A commercial contractor had zero digital presence and relied entirely on tender portals and relationships. We built a Google Ads strategy from zero - service-specific campaigns, portfolio-driven landing pages, and geo-targeted within 65-mile operational radius. In 8 months: 36 qualified enquiries, 8 contracts signed worth £585K, and 3 ongoing developer relationships.
Contract Value Won
Commercial Enquiries (8 months)
ROI on Ad Spend
Qualified Enquiry Rate
The Challenge
Commercial construction is the last bastion of offline business development. The contractor relied on tender portals (90% of work) where margins were 8-12% due to price competition with dozens of other contractors. They had zero digital presence, no Google Ads experience, and a belief that commercial construction 'isn't digital.'
The opportunity was hidden in plain sight: developers, architects, and facilities managers search Google for commercial contractors. Keywords like 'commercial contractor [region]' and 'office fit-out company [city]' had minimal competition because almost no contractors were bidding. An open market with no competition.
Our Strategy
Separate campaigns for Office Fit-Outs, Industrial Construction, Retail Fit-Outs, and Renovation & Refurbishment. Each had dedicated landing pages and ad copy matching the specific service searched.
Landing pages led with high-quality project photos showing type of work, location, and value band (£50K-£100K, £100K-£250K, £250K-£500K+). A developer evaluating contractors could immediately see 'Can you handle a £300K project?'
Mapped the contractor's operational range and built geofencing into all campaigns. Concentrated budget on prospects they could actually serve with local relevance in ad copy.
Separated campaigns by client sector: Property Developers, Facilities Management, Architects & Design Firms, Corporate Facilities Teams. Same contractor, different messaging per audience.
Retargeted prospects who visited portfolio pages but didn't enquire 7-14 days later. Remarketing campaigns achieved 4.2x ROAS because prospects were already warm.
The Results
8 months: 36 commercial enquiries (from zero digital pipeline). 8 contracts signed: £104K, £124K, £156K, £97.5K, £182K, £124K = £585K confirmed revenue. Cost of ads: £26K. ROI: 29.2x. 3 developer relationships now generate ongoing work pipeline. One developer committed to retainer (3-5 projects/year, £4,880/month). Tender portal dependency reduced from 117% to 78%. Direct contract margins: 23-29% vs 10-16% on tenders.
Contract Value Won
Commercial Enquiries (8 months)
ROI on Ad Spend
Qualified Enquiry Rate
Key Takeaways
Most contractors assume their sector 'isn't digital.' This creates an opportunity vacuum. Developers and architects are searching on Google. The contractor who shows up wins.
B2B buyers evaluate contractors by past work. Large, high-quality portfolio images with project values are the single most important landing page element.
'Contractor' is too broad. Separating office, industrial, and retail campaigns meant messaging could be precisely relevant. 3x higher conversion rate on service-specific campaigns.
One developer relationship worth £15K annual retainer value came from a Month 2 project. This single relationship pays for 9 months of ad spend indefinitely.
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