How Strategic Google Ads Management Drove a 30x Lift in Monthly Lead Volume
Case Study
American Storage + Edge Marketing: Turning Search Demand Into Measurable Lead Growth
Client
American Storage, a locally owned self-storage facility serving the Helena, Montana area.
Industry
Self Storage, Local Service Business, Lead Generation.
The Problem
American Storage was competing against established regional players and national aggregators with little paid search history to lean on. The business needed a cost-efficient way to show up for high-intent customers actively searching for storage nearby.
The Goal
Build, launch, and scale a Google Ads strategy that could generate qualified leads, increase phone call volume, and earn strong visibility in a competitive local search market.
Q1 2026 Campaign Snapshot
Top-of-Page Rate
78.7%
Google Search auctions
Month-over-Month Growth
3x
February to March conversion lift
Peak Keyword CTR
13.2%
“storage units near me”
Peak Optimization Score
92.8%
Calls campaign
This case study covers January 1 through March 31, 2026, when a comprehensive, multi-campaign Google Ads strategy was built, launched, and scaled from the ground up.
The Challenge
The campaign launched with no existing campaign history or Quality Score, a modest budget, and a seasonal ramp-up period during one of the lowest-demand months for storage rentals.
Competitive Market
- Regional incumbents already held established impression share
- National storage aggregators were also competing for search visibility
- The account had to earn visibility quickly without wasting budget
Fresh Account Build
- No existing paid search momentum to build from
- No account history to help lower CPCs at launch
- Campaign structure had to support learning and scaling at the same time
Budget Discipline
- Spend needed to be carefully split between leads and calls
- Ad scheduling had to match high-intent search behavior
- Mobile performance needed to lead the strategy, not follow it
The Strategy
Rather than relying on a single campaign type, we deployed a layered three-campaign architecture designed to capture demand at different points in the customer journey.
Search – 2026
High-intent keyword targeting for searchers actively comparing storage options, producing the strongest conversion efficiency and a 77.7% optimization score.
Leads-PMax 2025
Performance Max for lead volume across Google’s full network, becoming the highest-volume campaign with 86.86 conversions.
Calls-Performance Max-3
Phone call-focused Performance Max built for immediate inbound action, generating call conversions and reaching a 92.8% optimization score.
The EDGE: Campaign architecture matters. Search captured customers already comparing storage options, Performance Max expanded qualified lead volume, and the call-focused campaign made it easy for ready-to-rent customers to take immediate action.
Quantifiable Success
Over the 90-day period, the campaigns generated 141.84 tracked conversions across 864 qualified clicks, with a peak single day of 9 conversions on March 30.
Total Conversions
141.84
Total Clicks
864
Active Campaign Days
59 / 90
Peak Single-Day Conversions
9
American Storage went from zero paid search presence to consistent, daily lead flow within weeks of launch.
“Before we started working with Edge, I honestly wasn’t sure Google Ads was worth it for a local storage business. I was wrong. Within a couple of months we were showing up at the top of the page, the phone was ringing more, and we were seeing real results we hadn’t experienced before. The transparency and the growth have made this one of the best business decisions I’ve made for American Storage.”
Tim Davis, Owner, American Storage
Month-Over-Month Scaling
January served as the ramp-up period while campaigns were structured and learning, producing 3.95 conversions. February marked activation with 62.99 conversions from 366 clicks. March accelerated again, delivering 74.90 conversions from 476 clicks, nearly 19% more conversions than February and a 30x increase over January.
January 2026
17.95%
Conversion rate
February 2026
17.21%
Conversion rate
March 2026
15.73%
Conversion rate
Search Visibility & Competitive Position
American Storage achieved a 78.68% top-of-page rate in Google Search auctions, meaning nearly 4 out of every 5 impressions appeared in premium above-the-fold positions.
American Storage
78.68%
Top-of-page rate
silvertipstorage.com
73.95%
Top-of-page rate
selfstorage.com
68.11%
Top-of-page rate
storage.com
56.83%
Top-of-page rate
Audience, Device & Keyword Insights
The campaign reached a balanced audience across gender and age demographics, with females comprising 52.67% of impressions and the 25 to 64 age range accounting for 81% of all served impressions.
Mobile devices drove 79.1% of all clicks and 64.8% of conversions, validating the mobile-first bidding and creative approach. The top-performing keyword, “storage units near me,” drove a 13.2% CTR, showing strong resonance with local searchers ready to rent.
Ongoing Optimization
Campaigns maintained strong optimization scores throughout the quarter: Search 2026 at 77.7%, Leads-PMax 2025 at 84%, and Calls-Performance Max-3 at 92.8%. Those scores reflect continuous refinement of bidding strategies, audience signals, and creative assets.
As the campaigns mature and gather more conversion data, volume is positioned to keep growing through expanded keyword coverage, refined audience targeting, and continued conversion optimization.
The Edge Philosophy
Local campaigns do not need giant budgets to compete. They need disciplined structure, clear conversion goals, mobile-first thinking, and ongoing optimization. When the right searchers see the right message at the right moment, even a brand-new account can earn serious traction.
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