Axley CallRail Integration & PPC Infrastructure

Overview

Mid-2025, Axley's PPC infrastructure was upgraded with two key changes: integration of CallRail for call tracking and a shift to manual CPC bidding on select campaigns. These changes were implemented to improve cost control and attribution visibility. By year-end 2025, the campaigns had generated approximately 900 conversions at a $132 cost per lead (CPL) and nearly 15,000 website clicks.

CallRail Integration

CallRail was integrated into Axley's PPC campaigns during mid-2025. This addition enabled:

Call attribution — connecting inbound phone leads back to specific campaigns and keywords
Conversion tracking accuracy — supplementing form-fill conversions with call data for a more complete picture of campaign performance
Lead quality review — giving the client (nmh) visibility into call content, which surfaced the irrelevant lead issue caused by Google's AI optimization feature (subsequently disabled)

See also: ^[1] for broader campaign context.

Manual CPC Bidding Shift

Several campaigns were moved from automated bidding strategies to manual CPC during 2025. The rationale:

Automated bidding (including Google's AI optimization feature) was pulling in irrelevant search terms and inflating spend on low-quality traffic
Manual CPC gave the team direct control over bid levels by campaign and keyword group
Cost control improved noticeably after the switch, contributing to the $132 CPL result across ~900 conversions

The Google AI optimization feature was explicitly disabled after it began generating irrelevant leads — a known risk with Google and Meta's newer AI-driven campaign features that optimize beyond the configured keyword set.

PPC Pause Protocol

As part of the 2025 year-end review, a formal pause protocol was established:

Before pausing any campaign, Sebastian must email nmh for approval.

This applies primarily to the Madison Family Law campaign, identified as the only practice area realistically at risk of capacity constraints (e.g., during long trials). Other practice areas — Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, Academic Misconduct — were assessed as low-risk for capacity issues.

The protocol ensures:
1. ROI is prioritized — spend stops when intake capacity is saturated
2. The client retains visibility and control over campaign status changes
3. No unilateral pauses occur without documented approval

2026 Infrastructure Plans

Spending threshold review — planned for January 2026 to formalize budget caps per campaign
LSA launch — Local Service Ads identified as a new channel to layer on top of existing Google Ads
Waukesha PPC spend — already reduced post in-person meeting; to be reassessed in January budget review

^[1]
^[2]
^[3]