Why PPC Requires Foundation First
Paid advertising is an accelerant. Pour money into ads before your website converts, and you’re just burning cash faster. This is the reality: when your landing pages don’t sell, you’re simply accelerating your losses.
This is why I only take on PPC work for businesses that have:
- A website that converts. Proper service pages, clear calls to action, fast load times.
- Tracking in place. I can measure what happens after the click.
- A realistic budget. Enough to gather data and optimise (typically £1,000-3,000/month ad spend minimum).
If you’re not there yet, the Growth Partner service builds that foundation. Once it’s solid, paid ads become a multiplier rather than a money pit.
The Real Problem with DIY Ads
Most in-house Google Ads management fails for three reasons:
You’re burning money on clicks that never convert. Without a proper conversion tracking setup and dedicated landing pages, you’re sending paid traffic to pages that don’t match what people searched for. They click, bounce, and you pay for nothing.
You can’t tell what actually works. No proper tracking means you’re flying blind. You see clicks and impressions but can’t connect them to real enquiries or sales. So you can’t tell which campaigns are profitable and which are vanity metrics.
Campaigns drift without management. Set a campaign up in January and come back six months later? Wasted budget. Markets shift, competitor bids rise, your keywords drift into the wrong searches. That’s why “set-and-forget” campaigns cost you thousands in wasted spend.
What I Actually Do
Campaign Strategy and Structure
I structure campaigns around your most valuable services and locations. Not just throwing keywords at Google and hoping. Strategic account structure that makes ongoing optimisation possible.
Keyword Research and Targeting
I find the terms your customers actually search for, not the ones you think they should. This means higher quality traffic and lower cost per click.
Ad Copywriting and Testing
Headlines and descriptions matter. I write ads that match intent, test variations, and pause what’s not performing. Better ads means more clicks per pound spent.
Conversion Tracking Setup
Every campaign starts here: what counts as a conversion for your business? Phone call? Form submission? Booking? I set up proper tracking in Google Analytics 4 and Google Ads before spending your first pound.
Landing Page Recommendations
Sending paid traffic to your homepage is like paying for a billboard that points at your entire building. I create or recommend specific landing pages that match search intent and drive action.
Bid Management and Optimisation
PPC isn’t set-and-forget. I review search terms weekly, adjust bids based on what’s working, and pause keywords that drain budget without delivering results. Your money goes to what actually generates enquiries.
Monthly Performance Reporting
Clear reporting on spend, conversions, cost per acquisition, and ROI. You know exactly where every pound went and what it generated.
Budget Allocation Guidance
If you’re running multiple campaigns, I help you allocate budget to your best-performing services and locations rather than spreading thinly across everything.
What’s Included
A typical PPC engagement includes:
- Campaign audit (if existing): Where is budget being wasted?
- Account structure: Campaigns, ad groups, keyword organisation
- Ad creation: Headlines, descriptions, extensions
- Tracking setup: Google Analytics 4, conversion tracking, call tracking
- Landing page guidance: Recommendations or builds depending on scope
- Weekly optimisation: Search term review, bid adjustments, ad testing
- Monthly reporting: Clear metrics on spend, conversions, and cost per acquisition
How This Works
PPC management is available as:
- Project engagement: Campaign setup and initial optimisation (£3,000-5,000+)
- Monthly retainer: Ongoing management and optimisation (from £1,500/month)
This is separate from ad spend, which goes directly to Google.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I spend on ads? Depends on your market and goals. Most local service businesses need £1,500-3,000/month in ad spend to gather enough data for meaningful optimisation. Less than that and you’re guessing.
How long until I see results? You’ll see traffic immediately. Conversions typically start within the first month, but expect 2-3 months of optimisation before the campaign is truly dialled in.
Why not just do this myself? You can. Google makes it easy to start. They make it harder to do well. Most DIY campaigns waste 30-50% of budget on poor targeting, bad keywords, and no optimisation. The management fee pays for itself if I save you that waste.
Do you guarantee results? I guarantee the work gets done properly. I can’t guarantee Google’s auction or your market’s competitiveness. What I can show you is exactly where every pound went and what it generated.
Is This Right for You?
This service is designed for businesses that:
- Already have a website that converts organic traffic
- Want to accelerate growth beyond what SEO alone provides
- Have budget for both management and meaningful ad spend
- Understand PPC is a long game of testing and optimisation
Not sure if you’re ready? Book a Growth Assessment and I’ll evaluate whether your foundation supports paid traffic, or whether I need to build that first.
