Problem

Superior Skilled Trades (SST) connects skilled trades job seekers with companies hiring for specialized projects. While they had previously run paid advertising campaigns, their lead quality was inconsistent — most conversions were job seekers, not the B2B employers they wanted to attract.

Key challenges included:

• Low-quality leads — campaigns were generating candidates instead of employer inquiries.

• Inefficient keyword targeting — prior campaigns lacked precision in attracting decision-makers at companies.

• Weak landing page performance — existing pages weren’t optimized for conversion or tailored to high-intent B2B audiences.

SST came to us with a clear goal: drive 300+ qualified employer leads by the end of the fiscal year.

Solution

As the sole strategist and execution lead at Sure Oak for this account, I implemented a full-funnel paid search strategy designed to reach B2B decision-makers in the staffing market.

1. Refined Keyword Strategy — Conducted deep keyword research focused exclusively on high-intent employer searches (e.g., “hire electricians for projects,” “skilled trades staffing for contractors”).

2. Collaborative Validation — Reviewed and confirmed targeting strategy directly with SST leadership to ensure alignment with their ideal client profile.

3. Conversion-Optimized Landing Pages — Built new Unbounce pages featuring compelling employer-focused copy, trust signals, and direct call-to-action forms. Used the Unbounce-to-WordPress plugin to host pages on SST’s primary domain for SEO and branding benefits.

4. High-Intent Campaign Launch — Deployed B2B-focused campaigns across Google Ads and Microsoft Ads following best practices for ad structure, bidding strategies, and targeting.

5. A/B Testing & Iterative Optimization — Rolled out two phases of testing over 60–90 days, optimizing ad copy, keyword match types, and landing page layouts based on performance data.

Results

In just a few months, SST’s paid search campaigns transformed from low-quality lead generators into a consistent B2B pipeline:

• 1–2 qualified employer leads per day generated from Google Ads and Microsoft Ads.

• Significantly reduced unqualified job seeker inquiries through refined keyword targeting.

• Scalable budget expansion — campaigns are now increasing spend to capture more high-quality opportunities.

• Expanded relationship — based on results, SST invested in a full WordPress website redesign and is now exploring LinkedIn Ads for further growth.

This targeted, data-driven approach not only hit the quality benchmark SST was looking for but also set the foundation for multi-channel growth in their B2B staffing marketing.