I Spent ₹616 on Google Ads as a Student – Here’s What Actually Happened

Why I Ran This Google Ads Experiment

I’m a student learning digital marketing, and at one point I realized something uncomfortable:

I was watching too many YouTube videos, reading blogs, and consuming endless content – but I was not actually running Google Ads.

Everyone online talks about Google Ads very casually:

“Just optimize CPC”
“Just track conversions”
“Just scale what works”

But nobody talks about how it feels when it’s your own money on the line.

So I stopped consuming and started doing.

I planned a ₹1,000 Google Ads experiment, but in reality I spent ₹616 – and honestly, even that felt heavy as a student.

This is not a success story.
This is a real Google Ads learning case study.

My Objective (What I Was Actually Trying to Achieve)

I was not trying to make profit.

My real objectives were:

Understand how Google Ads behaves in the real world
See if people actually search for local services
Learn Google Ads + GA4 conversion tracking properly
Experience what works and what breaks in real campaigns

If I could get even one real lead, that itself would be a win.

Business I Chose for This Google Ads Test

I chose a local house cleaning service.

Why this niche?

People actively search for it
Easy to understand as a beginner
No strong branding required
Commonly used in Google Ads examples

Looking back — it wasn’t the best niche, but it was good enough for learning.

Keyword & Competitor Research (Very Honest Process)

I didn’t use advanced tools or fancy spreadsheets.

Here’s exactly what I did:

Searched cleaning-related keywords on Google
Used Google Ads Keyword Planner for ideas
Observed competitor ads and landing pages
Checked if ads were running consistently
Tried to understand user intent, not just keywords

My Assumption

If people are searching for services, they will convert.

Reality?

That assumption was only half true.

Landing Page Strategy (Mobile-First Approach)

Landing Page:
https://practice.growwithanant.com/cleaning-house/

Before running ads, I asked myself one important question:

Who am I designing this landing page for?

After researching local service behavior in India, one thing was clear:

Most local service searches happen on mobile phones.

So I intentionally designed the landing page only for mobile users.

This was a conscious decision.

Why I Optimized Only for Mobile Users

My reasoning was simple:

Local services are searched on the go
Most users click ads from mobile phones
Users want quick actions, not long reading
Desktop traffic for cleaning services is limited

I treated the landing page like a mobile app screen, not a traditional website.

Mobile Landing Page Design Choices

What I focused on:

Single-column layout
Clear headline above the fold
Short content blocks
Simple form (Name, Email, BHK Size, Service Type)
Fast loading speed
CTA visible without scrolling

Everything was designed assuming:

The user has one hand on the phone and very little patience.

What I Did Right on the Landing Page

Some decisions worked well:

Page was readable on small screens
No unnecessary sections
Easy-to-understand form
Users scrolled and stayed on the page

This matched the data:

Users clicked
Users landed
Users didn’t bounce instantly

Traffic quality was not the main issue.

Where My Landing Page Failed (Important Lesson)

This is where I was wrong.

Even though the page was mobile-friendly, it wasn’t conversion-friendly.

Problems:

No WhatsApp button
No call button pinned on screen
No trust signals (reviews, local proof)
No urgency messaging
Form required commitment without reassurance

For Indian mobile users:

Filling a form feels slower than calling or WhatsApp.

That friction killed conversions.

What This Data Taught Me About Mobile Users

This experiment made mobile behavior very clear:

Mobile users click fast
They decide fast
They don’t like waiting
They prefer instant communication

My landing page respected mobile design
but ignored mobile psychology.

That was the real gap.

Google Ads Campaign Setup (Phase 1)

Objective: Landing page form submission
Bidding: Maximize Clicks
Budget Used: ₹423
Duration: 4–5 days

Results:

Impressions: 483
Clicks: 38
Avg CPC: ₹11.15
Conversions: 1

Seeing that one conversion felt exciting.

But later I realized – it was more luck than control.

Phase 2: What I Changed (And Why)

My new goal was simple:

Reduce CPC because of limited student budget

Changes I made:

Reduced daily budget to ₹50/day
Focused on cheaper keywords

Results:

Impressions: 845
Clicks: 33
Avg CPC: ₹5.85
Cost: ₹193
Conversions: 0

This was my first real Google Ads reality check.

Cheap clicks ≠ serious customers.

Total Campaign Performance Summary

Impressions: 1.33k
Clicks: 70
Avg CPC: ₹8.81
Total Cost: ₹616.39
Conversions: 1

Tracking Setup (One Thing I’m Proud Of)

I made sure tracking worked properly:

Google Ads conversion tracking set up
GA4 connected
Form submission tracked via Google Tag Manager

Yes, I made one mistake — I didn’t exclude my IP address.

But real user data was still tracked correctly.

So when conversions didn’t happen, I knew:

• This was not a tracking issue.
• This was a funnel issue.

That clarity itself was a big win.

What I Expected vs What Actually Happened

Expected:

2–3 leads
CPC around ₹10–₹15
Clear learning

Reality:

CPC was better than expected
CTR was decent
Only 1 conversion

Emotionally — disappointing.
Logically — extremely educational.

Mistakes I Know I Made

I was clearly wrong in these areas:

Optimized for clicks instead of intent
Underestimated landing page importance
Didn’t add WhatsApp or call options
Expected results too quickly
Treated Google Ads like a shortcut

These mistakes directly affected results.

What Actually Worked

Despite low conversions:

People clicked ads
Search demand existed
CPC was affordable
Tracking was correct

The problem wasn’t Google Ads.

The problem was how I converted traffic.

Why I Paused the Campaign

I didn’t pause because I lost hope.

I paused because:

Spending more money without fixing the funnel would be stupid.

Pausing wasn’t failure.
It was discipline.

What I’ll Do Differently Next Time

Next experiment, I will:

Choose a more urgent service niche
Build a WhatsApp-first landing page
Add trust signals and local proof
Track calls properly
Optimize for conversions, not clicks

I’ll treat Google Ads like an experiment, not a gamble.

Final Thoughts

Was this campaign profitable?
No (it was for practice, not profit)

Was it worth it?
Yes 100%

What ₹616 taught me:

How Google Ads really behaves
How fast money burns
How important funnels are
How different theory is from reality

Most people talk about Google Ads.

I ran them.
And I documented what went wrong.

That’s how I plan to get better.

I Spent ₹616 on Google Ads as a Student – Here’s What Actually Happened

Why I Ran This Google Ads Experiment

My Objective (What I Was Actually Trying to Achieve)