We turned $14K/mo in ad spend into 312 qualified
freight leads. Here's exactly how.
A real engagement. A regional LTL carrier bleeding CPAs through a generalist agency. The full audit, rebuild, and 90-day performance story — every number accounted for.
Thepreviousagencyhadbeenrunningthesamecampaignsforfourteenmonths.Noauctioninsights.Nosearchtermreview.Nofreight-specifickeywordarchitecture.Justspend—andsilence.
Client Profile
Regional LTL Carrier
Chicago–Denver corridor, 23 drivers, 4 terminal locations
Monthly Ad Spend
$14,200
All in Google Search — no Display, no Performance Max
Presenting Problem
14-month plateau
CPAs rising QoQ with no agency explanation or action plan
What 14 months of blind spend looked like
| Metric | Before | Audit Finding |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Per Lead | $81.40 | Broad match on "shipping" capturing consumer queries — zero freight intent |
| Search Impression Share | 34% | Budget capped at 11 AM daily; missed PM dispatch decision window entirely |
| Negative Keyword List | 47 terms | No freight-specific negatives — "free shipping," "Amazon," "USPS" all converting spend |
| Landing Page Match | Homepage | All ad groups routing to homepage; zero segment-specific landing pages |
| Conversion Tracking | Form submit only | Phone calls — primary freight inquiry method — completely untracked |
| Geographic Targeting | National | No lane-specific targeting despite carrier operating 8 defined corridors |
| Ad Schedule | Always-on | Spending 31% of budget Sat–Sun; freight RFQs peak Tue–Thu 9 AM–3 PM |
Source: Google Ads account audit, Sept 2025 · 7 campaign groups reviewed
Campaign architecture, rebuilt from freight up
Three-layer structure: audience signals → keyword tiers → segment-matched landing pages. Every dollar traceable to a specific corridor or freight type.
LTL Decision Makers
VP Ops / Traffic Managers
Freight Broker Segment
Spot market + contract mix
Cold Chain Operators
Temp-controlled RFQs
Lane-Specific Terms
"Chicago Denver LTL freight"
Problem-Aware Terms
"reduce dwell time charges"
Competitor Conquest
XPO, Estes, Old Dominion
Lane-Specific Pages
8 corridor landing pages
Segment Pages
LTL / FTL / Cold Chain
Quote Request Flow
Phone + form tracked
Negative keywords added
vs 47 before
Ad groups restructured
from 6 generic groups
Landing pages built
8 lane + 3 segment
Conversion events tracked
calls, forms, chats
Week-by-week: CPAs falling, leads climbing
Total Leads (90 days)
+312 from 0 tracked
Final CPA
↓ 61% from $81.40
Impression Share
↑ from 34%
Return on Ad Spend
vs 1.1× at baseline
Before — Sept 2025
~22 leads/mo
Broad match, homepage LPs, no call tracking
After — Dec 2025
~104 leads/mo
Lane-specific KWs, 11 LPs, 6 conversion events
Every agency we hired before knew Google Ads. None of them knew what a deadhead mile costs us, or why a driver stuck at a shipper for four hours kills our margin. These guys came in speaking our language — and then they proved it with the numbers.
Marcus Delgado
VP Marketing · Midstates Freight Solutions
Download the Full Logistics PPC Playbook
Every tactic from this engagement, documented. Keyword architecture templates for LTL, FTL, and cold chain. The negative keyword list we built. The ad schedule we use for freight decision cycles. 38 pages.
Freight-specific keyword architecture (847 terms categorized)
Lane-based campaign structure template
Ad schedule for B2B freight buyers (data-backed)
Landing page brief: LTL vs FTL vs cold chain
Conversion tracking setup for phone + form
Ready to see what your account looks like
through a freight lens?
We'll audit your Google Ads account against the same 47-point freight framework. No charge. No pitch deck. Just findings you can act on this week.
Book a Free Freight PPC Audit