If you're searching for a PPC agency in the UK, you'll find a huge range of companies and directories coming up in Google. It can be hard to choose when there are so many options. As a PPC agency ourselves, we like to think we know a thing or two about what makes a good agency so in this article we've compiled a list of 10 of the best PPC/Google Ads agencies in the UK.
Why PPC?
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is one of the main pillars of digital marketing and includes Google Shopping, Display & Remarketing Ads, Bing Advertising and YouTube Advertising. Unlike other digital marketing strategies, which can take time to build momentum, PPC has the potential to give you much faster results. It's incredibly measurable, and it's also really flexible - you can adjust your budgets and campaigns in real time to adjust to your business circumstances. PPC can also be used to support your digital marketing strategy by building brand awareness, drawing attention to campaigns, and boosting website traffic – leading to an overall lift in marketing ROI.
Why work with a PPC agency vs Managing It In-House?
Any business can dabble in PPC through Google Ads - with the help of Google's online set-up guides, campaign recommendations and their customer services team you can get up and running. However, in our experience this rarely, if ever, leads to optimum results. Google Ads has become increasingly sophisticated and complex over the years - the number of different controls and options is now as complex as the control panel in the cockpit of an aeroplane. And it keeps changing - Google is constantly bringing out new features and updates to the Google Ads platform.
Not just that, getting results with Google Ads requires more than knowledge of the platform itself - you also need to understand how to optimise website pages & landing pages, how to write compelling ad copy, and an understanding of sales psychology. In other words, you need to really understand marketing strategy as a whole to get the best results.
It also requires constant monitoring. Recently, we've reviewed the Google Ads account which has been managed by an ex-Google employee - so it could hardly have been run by someone with less experience. Nevertheless, we found that the account was wasting money and under performing in many ways. This is because the individual running the account, despite their experience, had little to no time to actively manage the account - so as a result, it had drifted. In order to make PPC really work for your business, you need your ads to be actively managed - and by someone who has the right experience, knowledge and expertise.
The chances are that you don't have that person in-house - and that it would be more cost effective to hire an agency than to try and hire a full-time employee. A good PPC agency will help you maximise your ad budget, help you stay on top of all of the changes, and help you achieve a return on ad spend which you can then scale up to help your business grow.
What To Look For In A PPC Agency
Finding the right PPC agency is not easy - they all promise to be 'results-driven' and to give you a 'return on investment'. They mostly have good reviews and various industry accreditations.
As you look at some of the agencies listed below, you'll notice most are Google Partners, and some are Google Premier Partners. To become a Google Partner, the ad accounts you manage have to meet certain standards, and you need to pass a number of certification tests. You also have to manage a certain amount of ad spend with your clients - and the main difference with Google Premier Partners is that they will be managing higher levels of ad spend. Agencies that work with bigger brands are more likely to be Premier Partners as they will be managing bigger budgets.
You'll also notice that some are specialist PPC agencies, and some provide other digital marketing services. If you have a marketing department and are just looking to outsource the specialist skill required to manage your PPC then a PPC-only agency could be right for you. If you need wider help with your marketing either now or in the future, then it may be better to work with an agency that can also run your SEO, optimise your website, develop your marketing strategy, and so on.
You'll also want to look at the case studies, reviews and example results. Are they companies like yours, in terms of size or industry? How long have they been around? How big is the team?
And finally, you'll want to simply talk to them and see if they seem like good people to work with. If you have an existing Google Ads account, ask for a review (at JDR we offer a FREE Google Ads review). Ask about staff turnover (how likely is it that you'll experience changes in your account manager/campaign manager?), about what to expect in terms of reporting and communication, and ask about how they approach campaigns which aren't getting results or clients that aren't happy.
JDR Group As A PPC Agency
We haven't included ourselves on the list below but we do provide PPC management services including display advertising and remarketing. We're a slightly different proposition from the agencies listed below, in that with JDR:
- You'll be working with small & medium sized business specialists - if you're a business that doesn't have your own in-house marketing department (or even anyone at all in marketing), then we're a great fit for you. As we don't work with the big brands or corporates, our services are completely designed around small to medium-sized businesses like yours.
- Your PPC will be part of an overall sales & marketing strategy - SME's sometimes find they don't get the results they want from Google Ads/PPC. This is usually a question of strategy - our background in business coaching means we approach every campaign from a business perspective. Read more here about our proven sales & marketing system.
- It'll be fully measured - we use call tracking and a CRM system to be able to track and measure every single lead generated - and which ones convert into sales so we can optimise your PPC for maximum revenue.
JDR Group are a Google Partner, and have managed PPC campaigns for SMEs for more than 10 years now. You can see some of our reviews and case studies to see how we help business to grow.
Beyond PPC services, we can help develop your marketing strategy, sales strategy, implement a CRM system & marketing automation. And we can design a comprehensive marketing programme for you which can include a range of digital marketing services, including SEO, social media marketing, email marketing, web design, conversion rate optimisation and content marketing.
You can book a call with one of our specialists for an initial discovery meeting to explore how we can help your business - or use our free marketing pricing calculator here to get an initial idea of budget. We also offer a FREE Google Ads review if you are already running ads - you can get a good third-party critique of how well set up and managed your account is.
12 Top PPC Agencies in the UK:
The following PPC agencies are twelve of the top agencies in the UK. They are not presented in any particular order, but all are established UK PPC advertising agencies.
- Push Group: Google Premier Partner based in London. Established in 2007, their clients include Stagecoach, the Natural History Museum and Jelly Belly.
- Seed: PPC company based in Brighton, Seed offers organic search and social media marketing alongside PPC and have won multiple industry awards.
- PPC Geeks: PPC geeks are a paid search agency that specialises exclusively in PPC services, offering PPC management on Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Amazon, and Instagram. They have offices in Liverpool, Manchester, London & Cumbria.
- Amplifyd: a Google Partner agency established in 2016. A finalist in the European Search Awards 2019.
- Maple Forest: a specialist PPC agency based in London, providing paid ads management for Google and Bing but also social media advertising including Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Facebook & Instagram.
- Pepper: a specialist PPC-only agency with offices in London & Leeds. Specialises solely in PPC services for Google and social media.
- Tug: large international marketing agency with offices in London, New York, Toronto, Singapore, Sydney, and Berlin. Tug provide digital marketing services beyond PPC including content marketing, SEO and creative design.
- Greenlight: a London-based digital marketing agency with a portfolio of high-profile clients in the retail and banking sectors which have been shortlisted for a number of industry awards.
- Run PPC: is an exclusive PPC specialist founded by former Google employees and focusing primarily on Google Ads management. Based in London with a UK-wide customer base.
- Loud Mouth Media: Google Premier Partner agency with offices in London, Glasgow, Belfast & Dublin. Clients include Harry Cole & the AA.
- Impression: Digital marketing agency with services including SEO, PR and conversion rate optimisation, they have won awards for their PPC services.
- Soap Media: A digital marketing agency with offices in Manchester and Preston. Clients include Money Supermarket.
PPC As Part Of Your Marketing Strategy
Over the past few years, we've interviewed hundreds of small and medium sized business owners. One question we ask regularly is 'what's your biggest marketing challenge?'
The top answer is usually 'getting more leads!' - the second most common answer, however, is getting a strategy:
The mistake often made is to spend money on marketing tactics like Google Ads, without having an overall marketing strategy. Without an overall strategy, your keywords may not attract the right type of customers, your website may not convert, your sales process may not convert the leads you generate, and you may not get the return on investment you really want.
From working with businesses on their sales and marketing since 2004, we have developed a unique 6-step system to help you get the most out of PPC & Google Ads but as part of an overall marketing system. Learn more in this video.
Looking for a PPC Agency?
We didn't include ourselves on the list above, but if you want to discuss how PPC can strengthen and support your digital marketing strategy, speak to one of our PPC team a call at JDR Group. We are a Certified Google Partner Agency with experience delivering successful, high-quality PPC advertising campaigns for SMEs alongside Google-approved training, support, and consultancy.
Find out more
For more information about pay-per-click advertising and how to increase your leads and conversions from Google Ads, please book a meeting with one of our PPC specialists today or give us a call on 01332 343281.
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