Google Ads management for UK and US businesses
Search campaigns built keyword by keyword, with negative lists from day one and conversion tracking tested before a pound is spent.
What “managed properly” means.
The actual queries are audited every week, not set-and-forget.
A growing negative list keeps junk clicks off your bill.
Tight ad groups, so the ad says what the searcher typed.
Every click lands on a page with a single job.
Conversions verified end-to-end before budget flows.
Daily caps in your own account; spend never surprises you.
Intent is the whole game.
- Search catches people already looking for you.
- Waste dies in the negative keyword list.
- Every pound maps to a query you can read.
- Keywords scale only when they pay.
Why Search comes first
Google Search reaches people who are already looking for what you sell. Somebody typing emergency plumber Leeds at eleven at night has an intent no social platform can manufacture. That intent is the entire advantage, and it's why I build Search properly before touching Display, Demand Gen or Performance Max.
Performance Max in particular has a habit of being switched on early, spending well, and telling you almost nothing about where the money went. It has its place — usually after Search is profitable and you have data worth feeding it. Not on day one.
What gets built
Keyword research and structure
- Keywords grouped into tight themes so ad copy can actually match the search
- Match types chosen deliberately — not everything dumped on broad because it's easier
- A negative keyword list from day one. This is the single biggest source of wasted spend in almost every UK account I audit: jobs, free, DIY, cheap, competitor names, and the wrong town two counties over
- Location targeting set to the areas you can actually service, with presence-based settings so you aren't paying for people merely interested in Manchester
- Ad scheduling so you aren't buying clicks at 3am when nobody can answer the phone
Ad copy and extensions
- Responsive search ads written per ad group, with pinned headlines where the message matters
- Sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, call and location extensions completed properly
- Ad copy that names the price, the area and the offer instead of "quality service, competitive rates"
Conversion tracking
Nothing goes live until a test conversion fires correctly. This sounds obvious and it is astonishing how often it isn't done — accounts optimising towards a conversion action that was never installed, or counting every page view as a lead.
- Conversion actions defined for calls, form submissions and WhatsApp clicks
- Google Tag and GA4 linked and verified
- Call tracking configured so phone enquiries are counted, not guessed
- A live test lead pushed through before spend starts
Ongoing management
- Search terms report reviewed regularly — new negatives added, wasted spend cut
- Bids and budgets adjusted around what converts, not what gets clicks
- Ad copy tested continuously, one variable at a time
- Landing page problems flagged with specific fixes rather than vague advice
- Weekly report: spend, conversions, cost per conversion, and what changed
What it costs to run
UK cost per click varies enormously by sector — from well under a pound in some trades to double figures in legal, insurance, finance and cosmetic clinics. That's why the first number we establish is what one customer is worth to you. Without it, no click price means anything.
| Sector | Sensible daily test budget |
|---|---|
| Local trades and home services | £20–£50 |
| Clinics and appointment-based services | £40–£80 |
| Legal, finance, insurance, cosmetic | £70+ |
Taking over an existing account
If you're already running ads, the first job is a review rather than a rebuild. Sometimes the structure is sound and the account just needs negatives, tracking and better copy. Sometimes it needs starting again. You'll get a straight answer either way, along with what it's currently costing you to leave things as they are.
What people ask about Google Ads.
Do I pay you the ad budget, or Google?
Google, directly. Your card sits on your own Google Ads account and you're billed by Google as normal. My fee is separate and invoiced monthly. That means you see every pound of spend in real time and you keep the account entirely if we stop working together.
Should I use Performance Max?
Eventually, possibly. Not first. Performance Max spends across every Google surface and reports back in a way that makes it hard to see what actually worked. Building Search first gives you clean data and a profitable base, which is also what makes Performance Max work better later if you add it.
How quickly will Google Ads produce enquiries?
Faster than SEO — often within the first week, because you're buying position rather than earning it. Whether those enquiries are affordable takes about a month to establish, once there's enough conversion data to judge cost per lead honestly.
Can you fix an account someone else set up?
Yes, and it's common. The review usually finds the same handful of things: no negative keyword list, conversion tracking that isn't firing, broad match everywhere, and location settings letting in traffic from outside the service area.
What's a realistic minimum budget?
Below roughly £20 a day there usually isn't enough click volume to learn anything in a reasonable timeframe, though it depends heavily on your sector's click costs. If your market is expensive and your budget is small, I'll say so rather than take the retainer.