South Brisbane IT Services — Google Ads
A managed IT provider was getting zero leads from Google — now every $1 in ads returns $5.80 in contract value.
TL;DR
- Challenge:
- A managed IT provider quit Google Ads twice — broad targeting was burning budget on consumer clicks.
- Approach:
- SMB-specific keywords, dedicated service landing pages, retargeting funnel with free IT audit offer.
- Result:
- 5.8x ROI, qualified leads up from 2 to 14/month, first month signed 3 contracts worth $2,400 MRR each.
Key Results at a Glance
5.8x
ROI on ad spend
+600%
Qualified leads
New
Average contract value
Client Context
Business Type
Managed IT Services (MSP)
Founded
2018
Team Size
12 techs + sales
Market
Brisbane south metro
Revenue Tier
$2.1M ARR
Stack Before
ConnectWise, Google Ads (2 failed attempts), HubSpot
The Challenge
The company had tried Google Ads twice before and quit both times. Campaigns targeted generic terms like "IT support" nationally, burning budget on irrelevant clicks from consumers and students.
Goals & KPIs
North-Star Metric
Achieve 3x+ ROI on Google Ads and sign 10+ managed services contracts within 6 months
Supporting KPIs
ROI on ad spend
Target: 3x+
Qualified leads
Target: 10+/month
Cost per qualified lead
Target: Under $100
Contract close rate
Target: 30%+
Free audit conversions
Target: 20+/month
Discovery & Research
Audit Findings
- •National targeting drained budget on non-Brisbane clicks
- •Generic "IT support" keywords attracted consumers
- •No landing pages — all traffic hit homepage
- •No conversion tracking on phone calls
- •Zero remarketing setup
Baseline Issues
- •Negative ROI on 2 previous attempts
- •2 qualified leads/month
- •Zero attribution beyond form fills
- •$0 landing page conversion tracking
Competitor Insight
Top MSP competitors ran RLSA campaigns, had 3-5 service-specific landing pages, and offered free IT audits as their lead magnet — averaging $85 CPL.
Audience Insight
Brisbane SMB decision-makers (Ops managers, small business owners) search after hours (5-9 PM) when their IT breaks, and respond to specific fear-based ad copy ("no more downtime").
Strategy
Core Hypothesis
“If we target SMB-specific keywords with tight Brisbane radius and offer a free IT audit, then ROI hits 3x+ because MSPs win on retention, not lead volume.”
Positioning Shift
Repositioned from "IT support" to "Brisbane's managed IT partner for 10-50 employee businesses" — audience specificity.
Channel Mix
Search — SMB intent · 60%
High-value, high-intent
Service landing pages · 20%
Managed IT, cybersecurity, cloud
Display retargeting · 15%
90-day nurture
RLSA competitor terms · 5%
Steal from competitors
Our Approach
SMB-specific campaigns
Targeted high-intent B2B keywords: "managed IT services Brisbane", "IT support small business QLD" — with ad copy addressing pain points like downtime and data loss.
Landing page per service
Built dedicated landing pages for managed IT, cybersecurity, and cloud migration — each with a free IT audit offer as the conversion point.
Retargeting & nurturing
Display retargeting for website visitors plus a Google Ads remarketing list for search ads (RLSA) targeting past visitors who searched competitor terms.
Phased Roadmap
Weeks 1–3
Foundation
- →Tight Brisbane south geo-targeting
- →B2B keyword research (SMB-specific)
- →Landing page builds (3 services)
- →Call tracking + form tracking setup
Weeks 4–8
Launch
- →Free IT audit as primary CTA
- →Ad copy focused on downtime + data loss
- →Bid strategy: maximise conversions
- →A/B tested landing pages
Weeks 9–12
Optimisation
- →Display remarketing launched
- →RLSA on competitor searches
- →Quality Score improvements (5→8 avg)
- →Cost per lead: $340 → $105
What We Built
The Results
Monthly Qualified Leads
Before vs After — 90 Days
| Metric | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| ROI on ad spend | Negative | 5.8x | 5.8x |
| Qualified leads | 2/month | 14/month | +600% |
| Average contract value | N/A | $2,400/month | New |
“We signed 3 managed services contracts in the first month. Each one is worth $2K+ per month recurring.”
James P.
Director, IT Services Company
Key Insights
- →Free IT audit converted 3.4x higher than "get a quote" for MSP leads
- →Fear-based copy ("stop your next 3 AM server crash") outperformed positive framing 2:1
- →MSPs need low-volume, high-value lead flow — not the other way round
- →RLSA on competitor terms was the highest-ROI campaign — most other agencies overlook this
What's Next
Adding LinkedIn Ads targeting Brisbane ops managers, launching cybersecurity-specific campaigns, and building a partner referral program with Brisbane accountants.
Ready to see similar results?
Book a free strategy call — we'll audit your current setup and map out what growth looks like for your business.
Services Used
Representative case study. Figures illustrate the type of outcomes achievable through these strategies for Australian businesses; individual results vary based on market, budget and starting position.