+118%
Year-over-year
lead growth
-46%
Lower
cost per lead
2.5x
Higher
conversion rate
Starting point
Three years of continuous growth in the US real estate market
Homestead Road is one of the leading players in the real estate market in Minnesota, specifically in the Minneapolis area. For three years now, we have been their right hand in marketing, helping them attract exactly the leads they need. Over this period, we have delivered steady year-over-year growth and helped cement their position among the largest home-buying companies in the region.
Spring, from April through June, is the peak demand season in the US real estate market. In 2025, however, the client came to us with far more ambitious business goals than in previous years.
The task was to significantly increase the volume of high-quality leads during this critical period, when both domestic buyers and investors from around the world enter the market.
The challenge
Goals grew faster than the budget
Ahead of the crucial 2025 spring season, we had to fundamentally rethink our strategy. While the traditional approach had worked reliably in previous years, it could no longer deliver the newly set targets.
There was also a gap between the client’s business ambitions and the funds available. This was not something that could be solved simply by optimizing the existing campaigns.
The situation in numbers
Historical growth (2022–2024)
Over the previous three years, we consistently delivered 15–20% year-over-year growth. This growth was the result of continuous optimization, for example:
- improving Quality Score in 2023 reduced CPC by 12%,
- expanding remarketing in 2024 increased the conversion rate by 8%.
These incremental steps formed the foundation of our past success and represented a sustainable pace of growth.
Target growth for 2025
The client set an ambitious goal: a year-over-year increase in qualified leads of more than 50%. The target reflected a specific business opportunity:
- preparing to expand into other cities in Minnesota,
- expectations of the strongest spring season in a decade.
The combination of low interest rates and growing mobility created ideal conditions. Hitting the target would move Homestead Road from a strong regional player to a clear market leader.
Available budget
A 20% increase in ad spend was approved compared to the previous year. This was a fixed cap aligned with the cash flow plan, and the CFO made it clear that any solution had to work strictly within that amount.
On top of that, the funds had to be allocated across the three months of the spring season (April–June), when the real estate market sees 65% of its annual volume. There was no room for lengthy testing.
Growth without losing efficiency seemed impossible
If campaign efficiency stayed the same, a 20% budget increase would deliver at most 20–25% more leads – leaving us almost halfway short of the target.
We could have gone down the path of aggressive scaling – raising bids, broadening targeting and increasing daily budgets – but that would only have produced a short-term spike in leads at the cost of a dramatic rise in cost per lead. The budget would have run out in the first few weeks of the spring season, so we had to take a smarter approach.
We were facing a paradox
Grow leads by 50% vs. a budget increase of only 20%
We needed to generate significantly more leads, but we couldn’t pay more for them than before. In fact, we had to bring the cost per lead down even further to stay within budget. The answer couldn’t be to spend more – it had to be finding untapped segments or channels with an inherently better cost-to-performance ratio.
The key to success couldn’t be “more of the same” – it had to be finding a more efficient channel or segment that would allow a dramatic reduction in cost per lead while maintaining, or ideally improving, lead quality.
Time was tight – the spring season was fast approaching.
HOMESTEAD ROAD
Real estate agency in St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Insight
Data analysis revealed untapped potential at the top of the funnel
A detailed analysis of search queries revealed an interesting trend. Top-of-funnel keywords were showing growing search volume:
"What is my house worth right now"
"Home value by address"
At first, these queries drove non-converting traffic, as users were mainly looking for price information rather than actively looking to sell their property.
We decided to test this segment
The first wave of campaigns, which sent users to the website’s homepage, generated only a handful of conversions.
The reason was clear – user expectations simply didn’t match what they found on the site. People were looking for a tool to quickly find out what their property was worth, but landed on a generic homepage without that functionality.
Still, the numbers didn’t discourage us, because we saw potential in the data. We confirmed that the key to success lies not only in competing for customers who are already ready to act, but in reaching people throughout their entire decision-making journey. To scale performance over the long term, it’s essential to work with the full purchase funnel – not just with high-intent queries at the bottom.
Solution
A dedicated landing page optimized for the upper-funnel segment
Together with the client, we created a dedicated landing page (homesteadroad.com/home-sale-calculator) tailored precisely to the identified segment of upper-funnel queries.
While the original homepage addressed a broad audience with general messaging, the new page solved one specific problem: calculating a property’s value.
The psychology behind the design
The key insight lay in the page name itself. Users searching for “what is my house worth” or “home value by address” are primarily looking for a calculator or tool, not immediate contact with a real estate company.
The URL “/home-sale-calculator” matched this expectation perfectly. Users clicked thinking “I’ll get a valuation” – and that’s exactly what the page promised, with no unnecessary obstacles.
Whereas the homepage came across as “We’re ready to buy your house”, the new landing page said: “We’ll help you find out what it’s worth, no strings attached.” This shift in messaging was crucial – people who were just starting to weigh their options were no longer afraid to take that first step.
Technical implementation
The page was designed with a focus on fast load times and mobile responsiveness. The form included only the essential fields (property address and contact details), which minimized friction for users and increased form completion and submission rates. Every element on the page pointed to a single action: filling in the form to get a valuation.
At the same time, we retested ad formats that hadn’t delivered the desired results in the past – especially a Performance Max campaign focused on the Google Display Network. Combined with the new landing page, these campaigns finally had the chance to show their potential.
Original landing page
- Generic messaging: “We buy houses for cash since 2007”
- An explanation of the whole process (3 steps), but no clear primary action
- Emphasis on the “Feel the Joy” experience and testimonials
- Contact form placed at the very bottom of the page
Updated landing page
- Page name as the value proposition: “Home Sale Calculator” – exactly what users were searching for
- Immediate focus: Form placed above the fold – the first thing users see
- Clear CTA: “Fill in this form, and our team will reach out within 24 hours” – a specific timeline
- Lower barrier to entry: “Calculator” promises a tool, not a sales pitch
- Transparency: “Fair, no obligation offer” + “we show you how we arrived at the number”
- Streamlined content: Fewer distractions, a clear path to conversion
Results
The results far exceeded the original goals
Launching the dedicated landing page, combined with rethinking our ad formats, delivered measurable improvements across all key metrics.
The new strategy not only met the client’s ambitious requirements – in several areas, it significantly exceeded them.
+118%
Year-over-year
lead growth
-46%
Lower
cost per lead
2.5x
Higher
conversion rate
Homestead Road generated more than twice the volume of qualified leads at nearly half the cost per lead. This means every dollar invested delivered a significantly higher return than in the previous period.
The new landing page doubled the conversion rate, confirming our hypothesis about untapped potential at the top of the purchase funnel. With a budget increase of just 20%, we achieved growth that a standard approach would have required at least twice the investment to match.
What the client says
Working with your team has been smooth and effective. I appreciate the proactive approach, clear communication, and the results we’ve achieved together. Looking forward to continuing our cooperation.
Nikolai Strakh
Marketing Director
