How We Shifted a Regional Estate Agent from Brand Reliance to Nonbrand Growth
The Challenge
- SituationThis estate agency had built a solid Google Ads presence, but their conversion volume was heavily dependent on branded search traffic. With 338 of their 562 monthly conversions coming from brand campaigns, they were capturing existing demand rather than generating new business.
- ProblemThe nonbrand search campaigns were running but underperforming, particularly in the high-intent valuation space. Their competitor targeting was also active but failing to scale efficiently. Most critically, they lacked a modern acquisition channel to reach property sellers earlier in their decision-making journey.
- StakesIn a competitive property market, relying on brand traffic meant they were only reaching people who already knew them. To grow the business meaningfully, they needed to capture homeowners at the consideration stage — before they'd decided which agent to use.
The Results
| Metric | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonbrand Conversions (Pmax Valuations) | 15.0 | 149.3 | +898% |
| Total Conversions | 562 | 588 | +5% |
| Brand Conversion Dependency | 60% | 48% | -12pp |
| Overall CPA | £20.15 | £20.60 | +2% |
| Monthly Spend | £11,323 | £12,114 | +7% |
| Impressions | 104,022 | 132,811 | +28% |
The Approach
We implemented a dual-track approach: dramatically scale Performance Max to capture nonbrand valuation leads through Google's AI-driven targeting, while simultaneously refining the existing search portfolio to improve quality and reduce waste in underperforming segments.
Launched and aggressively scaled a Performance Max campaign focused on property valuations, increasing investment from £599 to £3,956 per period
Restructured budget allocation to reduce reliance on brand campaigns, cutting brand spend by 29% while protecting core branded traffic
Paused low-performing valuation phrase match search activity and redirected budget into the Performance Max campaign
Implemented stricter negative keyword governance across competitor campaigns to reduce wasted spend on low-intent queries
Refined audience signals and creative assets in Performance Max to target homeowners actively considering selling
Nonbrand conversions increased by 898% through Performance Max, reducing brand dependency from 60% to 48% of total conversions
By the final week of the campaign, daily conversions had more than doubled from the opening week (1.1 to 2.5 per day), demonstrating sustained momentum rather than a temporary spike. The slight 2% increase in overall CPA was a strategic trade-off — we were now acquiring genuinely new customers rather than just harvesting existing brand awareness. The account fundamentally transformed from a brand-protection vehicle into a genuine growth engine, with nonbrand activity now driving the majority of incremental volume.
Performance Max can be transformational for lead-gen businesses when properly scaled — but it requires conviction and meaningful budget allocation, not just experimental pocket change
Reducing brand dependency often means accepting a slight efficiency trade-off in the short term, but it's essential for sustainable business growth
Campaign consolidation matters: pausing fragmented phrase match search activity and concentrating budget into higher-performing channels delivered better results than spreading investment thin
In property verticals, valuation requests are the ultimate high-intent signal — building campaigns specifically around this conversion point unlocks significant volume