GOOGLE ADS CASE STUDY
MKL Motors
MKL Motors Case Study: Driving Consistent Growth for a Specialist Automotive Repair Business
MKL Motors, a specialist automotive repair and engine replacement business based in Essex, experienced transformational growth in lead volumes and reduced cost per acquisition through a Google Ads restructure and ongoing optimisation. The results speak for themselves – five years of continuous improvement and a partnership that keeps delivering.
CPA reduction by
72%
in the first quarter
Increased by
860%
in quarterly conversions
Increase of
2.2% → 9.7%
on conversion rate (4.4x)
Challenges
MKL Motors offers engine replacements, car repairs, servicing, and diagnostics across premium and mainstream brands, including Mercedes, BMW, Land Rover, Range Rover, Jaguar, Audi, Volkswagen, Ford, and more. Before partnering with Distribute Digital in June 2021, the Google Ads account had been running since 2014, but the setup and key metrics could be improved:
- They faced a high cost per acquisition
- A low conversion rate, meaning that many of the paid clicks were not converting
- Campaign structure did not follow best practices – no clear segmentation by brand, service type, or seasonality
- Limited budget efficiency, with spend spread thinly across multiple campaigns
- No peak/off-peak strategy to capitalise on seasonal demand patterns
Solution
With our restructured approach, MKL Motors’ Google Ads account was transformed:
- CPA reduced by 72% in the first quarter
- Conversion rate jumped from 2.2% to over 12% in the first quarter, and has remained consistently between 8–10% as the account has scaled
- Quarterly conversions grew by over 860%
- Ad spend scaled strategically with performance improving alongside the investment
- A long-term, five-year partnership that continues to deliver month after month
Our Approach & Results:
We took over the account in June 2021 and immediately set about rebuilding it from the ground up. Our approach combined structural overhaul with ongoing, data-led optimisation.
Step 1: Complete Account Restructure
The original account had little strategic direction. We rebuilt the structure with a clear, scalable framework:
- Created dedicated campaigns for each vehicle brand
- Separated campaigns by service type – car repair, car service, diagnostics, and engine replacement
- Implemented a peak/off-peak campaign strategy, allowing us to increase bids and budgets during high-demand periods and reduce waste during quieter times
- Established a brand campaign to protect MKL Motors’ name in search results
- Applied consistent naming conventions for clearer reporting and management
Step 2: Granular Keyword and Bid Strategy
With the new structure in place, we implemented a detailed keyword strategy:
- Manual CPC bidding across the majority of campaigns, giving the client and us full control over cost efficiency
- Testing of target CPA bidding on select campaigns to evaluate Smart Bidding performance at scale
- Ongoing keyword refinement, adding high-intent terms and applying negative keywords to reduce wasted spend
- Brand-specific ad copy tailored to the search intent of each vehicle owner
Step 3: Scaling with Confidence
As performance improved, we worked with MKL Motors to scale investment strategically:
- Gradually increased budgets in line with strong CPA and conversion rate metrics
- Expanded into additional vehicle brands as demand and capacity grew
- Continuously monitored impression share to identify growth opportunities in underserved segments
- Introduced off-peak campaign variants to capture lower-cost traffic during quieter months
Step 4: Continuous Optimisation
Five years into the partnership, we continue to optimise the account on a regular basis:
- Regular search term analysis to identify new keyword opportunities and negative keywords as well as bid adjustment recommendations
- Ad copy testing across all campaigns to improve click-through rates
- Budget reallocation based on seasonal patterns and performance trends
- Landing page recommendations to support conversion rate improvements
The Results
Since taking over in June 2021, MKL Motors has seen consistent, sustained growth across every key metric.
Performance Snapshot (Q2 2021 vs Q1 2026)
- Conversions: Increased by +860%.
- Cost per Acquisition: Decreased by 40%.
- Conversion Rate: Increased by 341%.
- Clicks: Increased by 122%.
- Impressions: Increased by 43%.
MKL Motors came to us with an underperforming Google Ads account that had been running for seven years without delivering meaningful results. Through a complete restructure, brand-by-brand campaign segmentation, and five years of continuous optimisation, we transformed the account into a high-performing lead generation engine.
The account has scaled significantly whilst maintaining strong CPA and conversion rate performance throughout.
Even as CPCs have risen across the automotive sector, our ongoing optimisation has kept cost per lead at a manageable level, allowing MKL Motors to continue growing their business with confidence.
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