A Houston mental health clinic was paying about $28 for each lead from Google Ads. By testing campaign types, fixing what was measured and building Performance Max around each service, we brought that down to $4.24 and reached 83 leads in a month, on about $350 a month in ad spend.
Written by Mukesh Kumar, Founder, HOU Digital Marketing · Updated October 2026
Mukesh replies within one business day with a plan and pricing.
Cost per lead, down 85% from $27.98.
Conversion rate, up from about 15%.
Leads in one month, up from about 9.
Monthly ad spend, paid directly to Google with no markup.
The client is a mental health clinic in Houston, Texas, offering treatment for conditions including anxiety, OCD, PTSD and bipolar disorder. We managed their Google Ads account from October 2023 to March 2025.
When we started, the account had the problems we see in most small healthcare accounts:
Started lean and tested. With a small budget, we tested several campaign types: a Smart campaign, which brought leads but at a high cost, and separate Search campaigns for services such as bipolar disorder and PTSD.
Fixed what was being measured. One early campaign showed a very low cost per lead because its conversion tracking was counting the wrong actions. We corrected the tracking and judged every campaign on accurate numbers only.
Built Performance Max around each service. We set up Performance Max with a separate asset group for each service, such as anxiety, OCD and PTSD, using search themes matched to how patients search, plus general audience signals: in-market, affinity and detailed demographics.
Added images and video. Each asset group got image and video assets. Performance improved noticeably once video was added.
Cut what was not working. We paused poor performers and moved budget to the campaigns producing leads at the lowest cost.
Scaled with the client. When the clinic raised its budget from about $250 to about $350 a month, the winning campaigns could finally use it, and leads rose while cost per lead fell.
Results are from the clinic's own Google Ads account. A conversion here is a lead recorded by the clinic's conversion tracking. Results depend on market, budget and offer, and we do not guarantee them for other accounts.
| Metric | Start | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per lead (CPA) | $27.98 | $4.24 |
| Conversion rate | About 15% | About 42% |
| Leads per month | About 9 | 83 |
| Monthly ad spend | $150 to $200 | About $350 |
Our Google Ads specialist walks through the clinic's account, showing the campaigns that were tested, the Performance Max setup and the numbers month by month.
A small budget can work. These results came from about $350 a month in ad spend, not thousands.
Accurate tracking comes first. A campaign that looks cheap can be counting the wrong thing. Fix measurement before you scale.
Test, then commit. Testing several campaign types early showed which ones deserved the budget.
Video builds trust. For a healthcare service, adding video assets made a visible difference.
Running ads for a medical or mental health practice? See Google Ads for doctors and medical practices. For everything else, see Google Ads management in Houston.
We managed the account from October 2023 to March 2025. The first months were spent testing campaign types and fixing tracking on a very small budget. The strongest results came after the clinic raised its budget to about $350 a month.
Yes, if the account is built carefully. This clinic reached 83 leads in a month on about $350 in ad spend. Smaller budgets need tighter targeting, accurate tracking and patience while Google learns.
Yes. Most mental health services can be advertised. Google restricts audience targeting based on health conditions, so campaigns rely on search intent and general audience signals rather than health-based audiences.
HOU Digital Marketing's Google Ads management is a flat $500, $1,000 or $1,500 a month, depending on ad spend. Ad spend is paid directly to Google, and we never mark it up.
Book a free 30-minute call with Mukesh. We will look at your account together and tell you honestly what could be improved.
