When a Kathmandu-based education consultancy came to me with their Google Ads account, they were frustrated. They’d been spending NPR 300,000 per month on ads but seeing declining returns, poor quality leads, and rising costs. This case study shows how we turned their struggling campaigns into a lead generation machine.

Client Background & Initial Situation

Industry: Education Consultancy (Study Abroad Services)
Location: Kathmandu, Nepal
Target: Nepali students interested in studying in Australia, UK, USA, Canada
Engagement Duration: 6 months
Monthly Ad Spend: NPR 300,000 (maintained throughout)

The Problems They Faced

When we audited their Google Ads account, we discovered several critical issues:

Campaign Structure Issues:

  • Single campaign with 200+ keywords (no organization)
  • Mixing search intent (informational vs. transactional keywords)
  • No negative keyword list (wasting budget on irrelevant searches)
  • Broad match keywords dominating spend

Ad Quality Problems:

  • Generic ad copy not mentioning specific countries or services
  • No ad extensions being used
  • No A/B testing of ad variations
  • Landing pages didn’t match ad message

Bidding & Budget Mismanagement:

  • Manual bidding with no strategic adjustments
  • Budget distributed equally regardless of campaign performance
  • No dayparting (ads running 24/7 with same bids)
  • No location bid adjustments

Tracking Deficiencies:

  • Incomplete conversion tracking
  • No call tracking integration
  • Can’t attribute leads to specific keywords
  • No remarketing campaigns

Results of Poor Management:

  • Cost per lead: NPR 3,500
  • Lead quality: Only 15% converting to consultations
  • Wasted spend: ~35% of budget on irrelevant clicks
  • Lead volume: 85-90 leads per month (declining)

This situation reflects common PPC mistakes in Nepal where businesses run ads without proper strategy, structure, or optimization.

Our Strategic Overhaul

At Gurkha Technology, we completely restructured their PPC approach using our proven framework.

Phase 1: Foundation & Strategy (Week 1-2)

Account Restructure:

We rebuilt the account from the ground up with proper organization:

Campaign Structure:
├── Search - Australia (High Intent)
├── Search - UK (High Intent)
├── Search - USA (High Intent)
├── Search - Canada (High Intent)
├── Search - General Education (Medium Intent)
├── Display - Remarketing (Warm Audience)
└── Search - Competitor (Brand Defense)

Keyword Strategy:

  • Separated keywords by intent level (high, medium, low)
  • Created 7 tightly themed ad groups (5-15 keywords each)
  • Implemented extensive negative keyword list (300+ terms)
  • Shifted to phrase match and exact match for better control
  • Identified top-performing keywords from historical data

Tracking Implementation:

  • Set up proper conversion tracking for form submissions
  • Integrated call tracking to attribute phone leads
  • Implemented Google Analytics goals and events
  • Created custom conversion actions for micro-conversions
  • Set up remarketing audiences based on behavior

Phase 2: Campaign Optimization (Week 3-8)

Ad Copy Transformation:

We created compelling, country-specific ad copy:

Before:

Study Abroad - Top Consultancy
Get Expert Guidance for Your Dream
www.example.com

After (Australia Campaign):

Study in Australia - Free Counseling
PR Pathways | Work Rights | 50+ Partner Unis
Apply Now - Limited Seats for Feb Intake
www.example.com/study-australia

Key improvements:

  • Specific value propositions (PR pathways, work rights)
  • Country-specific landing pages
  • Urgency elements (limited seats, intake deadlines)
  • Relevant ad extensions (callouts, sitelinks, structured snippets)

Landing Page Optimization:

We created dedicated landing pages for each country with:

  • Clear headline matching ad message
  • Student testimonials and success stories
  • Partner university logos
  • Simple, prominent lead capture form
  • Trust signals (certifications, years in business)
  • Mobile-optimized design
  • Fast loading speed (<2 seconds)

Conversion Rate Results:

  • Landing page conversion rate improved from 2.1% to 6.8%
  • Form abandonment reduced by 45%
  • Phone call inquiries increased by 120%

Phase 3: Advanced Optimization (Week 9-16)

Bidding Strategy Evolution:

We implemented smart bidding strategies:

  • Target CPA bidding for established campaigns
  • Maximizeconversion value for high-performing ad groups
  • Manual CPC for new tests and small campaigns
  • Bid adjustments by device, location, time of day

Audience Targeting:

  • Created remarketing campaigns for site visitors
  • Implemented RLSA (Remarketing Lists for Search Ads)
  • Used in-market audiences for prospecting
  • Built custom audiences based on engagement

Ad Extensions Mastery:

We utilized all relevant extensions:

  • Callout extensions: “Free Counseling”, “Visa Success Rate 97%”, “Scholarship Guidance”
  • Sitelink extensions: Country pages, services, success stories
  • Structured snippets: Partner universities, popular courses
  • Call extensions: Tracked phone number with call reporting
  • Location extensions: Office address in Kathmandu

Phase 4: Continuous Optimization (Week 17-24)

Ongoing Activities:

  • Weekly performance reviews and bid adjustments
  • Monthly negative keyword additions (50-100 terms)
  • Continuous ad copy A/B testing
  • Landing page conversion optimization
  • Budget reallocation based on performance
  • Seasonal adjustments (intake periods, exam seasons)

Advanced Tactics:

  • Implemented dayparting (higher bids during business hours)
  • Location bid adjustments (higher bids for Kathmandu Valley)
  • Device bid modifiers based on conversion data
  • Competitor keyword campaigns
  • YouTube video ads for brand awareness

The Results: 40% Cost Reduction, 2x Lead Volume

After 6 months of strategic management, the transformation was remarkable:

Lead Generation Metrics

Lead Volume:

  • Before: 85-90 leads/month
  • After: 180-200 leads/month
  • Improvement: 115% increase

Cost Per Lead:

  • Before: NPR 3,500
  • After: NPR 2,100
  • Improvement: 40% reduction

Lead Quality:

  • Consultation conversion rate: 15% → 35%
  • Application rate: 8% → 22%
  • Quality score: 4.2/10 → 8.1/10

Campaign Performance Metrics

Click-Through Rate (CTR):

  • Before: 1.8%
  • After: 5.4%
  • Improvement: 200% increase

Conversion Rate:

  • Before: 2.1%
  • After: 6.8%
  • Improvement: 224% increase

Quality Score:

  • Before: Average 4.2/10
  • After: Average 8.1/10
  • Impact: Lower CPCs, better ad positions

Wasted Spend:

  • Before: 35% on irrelevant clicks
  • After: <8% on irrelevant clicks
  • Saved: NPR 81,000 per month redirected to qualified traffic

Business Impact

Return on Ad Spend (ROAS):

  • Before: 1.8x (NPR 540,000 revenue on NPR 300,000 spend)
  • After: 5.2x (NPR 1,560,000 revenue on NPR 300,000 spend)
  • Improvement: 189% increase in revenue

Customer Acquisition Cost:

  • Before: NPR 28,000 per student enrollment
  • After: NPR 12,000 per student enrollment
  • Improvement: 57% reduction

Total Enrollments:

  • Before: 10-12 students/month
  • After: 24-28 students/month
  • Improvement: 133% increase

Key Success Factors

1. Proper Account Structure

The foundation of success was restructuring the account for better organization and optimization. Separating campaigns by country and intent level allowed for precise targeting and messaging.

2. Matching Ad Message to Landing Page

We created specific landing pages for each ad group, ensuring message match and better conversion rates. This is a fundamental principle of effective PPC marketing in Nepal.

3. Aggressive Negative Keywords

Adding 300+ negative keywords eliminated wasted spend on irrelevant searches like “free education,” “scholarships without IELTS,” and other informational queries.

4. Ad Extensions Maximization

Using all relevant ad extensions increased ad real estate, improved CTR, and provided more value to users. Ad extensions are free and significantly boost performance.

5. Conversion Tracking Excellence

Proper tracking allowed us to make data-driven decisions. Without accurate conversion data, optimization is guesswork.

6. Continuous Testing & Optimization

We never stopped testing. Every week brought new ad copy tests, bid adjustments, and strategic refinements based on performance data.

Challenges We Overcame

Challenge 1: Seasonality in Education Industry

Education consultancy has distinct peak and low seasons aligned with university intake periods.

Solution: We created seasonal campaign strategies, increasing budgets during peak months (March-May, August-October) and focusing on remarketing and brand building during slow months. We also created content campaigns targeting students planning ahead.

Challenge 2: High Competition from Aggregators

Large education aggregator platforms with bigger budgets dominated some keywords.

Solution: We focused on country-specific and niche keywords where competition was lower. We also emphasized the consultancy’s personalized service and local presence in ad copy, differentiating from aggregators.

Challenge 3: Limited Landing Page Resources

The client initially had only one generic landing page for all campaigns.

Solution: We worked with their team to create simple but effective country-specific landing pages using their existing website platform. We prioritized conversion elements over fancy design.

Challenge 4: Phone Call Attribution

Many leads preferred calling rather than filling forms, making it hard to track conversions.

Solution: We implemented call tracking with unique phone numbers for each campaign, allowing us to attribute phone leads accurately and optimize accordingly.

Lessons for Service Businesses in Nepal

This case study offers valuable lessons for service businesses using Google Ads:

  1. Structure matters more than you think: A well-organized account is easier to optimize and performs better. Take time to structure campaigns logically.

  2. Match matters: Your ad, keywords, and landing page must deliver a consistent message. Mismatch kills conversion rates.

  3. Negative keywords are your friends: Excluding irrelevant traffic is just as important as targeting the right traffic. Build your negative keyword list aggressively.

  4. Quality Score directly impacts ROI: Higher Quality Scores mean lower costs and better positions. Focus on relevance across keywords, ads, and landing pages.

  5. Test everything: Small improvements compound. Test ad copy, landing pages, bid strategies continuously.

  6. Track what matters: Set up proper conversion tracking from day one. You can’t optimize what you can’t measure.

  7. Budget is only part of the equation: The client’s budget stayed the same, but results more than doubled through optimization. Strategy beats spending.

  8. Local expertise matters: Understanding the Nepali market, student behavior, and seasonal patterns was crucial to our success.

The Gurkha Technology Approach to PPC

What made this project successful was our systematic approach:

  • Data-driven decision making: Every change was backed by data and tested
  • Continuous optimization: Weekly reviews and adjustments, not set-and-forget
  • Clear communication: Monthly reports showing exactly where budget went and what results were achieved
  • Industry expertise: Deep understanding of the education consultancy market in Nepal
  • Integrated strategy: PPC worked alongside SEO, social media, and content marketing

This is how Gurkha Technology approaches PPC management—strategic, analytical, and relentlessly focused on ROI.

Ready to Transform Your PPC Campaigns?

Whether you’re wasting money on underperforming campaigns or just starting with PPC, proper strategy and management can dramatically improve your results. At Gurkha Technology, we’ve helped dozens of Nepali businesses achieve similar transformations through expert PPC management.

Want to reduce your cost per lead and increase conversions? Contact us for a free PPC audit and customized optimization plan.

Related Resources: