Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out. I've had a look over the situation with your father's trench shoring business and wanted to give you some of my initial thoughts and guidance. It sounds incredibly frustrating, what you've been going through with your current agency is unfortunately all too common. Spending that kind of money without seeing what's happening behind the curtain is just not on.
Let's break down what's likely going on and what your next steps should be.
First things first, we'll need to sort out that agency issue...
The fact that your agency holds all the campaign data and won't give you access is a massive, massive red flag. Let me be completly clear: it's your account, your data, your money. You paid for it. Them holding it hostage is unacceptable and, frankly, a bit dodgy. It often means they're either hiding poor performance or they're just lazy and don't want you poking around. The whole "set it and forget it" approach you mentioned usually goes hand-in-hand with this lack of transparency.
You need to demand full, administrative access to the Google Ads account immediately. Don't ask, tell them. Frame it as a standard requirement for your own internal reporting. There is absolutely no legitimate reason for them to refuse this. If they push back, cite contract termination clauses, or just tell them you'll be moving on. Any reputable agency or freelancer would give you this access from day one without you even having to ask. It's basic practice. If they created the account under there own MCC (My Client Centre), they can still grant you access to your specific account. If they created it with their own email and billing, that's even worse, and you should probably just start fresh with a new account that you own from the outset.
Honestly, based on this alone, I'd say you need to part ways. Trust is gone, and you can't build a good working relationship on that foundation.
Once you're in, I'd say you need to look at the basics...
Once you get access, you can finally do a proper audit. Don't worry about being an expert, you can spot the most common and costly mistakes by looking at a few key areas. For a niche business like yours, getting the fundamentals right is everything. Forget fancy strategies for a moment and focus on the nuts and bolts.
Keyword Targeting: This is probably where most of your money is being wasted. For trench shoring equipment, you need to be incredibly specific. Your customers aren't just typing "construction equipment". They're contractors with a specific problem. I'd be looking for keywords like:
| Keyword Type | Example Keywords |
|---|---|
| Product Specific | "trench box for sale", "aluminium trench shields", "slide rail shoring system rental" |
| Problem/Solution | "excavation support systems", "how to shore a trench", "utility trench safety" |
| Local Intent | "trench shoring rental near me", "excavation equipment hire [Your City]" |
Check their Search Terms Report. This shows you what people *actually* typed to trigger your ads. If you see loads of irrelevant terms, it means they're using broad match keywords without a proper negative keyword list. This is Paid Ads 101. You should be seeing terms that a site manager or excavation contractor would use, not a DIY enthusiast or a student writing a paper. You need to be actively adding negative keywords like "jobs", "training", "free", "DIY", "course" to stop wasting money on clicks that will never convert.
Geographic Targeting: Where are your ads showing? I remember one client, a local flooring company in Kent, who came to us because their leads were rubbish. Turns out their old agency had them targeting the whole of the UK. They were getting clicks from Scotland! For a business that only serves a specific area, this is just burning cash. You need to ensure your campaigns are tightly targeted to the exact areas you service. No broader.
Ad Copy & Landing Pages: Do the ads speak the language of your customer? They should be focused on benefits like safety, compliance, efficiency, and reliability. The landing page the ad sends people to must continue that conversation. If the ad promises "emergency trench box hire" the landing page better be about exactly that, with a clear phone number and form to get in touch. Any disconnect here and your potential customer is gone in a second.
You probably should look at your website and sales process too...
You mentioned that you could do better with branding and organising assets, and your right to think that this has an impact. A great ads campaign can only do so much if it's sending traffic to a website that doesn't convert. With B2B and high-ticket items like yours, the website has to work hard to build trust and persuade a visitor to take the next step.
Think about your sales process. What is the one action you want a potential customer to take when they land on your site? Is it to call for a quote? Fill out a detailed enquiry form? Request a callback? Your entire landing page should be built around driving that single action. Remove distractions. Make the call-to-action button big and obvious. Write copy that addresses their pain points directly. A contractor doesn't care about flowery marketing language; they care that your equipment will stop a trench from collapsing, be delivered on time, and meet all safety standards. Your copy should reflect that.
We've worked with B2B clients selling complex industrial products before, and a common failure is not having a clear "offer". For you, this isn't a discount code, it's about making it as easy as possible to get a quote or expert advice. Your website needs to scream "we are the experts, we are reliable, and we can solve your problem quickly". Things like case studies of previous jobs, clear specifications for all your equipment, and testimonials from other contractors are what will convert visitors into leads.
You'll need a better long-term advertising strategy...
Right now your focused on Google Ads, and for good reason. Your customers have an urgent need, and they go to Google to find a solution. This is what we call "high-intent" traffic, and it should definitly be the core of your strategy. The goal is to capture that demand.
However, you could also explore other platforms to generate demand. For a niche B2B product, LinkedIn can be powerful. You could run campaigns that target users by their job title (e.g., "Project Manager", "Site Foreman", "Civil Engineer") at companies in specific industries (e.g., "Construction", "Utilities"). The leads might be more expensive initially, but they can be of a very high quality. We ran a campaign for a B2B software client and were able to achieve a $22 cost per lead on LinkedIn by targeting decision makers, which for them was a fantastic return.
In terms of budget, $3.5k a month is a reasonable starting point for your niche, provided it's being spent effectively. We currently run a campaign for an HVAC company in a competitive area, and they're seeing a cost per lead of around $60. For industrial B2B, the cost can be higher, but the value of each customer is also much higher. It's not about getting cheap leads; it's about getting a profitable return on ad spend (ROAS). This is what your agency should have been reporting on.
Here's a summary of my main advice for you to implement:
| Area of Focus | The Problem | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|
| Agency & Data | Current agency lacks transparency and is holding your campaign data hostage. | Demand immediate, full admin access to your Google Ads account. Prepare to terminate the contract if they refuse. |
| Keyword Audit | Budget is likely being wasted on broad, irrelevant search terms. | Review the Search Terms Report. Focus on long-tail, specific keywords. Build a robust negative keyword list. |
| Targeting Audit | Ads may be showing outside of your actual service area, wasting money. | Confirm that geographic targeting is locked down to only the postcodes/counties you serve. |
| Website Conversion | A weak website and unclear messaging will lead to low conversion rates and a high cost per lead. | Define a single call-to-action (e.g., "Get a Quote"). Improve copy to focus on contractor pain points (safety, speed, reliability). Add trust signals. |
| Future Strategy | You're solely reliant on one channel and a poorly managed campaign. | Find a new partner (freelancer or specialist agency) with proven B2B/industrial experience. Master Google Ads first, then consider testing LinkedIn. |
To your question about a freelancer vs. a part-time hire: a good, vetted freelancer or a smaller, specialist agency is probably your best bet. An in-house hire is a big commitment, and finding someone with the right PPC skills for a part-time role will be tough. The key is to find a partner who can show you case studies from similar B2B or industrial clients. They should be talking your language from the first call, suggesting the kinds of keywords and strategies I've mentioned above.
This kind of work – the constant auditing, testing, and refining – is what seperates a professional from someone who just "sets and forgets". It takes time and expertise, which is why businesses hire it out. It's not just about turning the ads on; it's about making every single pound in your budget work as hard as possible to find you those high-quality leads.
I hope this gives you a much clearer picture of where you stand and a solid plan to move forward. This is all very fixable, you just need to take back control and find the right partner to help you.
We specialise in exactly this kind of turnaround. If you'd like to have a proper chat and a more detailed look at things, we offer a free initial consultation where we can go through your specific challenges. Feel free to book one in if you think it would be helpful.
Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh
