01Where it started
The website had a main-content loading time of 13.8 seconds in the lab, an embedded calendar that shifted the page while it was opening and two plugins sending the same pixel. Google Analytics counted every visit twice. The ad account had been stuck since the end of August. Before spending a euro on ads, the ads needed a page to land on and a count they could trust.
02What I did
- Website speed. Images, scripts and loading reorganised; the embedded calendar no longer shifts the page. Every change with a backup first and a measurement after, noted in a log.
- Tracking cleaned up. Two plugins removed, pixel moved into Tag Manager, Analytics double counting fixed, two custom conversions on the thank-you pages for the car wash and the detailing.
- Being found by AI assistants too. Structured data, a file that describes the business to assistants, Google listing updated, titles and descriptions rewritten on seven pages.
- Campaign restarted on 2 October. A single cold campaign on the services. After the first week I switched off the interest-based group that cost the most, and left the rest alone.
- Night check on the account. The account joins the night round: three evenings a week, six checks, and the next morning only what needs action.
03What worked, and what didn't
- Loading time measured on real visitors fell to 1.8 seconds; the accessibility score went from 88 to 96.
- The cost per booked appointment went from €21.30 to €8.56 between the first and the second full week, with a click-through rate of 3.8%.
- The count: an appointment is one appointment, not two.
- Four days off because of a late payment on the account: the round flagged it that same morning, but the week was broken in two.
- Page stability on real visitors did not improve after the first change: the other two causes, a reviews widget and a payment banner, I only found and fixed on 21 October. The measurement arrives at the end of November.
- Response to touch is at 235 milliseconds, above the 200 threshold; the ad frequency, at 3.3, needs watching.
04Results and source
The website measurements come from PageSpeed Insights, 28-day field data read on 10 October 2026, and from lab tests before and after each change. The costs per booked appointment come from Meta Ads Manager: 6 appointments in the week from 2 to 8 October, 13 in the week from 10 to 16, at similar spend.