How a Colorado Springs Contractor Generated $400K in Revenue from $11K in Google Ads (After Two Agencies Failed Him)

Richard Delaney runs Co Custom Concrete in Colorado Springs. When I met him in June 2024, he'd already spent over $40,000 on two different marketing agencies—and had almost nothing to show for it.

His first agency charged him $5,500 for a website redesign. The result? Half the pages looked identical, with the same driveway photo appearing on the concrete steps page, the patio page, and the deck page. Worse, the site took 20 seconds to load on mobile. Visitors didn't wait around—they clicked off immediately.

Desperate for results, Richard signed with a second agency at $5,000 per month. They promised to fix his website and run Google Ads. Two months in, the contact form still didn't work. The website remained unchanged. And while Google Ads showed promise for the first month, performance fell off a cliff—leaving Richard with nothing but a massive monthly bill.

That's when I stepped in. Over the next four months (June through September), we completely rebuilt his digital presence from the ground up. The results?

What started as a struggling season became Richard's highest-performing year yet. Here's exactly how we did it—including the mistakes we made, the breakthroughs that changed everything, and the lessons that apply to any local service business spending money on marketing.

What Was Actually Broken (And Why Two Agencies Couldn't Fix It)

Before we talk about solutions, let's diagnose the real problems. Most business owners think they need "better Google Ads" or "more SEO." But the issues are usually deeper—and more expensive to ignore.

Problem #1: The 20-Second Mobile Website

The previous agency built Richard's site on Elementor with a massive plugin stack. Every page loaded dozens of unnecessary scripts, fonts, and bloated code. On mobile—where most of his traffic came from—the site took 20+ seconds to load.

Why this kills conversions: Google's research shows that 53% of mobile visitors abandon a site if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load. At 20 seconds, Richard was losing 90%+ of potential customers before they even saw his work.

Problem #2: Completely Broken Tracking

The second agency reported 70 phone calls per month from Google Ads. Richard knew something was wrong—he wasn't getting anywhere near 70 calls. Turns out, their tracking system was counting bot clicks and accidental taps as "conversions." The data was worthless, which meant they had no idea what was actually working.

Problem #3: Generic Service Pages That Didn't Convert

Richard's highest-paying services—stamped concrete patios and custom driveways—didn't even have dedicated pages. The pages that did exist used identical stock photos and generic copy that could apply to any concrete contractor in America.

When potential customers landed on these pages from Google Ads, there was no compelling reason to call. No trust signals, no portfolio of local work, no clear differentiation. Just a contact form buried at the bottom of the page.

Problem #4: The Contact Form Didn't Even Work

This one still blows my mind. Two months into a $5,000/month engagement, the second agency still hadn't fixed Richard's broken contact form. How many leads were lost because someone filled out a form that went nowhere? We'll never know.

The Rebuild: What I Did Differently

I won't sugarcoat it—this wasn't a quick fix. It took genuine effort, late nights, and a month and a half of struggling to get things working properly. But here's what we built:

The Struggle Period (Why Honesty Matters More Than Hype)

Here's the part most case studies leave out: it didn't work right away.

For the first month and a half, we were troubleshooting, testing, and optimizing constantly. The website launched smoothly, but the Google Ads campaigns took time to find their rhythm. We were burning through budget on keywords that seemed promising but didn't convert. Some landing pages had decent traffic but terrible conversion rates.

There were moments I questioned whether we'd crack the code in time. Richard's construction season was short—if we didn't generate leads by August, he'd have to wait until the following spring.

The Breakthrough

Two changes turned everything around:

1. Above-the-fold forms on landing pages. I moved the contact form from the bottom of the page to immediately visible without scrolling. Conversion rate jumped overnight. People on mobile don't scroll endlessly—if they're ready to call, make it easy.

2. Doubling down on stamped concrete. The data showed stamped concrete patio searches converted at nearly 3× the rate of generic "concrete contractor" keywords. We reallocated budget aggressively toward this service, even though it meant pausing other campaigns. Revenue exploded.

The Results: $400K in Revenue from $11K in Ad Spend

By the end of September, the numbers told the story:

Total Google Ads Spend: $11,000
Revenue Directly Attributable to Campaigns: $400,000+
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): 36:1 (ad cost = 2.75% of revenue)
Year-Over-Year Business Growth: 100%+

What started as a failing season became Richard's best year in business. He closed more high-value projects in those four months than he'd done in the previous 12 months combined.

John has been extremely helpful and I attribute a large portion of the business I've been able to get in this last year to his efforts. He's built me a new website, managed my google ads, and helped me with more traditional marketing too. He's a fantastic resource.

Why This Worked (And Why Most Google Ads Campaigns Fail)

The difference between a 36:1 ROAS and wasting $5,000/month comes down to a few critical factors:

1. I Treated His Business Like My Own

When something didn't work, I didn't shrug and wait for our monthly call. I dug in immediately—checking search terms daily, testing new ad copy, tweaking landing pages, analyzing what competitors were doing. Most agencies manage 20-50 clients and can't afford this level of attention. I could, and it made all the difference.

2. Speed Matters More Than You Think

A 20-second mobile site vs. a 3-second mobile site isn't a "nice to have." It's the difference between converting 2% of visitors and converting 20%. Elementor and plugin-heavy sites are easy to build, but they kill performance. Hand-coded, clean websites win every time.

3. Service-Specific Landing Pages Beat Homepage Traffic 10:1

Sending Google Ads traffic to your homepage is like inviting someone to a restaurant and handing them a map of the city. They want the menu, the prices, and a table—not a generic welcome page. Every high-value service deserves its own landing page with a clear call-to-action.

4. Accurate Tracking Is Non-Negotiable

If you can't measure it, you can't improve it. Richard's second agency was optimizing based on fake data (bot clicks counted as calls). We optimized based on real form submissions and verified phone calls. One strategy works; the other wastes money.

5. Persistence Through the Struggle Period

Most businesses give up on Google Ads after 30-60 days because they don't see immediate results. It took us 6 weeks to hit our stride. If we'd quit in week 5, Richard would've missed out on $400,000 in revenue.

Key Takeaways: What You Can Apply to Your Business

What This Means for Local Service Businesses

Richard's story isn't unique. Every week, I talk to contractors, CPAs, lawyers, and local service providers who've been burned by agencies that overpromise and underdeliver.

The pattern is always the same:

• Big upfront promises with no accountability
• Monthly reports full of vanity metrics (impressions, clicks) but no real business results
• Slow or nonexistent communication when things go wrong
• Contracts that lock you in even when performance is terrible

You don't need a $10,000/month agency to get results. You need someone who understands your business, knows how to build fast websites, can manage Google Ads strategically, and actually cares whether you succeed.

Next Steps: How to Avoid Wasting Money Like Richard Almost Did

If you're spending money on Google Ads, SEO, or website marketing and not seeing real business results, here's what to do:

If you find problems in any of these areas, you're leaving money on the table—or worse, actively wasting it.

Let's Fix Your Marketing (For Real This Time)

I work with a small number of clients at a time because I refuse to spread myself thin across 50 accounts. When I take on a project, I treat it like my own business—because your success is my reputation.

Whether you need a complete website rebuild, Google Ads management that actually generates ROI, or just an honest second opinion on what's broken, I can help.

About the Author: John Richey specializes in high-ROI Google Ads campaigns and conversion-focused website design for local service businesses. Based in Colorado Springs, he's helped contractors, CPAs, med spas, and professional service providers generate millions in trackable revenue through strategic digital marketing. When agencies fail, he's the one who comes in to clean up the mess—and actually deliver results.