SMS53 Locksmiths didn’t exist two months ago.
No website. No customers. No digital footprint whatsoever.
Now they’re pulling 116 conversions from paid campaigns alone. Their organic impressions jumped 30x. Paid search traffic increased 157%. Meta messaging conversations grew 52%.
This is how we did it.
The Problem
Starting a local service business is brutal.
You’re competing against companies that have been around for years. They own the top search results. They have hundreds of reviews. Their Google Business Profile is optimised and active.
You have nothing.
SMS53 faced exactly this. They needed leads immediately to fund operations. But they also needed long-term visibility to reduce advertising costs over time. Most new businesses pick one or the other.
We built both simultaneously.
What We Actually Did
Built the Foundation First
We started with infrastructure.
A conversion-focused website went live first. Clean design. Mobile-optimized. Clear service pages for commercial and emergency locksmith work. Prominent phone numbers and contact forms on every page.
Then we implemented tracking. Calls, form fills, messages, everything tracked. Without this, you’re flying blind. You have no idea which campaigns work and which burn money.
This took one week.
Launched Paid Search Immediately
Google Ads went live as soon as tracking was ready.
We targeted high-intent searches. Emergency locksmith services. Commercial lockouts. Car key replacements. People searching these terms need help now. They convert fast.
The campaign structure separated services. Different ad groups for different needs. This lets us optimise based on actual conversion data, not guesses.
First results came within 48 hours.
By the end of the initial period, paid search delivered 521 sessions. Engagement rate hit 50.86%. Users spent 38 seconds on the site on average. They triggered 4.53 events per session.
These numbers told us something important: our message matched what people wanted.
Built Organic Visibility in Parallel
Paid ads fund the business. SEO builds the future.
We optimised their Google Business Profile immediately. Service categories, hours, service areas, and regular posts. Local SEO matters more than anything for service businesses. Most competitors ignore this completely.
On-site optimisation focused on ranking on Google for local searches. We targeted specific services combined with geographic modifiers. Proper heading structures. Clean meta descriptions. Technical foundations are handled through Google Search Console monitoring.
The strategy worked.
Organic clicks increased 458% over three months. Total impressions exploded from 852 to 29.3K. They started appearing for thousands of searches that they didn’t exist for before.
Added Meta for Brand Building
Search captures existing demand. Social creates it.
We launched Meta Ads targeting local audiences. Awareness and engagement objectives. The goal was simple: get in front of people before they need a locksmith.
When someone locks themselves out, they search Google. If they’ve already seen your brand on Facebook or Instagram, conversion rates improve. Recognition builds trust.
Meta delivered 175 messaging conversations at $2.84 each. As performance validated our approach, we scaled our spending by 68%. More budget, more conversations, more jobs.
The Numbers That Actually Matter
Paid Search Results
116 total conversions from $1.41K spent.
Sessions jumped 157% between periods. From 203 to 521. Engagement rate improved from 46.8% to 50.86%. Average engagement time increased by 25%.
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Key events increased by 300%. The session key event rate improved 52%, from 11.33% to 17.27%.
Every metric moved in the right direction.
Meta Performance
175 conversations started. $2.84 per conversation. 52% increase in messaging volume versus the previous period.
The platform worked best for top-of-funnel awareness. People are researching options. Not ready to buy yet, but gathering information. When they eventually needed service, they remembered SMS53.
Organic Breakthrough
This is where things got interesting.
Total clicks increased 458%. Impressions grew 2,947%. Average position improved significantly. These weren’t vanity metrics; they represented real visibility for valuable commercial keywords.
Informational SEO strategies captured users early in their research. Transactional pages converted them when they were ready to buy.
Why This Worked
We Tracked Everything
Detailed conversion tracking lets us optimise fast.
High-performing campaigns got more budget. Underperforming ones got cut. We made decisions weekly, sometimes daily. This prevented waste and accelerated profitability.
Most businesses wait months to analyse data. We acted on it immediately.
Channels Worked Together
Meta built awareness. Paid search captured demand. SEO reduced long-term costs.
Each channel amplified the others. Meta impressions improved paid search conversion rates because users recognised the brand. Paid campaigns generated revenue while organic rankings matured.
Integration beats isolation every time.
Local Focus Only
Every dollar targeted SMS53’s specific service area.
No broad targeting. No generic messaging. Ad copy addressed local customer problems. Landing pages featured recognisable neighbourhoods. This improved relevance scores and conversion rates simultaneously.
Targeting everywhere means reaching nowhere.
Service-Specific Campaigns
We didn’t run generic “locksmith” campaigns.
Commercial lockouts got different messaging than residential emergencies. Car key replacements had their own ad groups. This granular approach matched user intent precisely.
Better intent matching means better conversion rates.
Rapid Testing Cycles
We didn’t wait for perfect data.
Weekly reviews led to immediate changes. Bid adjustments. Creative refreshes. Landing page improvements. This compressed learning cycles and accelerated performance.
Hesitation kills momentum.
What Other Local Businesses Can Learn
Build infrastructure before spending money on ads.
Tracking and conversion optimisation come first. Without these, you’re generating traffic that doesn’t convert. That’s just expensive website visitors.
Balance immediate and long-term strategies simultaneously. Paid campaigns fund operations. SEO builds sustainable growth. You need both, even with limited budgets.
Optimise for actual business outcomes. Clicks don’t matter. Impressions don’t matter. Conversions matter. Every decision should improve conversion rates or reduce acquisition costs.
Test aggressively in the early stages. The first 60 days determine success or failure. Make changes fast. Cut what doesn’t work. Scale what does.
Local SEO requires different strategies than national SEO. Google Business Profile optimisation and geographic targeting drive results for service area businesses. Generic SEO advice doesn’t apply here.
What Happens Next
SMS53’s initial success created the foundation for continued growth.
We’re expanding their content strategy now. Service-specific pages targeting long-tail keywords. Review generation systems to build social proof. New ad formats and audience segments across both platforms.
The organic visibility from the first 60 days positions them to reduce paid advertising dependency over time. As rankings improve for high-intent commercial keywords, paid budgets shift toward brand building and new service areas.
The Real Takeaway
SMS53 transformed from nothing to a competitive local player in 60 days.
They’re generating consistent leads across multiple channels. Their visibility continues to grow. Revenue funds expansion into new services and service areas.
This happened because we built proper foundations, balanced immediate and long-term strategies, optimised relentlessly based on conversion data, and integrated channels for maximum impact.
Your local business can follow the same path. The strategy works whether you’re launching new services or scaling beyond word-of-mouth referrals. If you’re ready to accelerate growth with a proven approach, contact us to discuss how we can build a customised plan aligned with your revenue goals.
