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Online school · California

3× sales and 46% of the California market

An online school in California had run on manual bidding and manual UTM tracking for years. Then results dropped. We built end-to-end conversion tracking first, then moved the budget to what actually made a profit.

Book Your Data AuditHow we did it

The result

  • 3×sales in 12 months
  • 46%of the California market, 2022 to 2025
  • +25%net revenue in 9 months
Channels
  • Google Ads
  • YouTube
  • Meta Ads
  • GA4
Period
2022 to 2025 (36 months)
  • Google Partner
  • Meta Business Partner
  • Upwork: top 1% of PPC agencies (Expert-Vetted)

At a glance

The short version

  1. Starting point

    Manual bidding and manual UTM tracking had worked for years, then results dropped. The ask: scripts and automation for their SCAG model.

  2. What we did

    Insisted on end-to-end conversion tracking first. Measured ROAS and gross profit per platform and campaign. Moved 20% of search budget to YouTube, scaled what drove sales, cut what only looked good.

  3. Result

    Sales tripled in 12 months. Net revenue grew 25% in 9 months. Market share went from around 12% to 46%, 2022 to 2025 (36 months).

Market share

From around 12% to 46% of California

Measured from public records: state exam sign-ups vs the school’s enrolled students.

Share of the California market

In 2022
~12%
By 2025
46%

Each square is 1% of California’s state exam sign-ups. Source: public records.

How we did it

Tracking first, then the money moved

Our 3-Pillar Method™ starts with tracking. Here it did most of the work, and structure turned it into profit.

  1. Pillar 1 · Conversion tracking

    End-to-end tracking first

    They asked for scripts and automation to squeeze more out of their SCAG model. Fair ask, but it ran on old assumptions about what worked. So we agreed to optimize, and insisted on tracking the whole journey first.

    That meant Google Ads tracking, Facebook events and the Conversions API, GA4, organic traffic and YouTube post-view. Every platform, campaign and tactic got its own ROAS and gross profit.

  2. Pillar 1 · Conversion tracking

    Profit told a different story

    The data showed many “high-performing” keywords drove conversions but not profit. The real growth often came from campaigns nobody was watching.

  3. Pillar 2 · Account structure

    Money moved to what paid

    With tracking live, we could see in real time which channels, keywords and campaigns delivered the best ROAS, and move budget as it happened. We moved 20% of the search budget to YouTube. Branded search volume rose 15% and overall CPA dropped.

    Then we scaled the YouTube and Facebook campaigns that drove indirect sales, scaled back or cut old campaigns the client thought were working, and sharpened the awareness campaigns with what tracking showed.

What to take from this

Three checks for your own account

  1. Check your assumptions against profit

    The client believed their SCAG model still drove success. Tracking showed otherwise. Put gross profit next to conversions for every campaign, and see which ones actually pay.

  2. Adjust while it’s happening

    Real-time data lets you move budget while a trend is still worth catching. Last month’s report can’t.

  3. Measure what matters

    Running ads without conversion tracking is driving without GPS. You might be moving, but you can’t tell if it’s the right way.

Data audit

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