Case Study: How We Recovered 1240 PLN Monthly with One Filter
We noticed that one of our Lodz clients' money was leaking through a holey basket. It was about Google ads which, instead of reaching construction workers, were reaching children playing free games on their phones. Numbers don't lie – cutting one traffic source saved the company over a thousand zlotys a month without losing a single customer.
The problem that was eating the building yard's profits
In mid-October 2024, Mr. Dariusz Gierada, owner of a building yard on Brzezińska Street in Lodz, contacted us. The company has been operating since September 1994 and is doing well, but Mr. Dariusz noticed something strange. He was spending exactly 5500 PLN per month on internet ads, and the phone was increasingly silent. There were plenty of clicks, but no one was asking for the price of blocks or cement. Worse still, the daily budget usually ended as early as 2:15 PM, leaving the company invisible in the afternoon when professionals look for materials for the next day.
We did a quick account review on October 12, 2024. The results stunned us. Over 22% of the entire budget was burned on so-called 'placements' that had no connection to construction. It turned out the ads were displayed inside free mobile apps. Instead of reaching investors from the Lodz province, banners with ceramic block offers popped up for children while they were doing virtual puzzles or playing cat care simulators. This wasn't a minor mistake; it was a regular loss of cash.
In numbers, it looked even worse. In September alone, the ad was shown in mobile games 18,430 times. It was clicked 894 times. It cost exactly 1240 PLN and 32 grosze. Do you know how many of these clicks brought even one quote request? Zero. Literally not one person called. Children clicked on banners by accident while trying to close the ad to return to the game. Mr. Dariusz paid for every such mistake of a small finger on a smartphone screen.
Where exactly was the money leaking?
We checked the placement report. The list was dominated by titles such as 'Talking Tom', 'Subway Surfers', or various tractor driving simulators. The average cost per click in these apps was 1.38 PLN. This might seem low, but with hundreds of clicks a day, the amount grew rapidly. The worst thing was that the Google algorithm saw many clicks and thought the ad was great. Because of this, it pushed rates up and showed our offer even more often in these same, useless places.
Our analysis showed that the largest traffic was generated by games from the 'Casual' and 'For Kids' categories. At Wisła Digital Solutions, we follow the principle: We check facts, we don't guess. Therefore, we didn't wait a day longer. We sat at the computer in our office on Piotrkowska and began cleaning the settings. We had to manually exclude over 140 categories of mobile apps that Google defaultly throws into one bag with valuable websites.
It's worth adding that Mr. Dariusz had previously tried setting the ads himself using 'automatic suggestions'. This is a trap. Systems often suggest broad reach because it means more clicks that you pay for. We, however, know that in local business in Lodz, quality counts, not empty figures. Blocking impressions in apps was the first step to regain control over the money Mr. Dariusz earned through hard work at the building yard.
We check facts, we don't guess. If something doesn't earn, it pours out of the budget like water from a burst pipe.
Introduction of filters and blocks
The action was simple but required precision. On October 14, 2024, at 10:00 AM, we introduced an exclusion list. We turned off the ability to show ads in 65,000 of the most popular mobile apps. Additionally, we set a filter that blocks impressions on YouTube channels intended for children. In the construction materials industry, such channels are just a waste of budget. No one buys roof trusses while watching a cartoon about Peppa Pig.
The next step was to move the saved 1240 PLN to other campaigns. Instead of feeding mobile games, we directed this money to specific keywords in the search engine. We focused on phrases like 'ceramic blocks price Lodz', 'aerated concrete transport', and 'mineral wool wholesaler'. These are words typed by people with a wallet in hand, ready to buy. We also changed the ad display hours so they worked mainly when Mr. Dariusz and his two employees are able to answer the phone.
It simply pays off. Instead of 894 accidental clicks from games, the following month we obtained only 142 clicks, but from the search engine itself. Although the cost per click rose to 2.12 PLN, the quality was incomparable. These were real customers looking for goods. The entire operation took us a total of 3 hours of analysis and implementation, and the effect was immediate. The budget stopped disappearing at 2:00 PM and started working until 6:00 PM, when the yard closes.
Effects that show in the bank account
Numbers don't lie. After a full month of introducing the changes (November 2024), we summarized with the client. Spending remained at the same level of 5500 PLN, but the effect was completely different. The number of phone calls from new customers increased by 37%. Mr. Dariusz recorded 19 specific orders directly from ads, whereas in September there were only 4. The average order value in this industry for him is about 3400 PLN net. It's easy to calculate that the investment in correct ad settings paid off with a huge surplus.
The saved 1240 PLN per month is 14,880 PLN on an annual scale. For such an amount, a small company in Lodz can pay for delivery vehicle insurance or invest in a new forklift. This is real money that previously just disappeared into the system of the giant from the USA. Thanks to our intervention, every penny spent on advertising finally started working on the profit of the Lodz entrepreneur, not on a game for children.
At Wisła Digital Solutions, we believe in such simple and effective solutions. We don't look for magic ways; we analyze data line by line. For Mr. Dariusz, the most important thing was that he finally stopped getting upset looking at empty reports. Today, his company is visible exactly where his customers are. Done on time, according to plan, and above all, for the benefit of the client's wallet. This is exactly our approach to marketing.
It simply pays off. Instead of 894 accidental clicks, we gained 19 real orders in one month.
How to check if money is leaking at your place too?
If you run a company in Lodz or the surrounding area and feel that your Google Ads are not working, start with the placement report. This is the most common mistake we encounter during our audits. In 2024, we have already carried out 47 such checks for local companies and in as many as 39 cases, we found similar budget wastage. On average, companies lose from 15% to as much as 45% of funds on unwanted impressions in apps and on junk portals.
Just go to the 'Placements' tab and check the 'Where ads showed' list. If you see game names or strange gossip portals there, it's a sign that your money is being burned in a furnace. You can try to fix it yourself, but remember that Google changes the interface every now and then and hides these options deeper. Sometimes it's worth putting this in the hands of someone who does it every day and knows where to click to tighten the cash valve.
Remember: We turn your clicks into real money. No nonsense. Our office at 104 Piotrkowska St. is open from Monday to Friday. We invite you for coffee and a quick analysis of your advertising account. Often one correction is enough, like with Mr. Dariusz, for your business to start breathing. We don't promise miracles; we promise hard data and real savings that you will see in your sales reports in just a few days.
