9,451 clicks in 30 days for $640 spend. Click costs reduced by approximately 90 percent.
The context
Escape HQ had previously run Google Ads over an extended period, roughly September 2024 to December 2025. Over time, more than $21,000 had been spent in heavily Search weighted campaigns, with no conversion tracking, a high cost per click, limited visibility relative to spend, and no clear optimisation framework.
What changed in one optimised month?
Over approximately 15 months, previous campaigns generated 14,988 clicks at a cost of over $21,000. In a single optimised month under Project Seven management, Escape HQ generated 9,451 clicks for $640. Nearly the same click volume in 30 days as the entire previous campaign period, at a fraction of the cost.
Side by side
Previous 15 to 16 month campaign period. Impressions 126,326. Clicks 14,988. Spend NZ$21,648. Cost per click around $1.44. Conversion tracking not configured.
Project Seven, settled 30 days. Impressions 1,589,782. Clicks 9,451. Spend NZ$640. Cost per click $0.07. Conversion tracking configured.
In one optimised month, 63 percent of the prior click volume was generated at roughly 3 percent of the historical spend, with over 12 times the visibility of the entire extended run. Typical NZ Display and Performance Max cost per click runs NZ$0.40 to $1.50. Escape HQ's settled month ran $0.07 to $0.13.
The approach
We restructured the account with clear objective alignment, conversion tracking, structured campaign architecture, creative testing, controlled budget shifts and ongoing optimisation. The previous structure was heavily weighted toward Search, which typically drives higher intent clicks at a significantly higher cost. Escape HQ already ranked strongly organically, so we reduced the reliance on expensive Search inventory and expanded into Performance Max and Display to scale visibility more efficiently.
Because conversion tracking was not configured previously, direct ROI comparisons are not possible. The comparison here focuses on visibility, traffic volume and cost efficiency.
Chapter two. From clicks to bookings.
Phase one bought visibility and fixed the tracking. Phase two used that tracking to buy bookings instead of clicks, shifting budget into conversion-optimised campaigns at a deliberately higher cost per click.
In the most recent 30 days, 17 July to 15 August 2026, the account delivered 36 tracked bookings worth NZ$5,462 from NZ$1,254 in spend. NZ$34.84 per booking, and NZ$4.35 in tracked booking value for every dollar spent. The average tracked booking came in around NZ$152, so each one cost about a quarter of its value to win.
Figures are settled conversions recorded in Google Ads for online bookings attributed to the campaigns. Booking value is as tracked at the time of booking.
Paid media managed like this lives on our paid ads service. The web and loyalty builds for Escape HQ are a Project 24/7 story.
