Built for Business, Not the Algorithm

The Challenge

Stowe Family Law, the UK's largest specialist family law firm, set a bold goal to double in size by 2029 following private-equity investment. With around 90% of new enquiries generated through digital, paid search was critical. Despite one of the largest search budgets in the professional services sector, performance had stalled — cost-per-lead was climbing, lead quality declining, and volume had plateaued.

The Strategy

In Digital was engaged to transform Stowe's lead generation strategy — not by increasing spend, but by rebuilding paid search around lead quality, regional performance, and business outcomes.

Execution and Innovation

A deliberate move away from generic platform defaults and automated algorithms in favour of human-led precision.

Results

Filtered Enquiries rose by 30.3%, more than 50% above the growth target. Cost per Filtered Enquiry fell by 37.5% (from £329.74 to £205.90). Enquiry volume grew 9% and the Filtered Enquiry rate improved from 23.68% to 28.42% — all without any extra media spend.

Judge's Verdict

"A highly effective restructuring with a strict focus on efficiency — without simply ramping up ad spend."

"A smart regional approach to avoiding waste and a clear demonstration that focused human-led precision outperforms platform defaults."