What I Learned From My Paid Ads Campaign

Minichamps Ford Escort RS Cosworth model car in studio.

Paid advertising can be a powerful tool. But only if you know how to track, measure, and adapt. On July 6th, 2025, I launched a Meta Ads and Google Ads campaign: one to promote my Vivid Auto Photography eBay case study article, and another to drive leads to my free newsletter.

The goal wasn’t instant sales. Instead, I wanted to drive targeted traffic to my Wix website and encourage visitors to sign up for my newsletter, where I run A/B email tests to sharpen my marketing skills.

How I Prepared My Paid Ads Campaign

Preparing an AutoArt Ford Escort RS Cosworth Rally Car for studio photography

Before launch, I:

• Defined my audiences – hobbyists, collectors, and motorsport fans for the article; eBay sellers and small business owners for the service ad.

• Set budgets – £4.30/day for the article (ad credits), £12.80/day for the service (paid budget).

• Crafted creatives – clean product shots for the article, service-focused imagery for the offer.

• Optimised landing pages – using Hotjar heatmaps and session recordings, I refined the layout and repositioned my call-to-action (CTA) to make newsletter sign-ups more prominent.

• Optimised Google Ads targeting – Focused campaigns on major UK cities to maximise reach while controlling budget, and tapped into the model car niche with relevant keywords like “Selling a model car collection”.

  
  

Results & Insights

Meta Ads Paid Ads results: 15,220 impressions and 446 total clicks

• Article Campaign (Meta Ads) – £127.50 ad credit → 15,220 impressions and 446 clicks; boosted article views to 1,318.

  

  Google Ads Paid Ads results: 121,242 impressions and 1,544 total clicks

• Leads Campaign (Google Ads) – £256.91 → 121,242 impressions and 1,544 clicks; clicks were more qualified, showing stronger buying intent.

• Hotjar’s impact – Heatmaps revealed that many users were scrolling past my original CTA, moving it higher and making it more visually distinct, which improved click-through to the newsletter sign-up form.

Key takeaways:

1. Data-driven UX changes matter – Optimising the user journey with Hotjar directly improved campaign effectiveness.

2. Content vs. Offer – Awareness ads drive cheaper clicks; direct offers bring higher-intent visitors.

3. Keyword exclusions in Google Ads save money – Removing irrelevant search terms like “Sell My Car” and “Model Cars For Sale” improved click quality and reduced wasted spend.

4. Direct ad platform use saves budget – Running ads in Google Ads and Meta Ads directly avoids Wix Ads’ extra 15% commission plus 20% VAT.

5. Email list growth is long-term value – Every sign-up was a future A/B test opportunity and a potential client lead.

This campaign proved that ads, UX optimisation, and innovative targeting refinements work best together. By combining Meta Ads, Google Ads, and Hotjar insights, I turned paid traffic into lasting audience growth and gathered the data to make my next campaign even stronger.

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What are your key takeaways from this article about my paid ads campaign?

Let me know in the comments below.