From $79 a Lead to $42 a Lead — 5 AI Recommendations, 100% More Calls, and Over 4,000 Ranking Keywords in 3 Months
Location
Barrington, ILFarmers Branch, TX & the DFW Metroplex
Timeline
June – August 2026
Author
Joydip Kirtunia
The starting point
$61 to $79 a lead, and no room to grow
This brokerage has placed individual, family, Medicare, and small-business group health plans across Dallas-Fort Worth since 2010, working as an independent broker that compares plans across carriers like Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare, and Cigna rather than selling for just one company.
Before this engagement, search impression share sat under 10% through May 2026, meaning ads were missing most of the relevant searches entirely. Cost per lead was $61.50 that month on just 14 leads. Two GA4 conversion actions were both set as primary signals, so Google Ads was reporting roughly double the true lead count — and there was no confirmed presence yet in AI-generated answers for broker searches in Farmers Branch.
Our approach
Paid search, organic SEO, and GBP, running as one system
Google Ads
- Ran a single, tightly focused Search campaign targeting Farmers Branch, optimized for form fills and phone calls
- Refined keyword targeting month over month, shifting budget toward the strongest converters while trimming zero-return terms
- Sculpted negative keywords and match types to protect cost per lead as competition grew
- Fixed a duplicate conversion-tracking signal that was inflating the reported lead count
Organic SEO & Google Business Profile
- Managed organic SEO and Google Business Profile optimization in parallel with the paid search work
- Monitored keyword position, clicks, and impressions through Search Console alongside calls, direction requests, and website clicks through Business Profile insights
- Positioned content so AI tools would have clear, specific facts to quote and recommend
Paid search performance
$79 to $42 a lead
Google Ads spend stayed inside a tight band of roughly $1,200 a month across June, July, and August. July turned a wider reach into results: leads more than doubled to 31 and cost per lead nearly halved to $41.58, the most efficient month the campaign has produced. August eased back to 22 leads at $55.68 each once the campaign hit its daily budget cap — still well ahead of the May starting point.
| Month | Spend | Leads | Cost / Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| May | $861 | 14 | $61.50 |
| June | $1,186 | 15 | $79.07 |
| July | $1,289 | 31 | $41.58 |
| August | $1,225 | 22 | $55.68 |
Organic search performance
4.13K clicks, 942K impressions
| Metric | Previous 3 months | Last 3 months |
|---|---|---|
| Clicks | 4.04K | 4.13K |
| Impressions | 861K | 942K |
| Average CTR | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| Average position | 9.6 | 11.9 |
Search ranking growth
0 to 4,000+ keywords
SEMrush keyword tracking tells a fuller story than the Search Console average alone. The total count of keywords ranking across all tracked position groups climbed steadily through the engagement, from roughly 2,000 in April 2026 to well over double that by August. That kind of growth in ranking keyword footprint is consistent with a broadening blended average position: as more new, longer-tail queries start ranking, they pull the average down even while total visibility and traffic keep growing.
SEMrush’s own estimated organic traffic model shows the same growth curve. Estimated organic traffic held flat around 1,000 visits a month through April and May, then broke upward in late May and climbed to roughly 4,200 by late August, more than a fourfold increase. This is a modelled estimate rather than a direct GA4 or Search Console count, so it’s presented here as a directional signal rather than a verified session total.
Google Business Profile
16 calls, 243 interactions
Calls made straight from the Google Business Profile doubled year over year, and website clicks from the profile jumped 68%. Direction requests eased slightly — consistent with more people calling or clicking through online instead of driving straight to the office. The profile now carries 51 five-star reviews.
| Metric | Jun–Aug 2026 vs. Jun–Aug 2025 |
|---|---|
| Calls from profile | 16 (+100%) |
| Website clicks | 79 (+68.1%) |
| Profile interactions | 243 (+9.0%) |
| Direction requests | 148 (-11.9%) |
| Google reviews | 51 • 5.0 avg. |
Website behavior
6.1K visitors: what people did on the site
Organic search is the biggest driver of new visitors by a wide margin, followed by direct and paid search. A newer channel is already showing up too: 78 sessions arrived through Google’s “AI Assistant” referral tracking, on top of the brokerage being named directly inside AI-generated answers.
| What we measured | Result |
|---|---|
| Active users (last 3 months) | 6.1K |
| New users (last 3 months) | 6.2K |
| Average engagement time | 52 seconds |
| Form submissions (generate_lead) | 71 |
| Phone call clicks (phone_call_click) | 30 |
AI search visibility
Recommended 5 times: showing up in AI answers
Ten target queries were built by researching how real people search and ask about health insurance brokers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. A round of manual checks across five AI platforms already shows this brokerage appearing by name, not just buried in a list of links.
Google AI Overview
"Independent health insurance broker in Farmers Branch"
Named first under "Local Independent Options," with a short description of services and years in business.
Google AI Overview
"Best health insurance broker in Farmers Branch"
Called out individually, citing its 5.0-star, 51-review rating.
Google AI Overview
"Health insurance brokerage in Farmers Branch and Texas"
Featured with its own map placement and a detailed breakdown of overview, specialties, and client-review evidence.
ChatGPT
"Best health insurance broker in Farmers Branch"
Labelled the "strongest local fit" among the options it considered.
Perplexity
"Group health insurance broker in Farmers Branch"
Listed first under "Top group health brokers serving Farmers Branch."
Grok
"Best health insurance broker in Farmers Branch"
Listed first among local options, described as independent and highly rated.
A plain Google search for “group health insurance broker in Farmers Branch” also placed this brokerage first in both the local map pack and the organic results below it — reinforcing what the AI answers are already picking up on.
What made the difference
6 things that moved the needle
✓ 01
Keyword focus beats broad reach
July's jump to 31 leads at $41.58 each came from tightening keyword targeting, not from spending more money.
✓ 02
Google Business Profile still converts
A 100% jump in calls straight from the profile shows local search still drives real phone leads.
✓ 03
Being named by AI tools is now measurable
Google AI Overview, Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Grok all named this brokerage directly.
✓ 04
Budget caps quietly cost leads
August's dip to 22 leads traced straight back to a daily budget cap holding impression share below 10%.
✓ 05
Clean tracking protects the real numbers
A duplicate conversion signal was inflating the reported lead count until it was fixed.
✓ 06
A five-star reputation carries across channels
51 five-star reviews are showing up inside AI answers and local search results, not just on the profile itself.
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The shift
Before and after
Before
- $61.50 – $79.07 cost per lead
- 14–15 leads per month
- Search impression share under 10%
- Roughly 2,000 keywords ranking
- 8 Business Profile calls, comparable period a year earlier
- No confirmed presence in AI-generated search answers
After
- $41.58 – $55.68 cost per lead
- Up to 31 leads in a single month
- Impression share above 10% at peak
- Over 4,000 keywords ranking
- 16 Business Profile calls this year, +100%
- Named by Google AI Overview, Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity & Grok
By the numbers
What 3 months of coordinated work looks like
Google Ads, organic SEO, and Google Business Profile management, run as one system.
START WITH US
Want results like this for your business?
Whether your business is starting from zero visibility or looking to strengthen its presence across Google Search and AI-powered search platforms, a well-executed local strategy can generate sustainable long-term growth.
Immediate leads from day one
Google Ads
Complete local domination
GBP + Rankings
Long-term sustainable growth
SEO
Measurable ROI
On every dollar spent