Google Ads Viability Audit — 2026

Ashton Batteries
& More

Local automotive battery and auto-electrical supplier in Bruma, Johannesburg. 11 years in business, prior Google Ads history, and a monthly media budget of R25,000–R34,999.

Viable — tracking-first caveat
Budget
R25k – R35k / mo
Target CPL
R200 – R350
Audit Period
90-day rebuild
Location
Bruma, Johannesburg
Section 01
Contextual Analysis

A snapshot of the business model, target audience, core offer, and data limitations that inform this audit.

⚙
Business Model
Local automotive battery & auto-electrical supplier in Bruma, JHB. Revenue from battery replacement, sales, alternator/starter repairs, diagnostics and related auto-electrical work.
🎯
Target Audience
High-intent motorists in Johannesburg/East Rand with urgent battery or auto-electrical needs. Buying cycle: same-day to 48 hours for emergencies. Repeat cycle every few years.
⭐
Core USPs
11 years in business. Physical Bruma location. Call/WhatsApp availability. Mobile/on-site battery replacement. Proven prior paid-search history with efficient CPCs.
📋
Task Notes
Prospect wants more customer leads. Has run ads before. Values hands-on relationship and fast corrective action when performance dips.
⚠
Data Limitations
No account attachments visible. Historical Google Ads data referenced but not attached. Exact CPA and close-rate modelling must be validated inside the live Google Ads / CRM account.
Section 02
KPI Recommendations

Three tiers of KPIs: primary north-star targets that define success, secondary efficiency metrics, and leading indicators to track weekly.

Primary / North Star KPIs
Qualified lead CPA
R200–R350 (90-day) → R150–R250 (mature)
Matches task expectations. Plausible for local urgent battery demand if tracking is clean.
Cost per completed sale/job
Set after 30 days from CPA ÷ close rate
Raw leads are not enough. Calls, WhatsApps and forms must be qualified against actual sales to derive real cost per job.
Tracked qualified leads/month
50+ tracked conversions/month
Gives Google sufficient signal volume for Smart Bidding learning and optimisation cycles.
Secondary / Efficiency KPIs
Search CTR
6–9% non-brand; higher on brand
Automotive benchmark is 5.56%. Local urgent intent should clear this with tight ad groups and strong ad copy.
Search CPC
R15–R45 blended; investigate if >R60
SA benchmarks support this range. High CPC is acceptable only if close rate and gross profit justify it.
Landing page lead CVR
8–15% for high-intent pages
Battery replacement is urgent. Strong click-to-call/WhatsApp UX should outperform generic SA averages of 3–5%.
Search impression share
20–30% in core Bruma/JHB service area
Enough visibility to judge demand without forcing national-scale spend in the test phase.
Leading Indicators
Conversion tracking health
100% of touchpoints mapped
Calls, WhatsApps, forms and completed sales all need live conversion events before scaling.
Search term quality
Weekly negative keyword review
Battery keywords attract DIY, wholesale, lithium/inverter and low-intent research traffic that wastes budget.
Speed to lead
Under 5 minutes for WhatsApp/form callbacks
Urgent battery buyers typically choose the first responsive provider. Response time is a competitive lever.
Offline conversion import
Live within first 30 days
Required to teach Google which leads became real jobs and sales, not just clicks or form submissions.
KPI priority matrix — impact vs setup effort
Visualising which KPIs to prioritise first based on impact and implementation effort
Bubble chart positioning key KPIs by effort vs impact.
Section 03
Budget Tiers & Channel Allocation

Three distinct media spend tiers, with the Competitive tier matching the prospect's current budget. Channel allocation shifts as the account matures.

Test & Learn
R12,500–R17,500
per month
Minimum viable spend to rebuild learning volume. Formula: target CPA R250–R350 × 50 conversions/month. Below this, progress is slower and noisier.
Google Search
75%
Meta / Social
15%
Top-of-Funnel
10%
Recommended
Competitive
R25,000–R35,000
per month
Matches prospect budget. Should support 20–30% impression share in the core local area if CPCs land in the R15–R45 range. Rebuild start.
Google Search
70%
Meta / Social
20%
Top-of-Funnel
10%
Aggressive
R45,000–R70,000+
per month
Always-on high-intent search plus retargeting and social across a wider JHB radius. Only after tracking proves qualified CPA and close rate are stable.
Google Search
60%
Meta / Social
25%
Top-of-Funnel
15%
Monthly leads expected by budget tier
Estimated qualified leads per month assuming R250 avg CPL at each tier, scaling to R200 at Aggressive
Test & Learn
Competitive (recommended)
Aggressive
Estimated leads: Test 50-70, Competitive 70-140, Aggressive 180-350.
Section 04
Red Flags & Scaling Conditions

Four critical risks that must be addressed before scaling beyond R35,000/month.

Conversion tracking likely inactive
After ads stopped, Google may have been optimising to page views or button clicks rather than revenue-producing leads. This could mean the historical data is unreliable for Smart Bidding.
→ Rebuild GA4, Google Ads conversions, call tracking, WhatsApp tracking and offline conversion imports before any spend.
Historic account stopped before Oct last year
Past results may not reflect 2026 auction dynamics or current competitor activity. New entrants, CPCs and SERP layouts can all shift substantially over 6–8 months.
→ Treat the first 30 days as validation, not proof. Do not extrapolate historical CPA as a guarantee.
Client expects hands-on relationship
This is operationally important, not just media performance. Delayed communication during a CPL spike or search quality issue can erode trust quickly.
→ Set weekly check-ins for Month 1. Define clear escalation rules when CPL moves more than 20% above target.
Lead quality varies by keyword segment
Battery searches attract DIY buyers, wholesale enquiries, inverter/solar shoppers and low-margin research queries that consume budget without converting to jobs.
→ Segment campaigns tightly by intent. Build negative keyword lists from day one using search term data.
Section 05
90-Day Rebuild Roadmap

Month 1 is a tracking and account rebuild sprint. Do not scale beyond R35,000 until qualified lead CPA, close rate and cost per completed job are all visible.

Month 1 — Days 1–30
Tracking & account rebuild sprint
Fix all conversion tracking before touching bids or budgets. Rebuild campaign structure around qualified conversion events. Install call tracking, WhatsApp event tracking, and form submissions. Set up offline conversion import pipeline from sales/CRM.
GA4 setup Call tracking WhatsApp events Offline conv. import Negative keyword seed list Campaign restructure
Month 2 — Days 31–60
Validation & optimisation
First 50+ tracked conversions should accumulate. Begin Smart Bidding if signal volume supports it (target CPA or tROAS). Weekly search term reviews. A/B test landing page CTAs for call vs WhatsApp. First CPL report to client with close rate overlay.
Smart Bidding activation Landing page CTA tests Search term pruning CPL × close rate report Meta retargeting launch
Month 3 — Days 61–90
Scale decision point
If CPL is tracking at R200–R350 and close rate is validated, present scaling case to client. If data supports it, recommend moving to Aggressive tier (R45k–R70k+). If not, extend Competitive tier with refined targeting. Set 6-month targets for CPL improvement to R150–R250.
Scale / hold decision Cost per job calc 6-month plan Lookalike audiences Geo expansion review
Ashton Batteries & More — Viability Audit
Prepared June 2026. Based on WordStream 2026 benchmarks, Searchly SA CPC data, and GrowthPulse SA benchmarks.