Opportunity
An entrepreneur approached us wanting to launch a new ADU construction company. They had recently considered joining an ADU franchise but ultimately decided to forgo the opportunity and start their own business in direct competition with the franchise. ADUs are a newer product that is rapidly growing in popularity. It presented a big opportunity for business success, but only if they were able to compete with the national, investor-backed franchisee.
Pains
When the client approached us, they were exhausted. They had left their full-time job two weeks earlier to launch this business and had interviewed many agencies. The agencies either felt vastly underqualified in terms of experience or industry expertise, or they seemed overpriced, offering a full package of services the client didn’t feel they needed at this stage of their business.
Approach
This client needed an agency that could meet them where they were and provide a practical solution to get their business off the ground, allowing them to make larger marketing investments down the road.
We launched their logo and website quickly, within three weeks, so we could focus on the initiatives that mattered most: lead generation.
Why we didn’t choose Meta Ads
While the national franchise promoted Meta Ads as the best investment for an ADU builder, we had a different perspective. Meta Ads are a top-of-funnel investment. They are effective for creating demand, but there are more direct channels for capturing demand. As a new business with a limited marketing budget, it made more sense to spend money on capturing existing demand.
Additionally, the franchise was already running Meta Ads in the local market, which helped generate awareness. Since consumers often evaluate multiple options, we saw an opportunity to capture that demand. While Meta Ads can generate leads at a lower cost per lead (CPL), we often find the quality of those leads is lower. This is due to both spam filtering limitations and the lower readiness of prospects. Many are still in the early consideration phase rather than ready to convert.
Our areas of focus: Google Search (PPC) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
When someone has demand for a service, they either know who they want to contact through referrals or general brand awareness, or they search online using Google or tools like ChatGPT. Often, they do both. A company’s ability to capture demand depends on showing up in the top three Google search results, whether through paid ads, organic rankings, or AI-generated recommendations.
Implementation
Short-Term Plan, Long-Term Vision
PPC is a short-term plan because you pay every time someone clicks on your ad. However, after a three-week learning period, you should start generating quality leads—sometimes even sooner. SEO, on the other hand, is a long-term strategy. It involves creating content now that will eventually help your website rank at the top of search results and appear in AI tools naturally, without having to pay for every click.
We launched PPC campaigns immediately to start bringing in leads, then began working on SEO. This approach allowed the client to generate leads to support business growth while building a long-term strategy aimed at reducing total ad spend over time.
SEO Strategy
While technical setup plays a role in SEO, the old saying “content is king” still holds true. We focused on creating high-quality content that answered real questions people have. This included technical guides to zoning laws for building an ADU, web-based calculators to help homeowners estimate ADU costs and potential return on investment, and inspirational content around tiny living.
Results
- Over $1M in new closed-won business (signed contracts)
- 500+ leads generated
- 23.3K website sessions, with 64% driven by organic channels
- 49 top 3 rankings and 87 first-page rankings on Google — including multiple variations of “accessory dwelling unit builders” and “accessory dwelling unit builders [client city/state]”
- 105 PPC leads at an average cost-per-lead (CPL) of $47
- 16% click-through rate (CTR) on PPC ads — more than 3× the benchmark for “good” and 2× the benchmark for “excellent”