD, NSW, South Australia.
keyword & match types
In-depth keyword review, paused general terms unlikely to convert. Changed the match type on many keywords and applied geo-targeting for relevant locations.
extensive negative keywords
Account wide extensive negative keyword lists were created & applied to relevant campaigns.
communication
Communication is key & a motivated client is even better. Being open to website changes means we’re kicking more goals.
resolved campaigns
Fixed overlapping campaigns that created duplicated search terms lowering ad costs and increasing overall ad efficiency.
our solution
We began with a complete account rebuild, starting by expanding the geographic targeting to include New South Wales and South Australia. This allowed the business to reach new clients previously excluded from their campaigns. To support this expansion, we recommended creating dedicated service pages for these states to improve website relevance and conversion performance.
Next, we addressed structural issues in the account. Negative bid adjustments were removed from high-performing locations to prevent ads being suppressed unnecessarily. We consolidated overlapping ad groups to eliminate internal competition, and rewrote ad copy to position the business as a national provider, moving beyond Queensland-specific messaging.
Conversion tracking was overhauled to provide accurate, reliable data. We implemented lead form tracking, enabled enhanced conversions, and cleaned out duplicate and redundant tracking actions. This setup ensured we could measure true business outcomes rather than inflated metrics.
Targeting was tightened by replacing broad, general keywords with more specific, high-intent search terms. Dedicated negative keyword lists were introduced to block irrelevant traffic, and automated account changes from Google were disabled to regain full control.
Ongoing search term audits were also introduced to maintain traffic quality and eliminate waste over time.
results
From 1 March 2025 to 30 June 2025, the liquor licensing company’s Google Ads campaigns delivered clear, measurable growth. In just four months, the campaigns generated 96 high-quality leads from 985 clicks, achieving an average conversion rate of 8.75%.
With a total ad spend of $4,273, the company achieved an impressive average cost per lead of $44.51.
There’s steady growth across clicks, conversions, and conversion rate during the period. This consistent performance is the direct result of precise keyword targeting, rigorous search term exclusion, and the client’s implementation of a conversion-optimised website.
What’s most exciting is the contribution from newly targeted states. Expanding the campaigns into New South Wales and South Australia generated a consistent flow of leads from previously untapped areas, proving a game-changer for the company’s future growth plans.
The owner remains engaged and responsive, acting quickly on strategic recommendations. With this strong foundation in place, the liquor licensing company is well-positioned to scale into the next phase of business growth.
I’ve worked with many providers to manage my Google Ads campaigns, but none have come close to the knowledge and insights that Bel brings to the table. The level of professionalism is outstanding, with clear and consistent communication. That, combined with solid results, makes for a winning combination. If you value a business-oriented approach backed by exceptional service, Bel is the expert you need. Highly recommend!
LIQUOR LICENSING COMPANY
Queensland, Australia
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