Google Ads and Meta Ads Built Around Your Lead Target
Most ad accounts spend money and can't say what came back. Not because ads don't work. Because nobody agreed a lead target, and nobody is testing what actually converts.
We build and run Google Ads and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) campaigns for businesses in every industry across Canada and the United States. Every account starts with a lead target and a budget agreed before any money goes out, then runs on written testing rules and weekly reporting.
If Your Ads Aren't Tracked to Leads, You're Paying for Clicks
Here’s what happens in most ad accounts.
The budget goes up. Meta shows the same few ads to the same people more often. They stop responding, and the cost of every lead creeps up. On Google, the ads send everyone to the homepage instead of a page that matches what they searched for.
The report shows clicks and impressions, and says nothing about leads or revenue. That’s the whole gap, and it’s fixable.
Why Most Ad Campaigns Don't Work
When we audit an ad account, the same problems show up almost every time.
01.
No Lead Target Before Launch
If nobody agrees how many leads you need, and what a lead is worth, nobody can tell whether the ads are working. We set the target and the maths with you before any money goes out.
02.
Ads Pointing at the Homepage
Someone searching for one specific service lands on a homepage about everything. Each campaign needs a page that matches the search, so the visitor sees exactly what they asked for and knows what to do next.
03.
The Same Few Ads Running for Months
Ads wear out. As frequency climbs, response drops and cost per lead rises. An account needs a steady supply of new ads, each tested against clear rules, with the losers cut quickly.
04.
One Campaign for Every Kind of Buyer
Different buyers respond to different messages and are worth different amounts. A first-time customer and a repeat one, or a small job and a large contract, each need their own campaign, budget, and target.
What's Included in Our Paid Ads Service
Every account gets the same complete system, on Google, Meta, or both.
01 A Lead Target and Budget Agreed Up Front
On the kickoff call we agree the numbers you’re judged by: target cost per lead or sale, monthly leads, and spend. Every report and every quarterly review measures against them.
02 Separate Campaigns for Separate Buyers
Each type of customer gets its own campaign, message, budget, and target, so the money follows the buyers who are worth the most to you.
03 Written Testing Rules
New ads go live every week. Each one is kept or cut by the same written rules on cost per lead, spend and frequency, so nothing runs on a hunch and no ad loses money for long.
04 Ad Design and Copy, Every Week
Our designer and media buyer work from the same numbers. Every new ad is briefed from what is already winning, with one thing changed, so every test teaches us something about your buyers.
05 Landing Pages That Match the Search
Ads point at a page built for that service or offer, not the homepage. Ads running on a proper page convert better and cost less.
06 Tracking You Can Trust
Conversion tracking, the Meta pixel and Conversions API, and lead form setup are checked in week one, so every decision rests on the right numbers.
07 Weekly, Monthly and Quarterly Reporting
A weekly dashboard with cost per lead for every campaign and what’s being fixed, a monthly update on results and next steps, and a quarterly strategy review against the targets we agreed.
What Paid Ads Actually Look Like When They're Run Properly
Metus Lykos, an Ontario debt law firm: we scaled its Meta ads from about $110 a day in May 2026 to $700 a day in October. Over those six months it brought in 1,521 leads on $44,963 of spend, $29.56 per lead on average.
Premier Concrete Pumping, commercial concrete pumping: over 30 days of Google Search ads, 12 conversions at a blended CA$70.71 per lead, with the best campaign at CA$39.28.
Different industries, different platforms, the same system: a target agreed up front, rules for what stays and what goes, and reporting on leads, not clicks.
Are Paid Ads Worth It for Your Business?
Here’s the honest answer.
Ads are the fastest way to put your business in front of people who are ready to buy today. They’re also the fastest way to waste money if nobody is watching the numbers.
The difference is the system around them: a lead target agreed before launch, a page that matches every search, new ads tested every week, and a report that tells you what each lead cost.
Ads bring work in now. SEO builds what keeps bringing it in after. Most businesses do best with both.
Frequently Asked Questions About Paid Ads
Should I Run Google Ads or Meta Ads?
It depends on how your customers buy. Google Ads reach people who are already searching for what you offer, so they suit services people look for when they need them. Meta ads reach people before they search, using images and video, so they suit offers that people respond to when they see them. Many businesses run both. We'll recommend the mix on the first call, based on your market and your goals.
How Much Should I Spend on Ads?
Enough to reach your lead target, and no more. We work it out with you before launch from the number of leads you need, what a lead typically costs in your market, and what a customer is worth to you. A budget that's too small to produce enough results to learn from wastes money too, so we'll tell you honestly if that's the case.
How Soon Will I See Results?
Ads start bringing in traffic as soon as they go live. The first two to four weeks are spent testing, cutting what doesn't work, and moving budget to what does. From the first weekly report, you can see how each campaign is tracking against the target we agreed.
Do You Work With Businesses Outside Ontario?
Yes. We run campaigns for businesses across Canada and the United States, and target whatever cities, regions or audiences your customers are in.
Can You Take Over My Existing Ad Account?
Yes. We start with an audit of your current account: what's working, what's wasting money, and what we'd test first. We keep your history and your winning ads, and rebuild the rest around a clear target.
How Is Groundwork Different From Other Ad Agencies?
We don't run ads before we've agreed a lead target with you, and we don't report on clicks as if they were results. Every account runs on the same written testing rules and weekly rhythm, and our media buyer and designer work from the same dashboard, so new ads are always built from what's already winning.
What Does Paid Ads Management Cost?
Google Ads management starts from $1,000 a month, plus your ad spend, which is paid directly to Google or Meta. The exact figure depends on the platforms and the number of campaigns. The fastest way to get a clear number is a 15-minute call.
Can You Guarantee a Cost Per Lead?
No one can honestly guarantee a number before testing in your market. What we do is agree a target with you up front, show you every week how each campaign is tracking against it, and act quickly when something isn't working.
Who Owns the Ad Account?
You do. Campaigns run in your own Google Ads and Meta accounts, so the history, the audiences and the data stay with you if you ever stop working with us.
Ready to Turn Your Ad Spend Into Leads You Can Count?
A 15-minute call is enough for us to look at your current ads, tell you what we’d cut, keep and test first, and agree what a good result looks like for your business.
- Industries We've Served