Note: This client was through our strategic partnership programme, and has been anonymised to respect their privacy.

Operating in the short-term motor insurance space, this client specialised in flexible policies ranging from 1 to 28 days—ideal for occasional drivers such as students, holidaymakers, or learners. Their product was well-suited to specific, time-sensitive use cases, but the existing PPC strategy wasn’t capitalising on that potential.

The account had previously been managed by an agency, and while performance had remained stable, growth had stalled. There was no clear strategic roadmap in place, and the client’s main objective was to reignite growth in a way that aligned with their wider business ambitions.

An initial audit revealed a number of structural issues. Although keyword targeting was generally relevant, campaigns were grouped too broadly—consolidated into a small number of catch-all setups. This limited control over budgets and bids at a granular level and made it difficult to assess or optimise performance across different user segments. Attempts to grow the account via keyword expansion had delivered limited success, as the lack of segmentation meant new traffic often came at an unsustainably high cost.

The first step was to restructure the existing account to allow for greater segmentation and more precise budget control. With performance already positive, this was done carefully—preserving the existing keyword set, audience targeting, and bidding strategy as a foundation to avoid disrupting what was working.

The new structure introduced separate campaigns for key product areas, such as cars and bikes, supported by tailored portfolio bid strategies. This gave the flexibility to optimise more effectively within each vertical and allowed us to drive both greater volume and improved efficiency from the existing keyword base.

Customer profiling was used to identify high-value audience segments. In-market audiences—particularly those showing intent around vehicle purchases or travel—were incorporated to align with common short-term insurance use cases. This allowed us to target broader, more competitive ‘insurance’ search terms profitably for the first time by narrowing focus to the most relevant users within that traffic.

Another major performance gain came through lowering CPCs. By testing lower bid positions, we found that conversion rates held steady even when ads appeared further down the page—reflecting user behaviour consistent with price comparison or shopping around. This insight shifted the focus from visibility to efficiency, helping the client move away from prioritising top ad positions and toward their actual KPIs of conversions and CPA. Through experimentation we found the ideal CPC balancing point between impression share, CTR and efficient where we maintained volume but maximised efficiency.

In the first 12 months of managing the account, the primary objective was achieved: a clear uplift in conversions with the added bonus of requiring only a marginal increase in investment. Growth was delivered efficiently, with a constant tick-tock cycle of focusing on volume then efficiency pushing the account forward.

One of the key drivers of this efficiency was a reduction in average CPCs. Through refined bidding strategies and careful position testing, the account was able to maintain strong CTRs even while ads appeared in lower-cost placements. This was supported by improved ad creative and the adoption of new features, helping retain relevance and engagement despite a broader keyword approach.

The outcome was a more scalable, cost-efficient account that aligned with the client’s growth ambitions—achieving more conversions while staying within budget.

• Restructured campaigns for greater segmentation and budget control.
• Maintained continuity during restructure to preserve performance and minimise risk.
• Used in-market audience targeting to reach high-intent users on previously unprofitable broad match keywords.
• Tested lower bid positions to reduce CPCs without sacrificing performance.
• Built a performance cycle focused on alternating between both growth and efficiency, resulting in overall improvements for both.