Google ads Case Study
KemahPalmsRecovery - Drug&AlcoholRehabCenter(USA)
Managed $473K in ad spend generating 3,160 qualified leads at a $149 cost per lead in a highly regulated, high CPC vertical. (HIGH TICKET)
Kemah Palms Recovery, a licensed drug and alcohol rehabilitation center based in the USA, partnered with us to scale their patient intake through Google Ads. In a heavily regulated industry where someone searching “drug rehab near me” or “alcohol detox center” is at a critical decision-making moment, precision targeting and compliant ad copy weren’t optional, they were everything. Our job was to reach those people at exactly the right time and turn that click into a real conversation.
Challenges We Faced
Operating in a Heavily Regulated Ad Environment Google imposes strict certification requirements on addiction treatment advertisers through its LegitScript program. The challenge was to run fully compliant campaigns while still being competitive against well-funded national rehab networks bidding on the same high-intent keywords.
High Cost-Per-Click in a Sensitive Vertical Addiction treatment is one of the most expensive PPC verticals in the United States, with CPCs regularly exceeding $50–$100 per click. Every dollar of the ad budget had to be allocated with precision to keep the cost per qualified lead at a sustainable level.
Reaching People at the Right Moment People searching for rehab services are often in crisis, or calling on behalf of someone who is. Our campaigns had to balance urgency with sensitivity, reaching users with the right message while maintaining the compassionate tone the brand is built on.
Strategy We Implemented
1. LegitScript-Compliant Campaign Setup Ensured all campaigns, landing pages, and ad copy met Google’s certification standards for addiction treatment advertising, protecting the account from suspension while maintaining full campaign reach.
2. High-Intent Keyword Targeting Focused on transactional, high-intent search terms like “drug rehab Texas”, “alcohol detox center near me”, and “inpatient addiction treatment” while aggressively filtering out informational and non-converting queries through negative keyword lists.
3. Geo-Targeting by Admission Radius Concentrated spend on geographic zones within realistic driving and referral distance of the facility, ensuring budget was used only where admissions were actually possible.
4. Conversion-Optimized Landing Pages Built dedicated landing pages for each treatment type, detox, residential, dual diagnosis, with clear calls to action, click-to-call buttons, and intake form integrations to minimize drop-off between click and contact.
5. Empathetic Ad Copy Crafted ad messaging that spoke directly to the urgency and emotional weight of the search moment, using language like “Same-Day Intake Available” and “Verified Facility, Insurance Accepted” to build trust and drive calls.
6. Smart Bidding & CPA Optimization Deployed Target CPA bidding strategies informed by historical conversion data, continuously refining audience signals and dayparting to lower cost per lead without sacrificing lead volume.
ords to reduce wasted spend.
Outcome
Through a disciplined, compliance-first Google Ads strategy, Kemah Palms Recovery achieved results that set a new benchmark for their paid acquisition channel:
- 3,160 qualified leads generated through calls and intake form submissions.
- $473K in ad spend managed with full transparency and budget accountability.
- $149 average cost per lead maintained consistently across a high-CPC, regulated vertical.
- Ads held top positions for critical intake-intent keywords throughout the campaign period.
- Significant increase in verified insurance inquiries and direct admissions tied to paid traffic.
By combining regulatory compliance with conversion-focused creative and intelligent bidding, Kemah Palms Recovery built a reliable, scalable pipeline of high-intent patient inquiries, turning Google Ads into one of their most dependable intake channels.