1,768% ROAS: How Google Demand Gen Outperformed Traditional Search Ads
Google Demand Gen delivered 1,768% ROAS for a roofing company — outperforming traditional Google Search ads by 23x. Here's how we did it.
Book a Discovery CallThe Experiment: Three Channels, One Market
During April 2024, an Orlando roofing company was running ads across three channels simultaneously: Google Search managed by another agency, Google Demand Gen managed by Volume Up, and Facebook/Meta managed by Volume Up.
This created a rare apples-to-apples comparison between Google's traditional search ads, Google's newer Demand Gen format, and Meta's lead generation ads — all targeting the same market at the same time.
| Metric | Google Search (Other Agency) |
Google Demand Gen (Volume Up) |
Facebook/Meta (Volume Up) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ad Spend | $5,867 | $3,655 | $8,674 |
| Leads | 41 | 30 | 105 |
| Cost Per Lead | $143 | $122 | $83 |
| Sales | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Revenue | $4,500 | $64,624 | $143,072 |
| ROAS | 76.7% | 1,768% | 1,649% |
Why Demand Gen Worked
Google Demand Gen is a relatively new ad format that shows visual, intent-driven ads across YouTube, Gmail, and Google Discover. Think of it as bridging Facebook's visual reach with Google's intent signals.
Most roofing companies either run Google Search ads (high intent, high cost) or Facebook ads (low cost, lower intent). Demand Gen occupies the sweet spot: you are reaching people who have demonstrated interest through their search and browsing behavior, but you are reaching them with the kind of visual creative that works on social platforms.
Key Takeaway
Google Demand Gen delivered a 43% lead-to-candidate rate vs. 16% on Facebook. Fewer leads, but significantly higher quality. When you combine this with a $122 CPL, you get the best cost-per-qualified-lead of any channel.
The Quality Gap
The standout number is not the ROAS — it is the lead-to-candidate conversion rate. Demand Gen leads converted to qualified candidates at 43%, compared to 16% for Facebook leads. That means nearly half of every Demand Gen lead was a real homeowner with a real roofing need.
This is the power of intent-based targeting. Google knows what people are searching for, reading about, and watching on YouTube. When you layer roofing-specific creative on top of that intent data, you get leads that are further down the buying journey before they ever fill out your form.
What Happened to Google Search?
The other agency's Google Search campaigns spent $5,867 and generated 41 leads at $143 each. Only one of those leads turned into a sale worth $4,500 — resulting in a 76.7% ROAS, which means the client lost money on every dollar spent.
This is a common pattern we see. Search ads in competitive roofing markets are expensive and attract tire-kickers who are price-shopping multiple contractors. Without a feedback loop to optimize for the leads that actually close, the algorithm keeps finding more of the wrong people.
The Multi-Channel Advantage
The best results come from running both Facebook and Google Demand Gen together. Facebook generates volume at a low CPL ($83), while Demand Gen generates fewer but higher-quality leads. Together, Volume Up's two channels produced 8 sales and $207,696 in revenue from $12,329 in ad spend — a combined ROAS of 1,684%.
Meanwhile, the competitor's Google Search ads produced 1 sale and lost money.
The lesson: the channel matters less than the system behind it. Volume Up's Feedback Loop ensures every channel optimizes for closed deals, not just form fills.
More Proof
Every case study below uses real client data — ad spend in, revenue out.
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Read case study →Results Disclaimer
The results shown on this page are from real client campaigns with real ad spend and real revenue numbers. Your results will vary. We cannot and do not guarantee that you will achieve the same numbers. Every market is different, every sales team is different, and every business is at a different stage.
The clients featured here put in the work on their end — they answered their phones, followed up with leads quickly, reported dispositions consistently, and had sales processes in place. Marketing generates opportunities. What you do with those opportunities determines your results.
If you are not willing to invest in ad spend, follow up with leads, and work with us on weekly optimizations, do not expect results like these. We are showing you what is possible when both sides execute — not making a promise about what will happen for you.
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