From a One-Man Etsy Shop to a 13-Person Catholic Brand
$4K → $40K+
monthly revenue, early 2025 to 2026
1 → 13
team size, from a one-man shop (owner, Jan 2026)
10 → 268
monthly Google Ads conversions, Nov 2024 to Apr 2026
4.2 to 5.0
Performance Max ROAS every month, Oct 2025 to Feb 2026
−89%
cost per conversion, $191.87 to $21.90 (Nov 2024 to Jan 2026)
Intro
The Client
Runewood Rosary Co. is a Catholic-owned maker of handmade wooden rosaries, crucifixes and devotional gifts. Owner Brett Hershberger started out selling on Etsy by himself, and customers loved the work. Bend partnered with Runewood from 2024 to 2026 on SEO, Google Ads, email, social and Shopify site work.
From about $4K a month in early 2025 to consistently near $40K a month. Figures are approximate.
Shopify total sales of $126,389 from Jan 1 to Mar 26, 2026, up 774% over the same stretch of 2025 (Jan 2 to Mar 27, 2025). Source: Shopify.
Problem
The Problem
Getting seen was the hard part. Brett had a product people wanted, but almost no one could find it outside Etsy. “That was next to impossible before finding Bend Marketing,” he said.
Doing ads alone hadn’t worked. Brett once tried Google Ads on his own, spent about $1,000 and got “not a single conversion.”
Small organic footprint. In early 2025 the store made around $4,000 a month and ranked for about 200 keywords.
Paid ads had to start from zero. When we launched Google Ads in November 2024, the first month brought 10 conversions at $191.87 each.
Cost per conversion fell 89%, from $191.87 in Nov 2024 to $21.90 in Jan 2026. Source: Google Ads.
Solution
How We Solved It
Built pages people were already searching for. We created SEO collection pages for high-intent searches like crucifixes and centerpieces, then wrote saint and Catholic history content that brings in new visitors all year.
Rebuilt Google Shopping and Performance Max. We reviewed search terms every week, cut waste and moved budget toward the products that sold.
Made the store easier to buy from. We simplified the navigation, improved product pages and tested changes that helped visitors check out.
Added email and social. We launched Klaviyo nurture flows and regular newsletters, and supported Runewood’s Instagram and TikTok with short videos.
Tested new markets carefully. We piloted Canada and Australia campaigns while keeping the U.S. as the core.
Google Ads conversions grew from 10 a month (Nov 2024) to a record 268 (Apr 2026). Source: Google Ads.
Results
The Results
$72,374 in Shopify total sales from May 1 to 28, 2026, up 363% over May 1 to 28, 2025. Source: Shopify.
Year to date through May 28, 2026: $284.8K in total sales, 2,568 orders and 69.4K store sessions. Source: Shopify.
Total store sales up 77%, sessions up 39% and conversion rate up 38%, last 90 days vs. prior 90 (report dated Jul 31, 2025). Source: Shopify.
Ranking keywords grew from about 200 (Apr 2025, approx.) to 951 (Mar 2026). Source: Semrush.
Ranking keywords climbed month after month, reaching about 1.2K in May 2026 (Jun 2025 to May 2026 shown). Source: Semrush.
15.9K Google search clicks and 956K impressions at an average position of 7.6, over the 12 months to late May 2026. Source: Google Search Console.
Revenue grew from about $4K a month to consistently near $40K a month.
Google Ads conversions grew from 10 to 268 a month (Nov 2024 to Apr 2026), and cost per conversion dropped 89% (Nov 2024 to Jan 2026).
Performance Max returned $4.24 to $4.97 for every $1 spent every month from October 2025 through February 2026.
Total sales rose 77% in the 90 days ending July 2025, with sessions up 39% and conversion rate up 38%. About 64% of store sales came from Google Ads.
15.9K Google search clicks and 956K impressions in the 12 months to May 2026, and ranking keywords grew from about 200 to 951 (Apr 2025 to Mar 2026).
Email became a real sales channel. Five campaigns in May 2026 brought in 32 orders, and the nurture flow had a 54% open rate.
November 2025 set a record, and 2026 kept topping it.
“When I started with Bend, I was a one-man show. And now I have 13 people working for me. … Once they dialed everything in, it was like everything they touched turned to gold.”
Brett Hershberger, Owner, Runewood Rosary Co.
“I had to turn advertising off on my Etsy account because the SEO exposure I was getting from Bend [brought] too many orders to fulfill.”
Brett Hershberger
Running a Catholic brand or ministry?
Runewood grew because search, ads and email all pointed the same way. If you have a product Catholics love but can’t get it in front of them, let’s talk. See our Catholic marketing services.
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