The Client
SD Auto Glass & Tint is a San Diego window tint and auto glass shop; we took over their Google Ads in May 2026 and grew calls from the ads from 12 in the first month to 78 in the fourth. The shop is based in the Sorrento Mesa and Miramar area and has served San Diego for over 20 years: car window tinting, Tesla tinting, paint protection film, windshield replacement and repair, and power window repair.
Every lead on this page is a phone call from the ads.
12 calls in May 2026. 78 in August, at under a third of the old cost per call.
The Challenge
Window tint and auto glass are crowded, price-shopped categories in San Diego:
- Dozens of tint shops bid on the same "window tint near me" and "Tesla tint" searches across the county.
- An account with history. The Google Ads account had been run by other agencies since 2017, with a long trail of old campaigns and conversion actions.
- Expensive calls. Before we took over, a call from the ads cost about $108 and a click about $12.
- Mixed services. Tint, PPF and glass repair attract different buyers at different prices, and one budget has to cover them.
What We Built
1. A Clean Window Tint Search Campaign
We rebuilt the account around one San Diego window tint Search campaign, written for the searches that turn into booked tint jobs: car window tint, Tesla tint and ceramic tint, in the shop's service area.
2. A PPF Test, Then Consolidation
A separate paint protection film campaign ran from May to July 2026. It produced 8 calls on $3,308. Window tint search was producing calls at a fraction of that cost, so we paused PPF and put the whole budget behind tint.
3. Calls Counted, Taps Excluded
Only real phone calls from the ads count as conversions. Taps on a phone number are not counted, so Google's bidding learns from actual conversations.
4. Daily Optimization via Ad Campaign Concierge™
The account is reviewed daily through our proprietary Ad Campaign Concierge™ system: search-term mining and negative keywords, bid and budget adjustments, and budget moved to the hours and searches that produce calls.
The Results
- 186 calls from the ads from May to September 2026
- Calls a month: 12 in May, 28 in June, 44 in July and 78 in August, six and a half times the first month
- September: the budget was pulled back to about $22 a day, and the account still produced 24 calls at $27 each
Cheaper Calls Every Month
In May and June 2026, a call cost $151 to $164 while the account was rebuilt. By August it cost $31, and $27 in September. In August and September together, 102 calls cost $3,085, about $30 each.
What Improved
The last three months before we took over (January to March 2025) against August and September 2026:
| Metric | Jan to Mar 2025 (before us) | Aug to Sep 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per call | $108 | $30 | 72% lower |
| Cost per click | $11.92 | $7.51 | 37% lower |
| Clicks that became a call | 11.0% | 24.8% | 2.3x |
Click-through rate rose too, from 4.7% in our first month to 6.1% in August and September. Cheaper clicks, and more than twice as many of them turning into a phone call: that is where the drop in cost per call comes from.
Key Takeaways
- An old account can be turned around fast. A clean rebuild cut the cost per call from $108 to about $30 in four months.
- Test, then consolidate. The PPF test was cheap to run and told us where the budget belonged.
- Count calls, not taps. Bidding on real calls is what more than doubled the share of clicks that become a call.
- Google Ads for window tint works on a small budget once waste is cut: $22 a day still produced 24 calls in September.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a phone call from Google Ads cost a window tint shop?
Before we took over, SD Auto Glass & Tint paid about $108 per call (January to March 2025). In our first months, while the account was rebuilt, a call cost $151 to $164. It fell to $31 in August 2026 and $27 in September; August and September together averaged about $30 a call.
How quickly do Google Ads for window tint start producing calls?
Calls came in from the first month: 12 in May 2026. The account produced 28 in June, 44 in July and 78 in August, 186 calls from May to September.
How much should a tint shop spend on Google Ads?
SD Auto Glass & Tint spent $13,563 from May to September 2026, between about $650 and $4,600 a month. At $27 to $31 per call in August and September, a small daily budget still keeps the phone ringing.
Should paint protection film get its own campaign?
We tested a separate PPF search campaign from May to July 2026. It produced 8 calls on $3,308, while window tint search produced calls far more cheaply, so we paused PPF and moved the budget into window tint.
About This Campaign
This account is managed daily through Ad Campaign Concierge™, our proprietary optimization system for lead generation.
Industry: Automotive Services: Window Tint & Auto Glass Platforms: Google Ads (Search) Location: San Diego, CA (Sorrento Mesa / Miramar) Account Duration: May 2026 to present (ongoing)
Leads are phone calls from the ads as tracked in Google Ads. Phone-number taps and website phone-number clicks are excluded. Amounts in US dollars.