How the reconfiguration and optimization of advertising campaigns helped to reduce the cost of an application by 2 times

Background

Prior to the optimisation, the client had already been running Google Ads campaigns that were bringing in a steady stream of applications for rental properties in the UAE. However, the challenge for us was to increase the number of applications and reduce their cost while keeping the daily budget the same.

 In a smart Performance Max campaign, we faced restrictions on display ads, which reduced reach, decreased clicks and increased cost per click (CPC). This was happening because the system was assessing the adverts as not being of high enough quality. To solve this problem, a decision was made to completely reconfigure the campaign.

 An audit of the current advertising campaigns was also conducted, and as a result, campaigns with a low level of goal achievement and a high cost of conversions were switched off.

Realisation

Due to the limitations of the Performance Max campaign, it was decided to completely reconfigure it. We updated the advertising texts and creatives, added additional video formats (horizontal and vertical). The main focus was a combination of search and smart campaigns (Search + Performance Max).

Optimisation process:

1. The freed up budget from the deactivated ineffective campaigns was used to set up a new Demand Gen campaign with YouTube ads (feed ads and In-Stream). Demand Gen campaigns help create demand for property rentals in the UAE and build awareness of offers based on user interests. This increased reach early in the sales funnel and attracted new audiences who could then search for property rental offers.
2. Search campaign optimisation focused on improving the adaptive search ads. We added more headlines with keywords to increase relevancy and improve CTR. This allows the adverts to win auctions and rank higher in the search results.
3. It was important to update the ad texts, as the campaign had been running for a long time and users might have lost interest due to ad blindness. Updating the creatives helped to make the offers more relevant and attracted the attention of users who had previously ignored the adverts.
4. Adding video to the Performance Max campaign was an important element. Video improves ad variation and expands reach. Without video, the system automatically generates videos, but they may be of lower quality, which reduces the effectiveness of the adverts.
5. We improved targeting in the Performance Max campaign by expanding it using audience intent and adding data from Google Analytics 4. This allowed for more precise targeting and improved ad performance.

Results

After the optimisation, a significant increase in the number of applications for rental properties in the UAE was already observed after just one week. Results:

• The number of applications increased to 699, an increase of 316 compared to the pre-optimisation period.
• The cost per conversion decreased by 47%, with a decrease of $1.52 across the two campaigns.
• The cost per conversion for the Performance Max campaign was more than halved.

This case study confirms that successful promotion of rental property in the UAE requires not only strategy, but also constant analytics and optimisation. Careful adjustment and adaptation of advertising campaigns to changes in audience behaviour and platform allows you to maintain efficiency at a high level.