The Client
Balloons and Beyond HTX is a balloon decor and party rental company in Houston, Texas. We run their Google Ads, which doubled their leads on the same budget: 438 calls from January to August 2026, against 224 in the same months of 2025.
They build custom balloon garlands, arches and towers, rent marquee letters, shimmer walls and backdrops, and deliver balloons across the Houston area for birthdays, baby showers, weddings, corporate events and grand openings.
We took over the account in September 2025. In August 2025, the month before, it produced 4 leads.
224 leads from January to August 2025. 438 in the same months of 2026, on the same budget.
The Challenge
- An inherited account. More than twenty campaigns from the previous management, each with a thin slice of the budget, and lead volume that had fallen to single digits by the summer of 2025.
- A visual, event-driven purchase. Parents and planners book for a specific date, and they compare several decorators before they call.
- A crowded local market. Houston has many independent decorators, plus national party supply chains bidding on the same balloon searches.
- Mixed intent. "Balloons" searches include wholesale buyers, DIY tutorials, balloon classes and job seekers, none of whom book an installation.
What We Built
1. A Clean Rebuild
We paused the legacy campaigns and rebuilt the account around two engines: one Performance Max campaign and one main Search campaign, both bidding for real phone calls.
2. Performance Max as the Volume Engine
Performance Max carries most of the volume. Since September 2025 it has produced 378 calls on $7,907 in spend.
3. Search on the Exact Buyer Searches
The main Search campaign targets what a Houston customer types when they are ready to book: balloon arches, balloon garlands, balloon towers, balloon installation, marquee rentals and balloon delivery in Houston. It has added 167 calls.
4. Bidding A/B Tests
We ran controlled A/B tests against the main Search campaign. A Max Clicks test spent $1,059 without producing a call, so it was switched off, and the conversion-based bidding stayed.
5. Negative Keywords by Theme
Shared negative lists block wholesale, DIY and classes, research, and employment searches, plus a client-specific exclusion list, so the budget goes to people planning an event.
6. Daily Optimization via Ad Campaign Concierge™
Every campaign is reviewed daily through our proprietary Ad Campaign Concierge™ system: search-term mining, keyword conflict fixes, budget shifts between Performance Max and Search, and new tests when a winner is clear.
The Results
- Same months, same budget: 224 leads on $11,161 from January to August 2025, before us. 438 calls on $11,083 in the same months of 2026.
- Leads a month: from 4 in August 2025 to 31 in November, 48 in December, and 75 in February and again in May 2026.
- 2026 so far: 465 calls from January to September.
What Improved
January to August 2025, before us, against the same months of 2026, on the same budget:
| Metric | Jan to Aug 2025 (before us) | Jan to Aug 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Leads | 224 | 438 |
| Cost per lead | $50 | $25 |
| Clicks that became a lead | 5.0% | 7.9% |
| Click-through rate | 2.8% | 3.7% |
| Cost per click | $2.48 | $2.00 |
| Clicks | 4,506 | 5,536 |
Every metric moved the right way at once: more people clicked, each click cost less, and more of those clicks picked up the phone.
Half the Cost per Lead
From January to August 2025 a lead cost $50. In the same months of 2026 a call cost $25. From February to June 2026 it held at about $20. This is what Google Ads for balloon decorators looks like when the account is built around calls instead of clicks.
Every Call Since We Took Over
546 phone calls from the ads since September 2025, at an average of $33 per call.
Key Takeaways
- More campaigns is not more leads. Twenty-plus thin campaigns became two strong ones, and leads doubled.
- The budget was never the problem. Structure and bidding were. The same monthly spend now buys twice the calls.
- Test bidding, keep the winner. The Max Clicks test cost $1,059 and produced nothing. Conversion-based bidding stayed.
- Count real calls. Every number here is a phone call from the ads, not a click or a map view.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should a balloon decor business spend on Google Ads?
Balloons and Beyond HTX spends about $1,370 a month on Google Ads. From January to August 2026 that budget produced 438 phone calls from the ads, at about $25 per call.
Can a new agency get more leads without raising the budget?
Yes. From January to August 2025, before we took over, the account produced 224 leads on $11,161. In the same months of 2026 it produced 438 calls on $11,083, nearly twice the leads on the same budget. The click-through rate rose from 2.8% to 3.7%, the cost per click fell from $2.48 to $2.00, and the share of clicks that became a lead rose from 5.0% to 7.9%.
Is Performance Max or Search better for a balloon and party rental company?
This account runs both. Since September 2025, Performance Max produced 378 calls on $7,907 and the main Search campaign produced 167 calls on $7,527. Performance Max is the volume engine and Search covers the exact buyer searches.
How long does it take for Google Ads to work for an event decor company?
We took over in September 2025 and rebuilt the account. By November it produced 31 calls a month, and by February 2026 it produced 75.
About This Campaign
This account is managed daily through Ad Campaign Concierge™, our proprietary optimization system for lead generation.
Industry: Events: Balloon Decor & Party Rentals Platforms: Google Ads (Search, Performance Max) Location: Houston, TX Account Duration: September 2025 to present (ongoing)
Leads since September 2025 are calls from ads as tracked in Google Ads. Before-us figures use the account's call and lead-form actions from that time. Direction requests, clicks to call and map views are excluded. Amounts in US dollars.