E-Learning Google Ads: London's Expert Finder (Guide)

Finding a good Google Ads consultant in London feels like trying to find a needle in a haystack, I know. The market is saturated with people who can talk a good game but have never actually had to make payroll by selling an educational product. You're right to be cautious. The nuance of selling a course—a high-consideration, trust-based purchase—is completely different from selling a pair of trainers.

But here's the first bit of contrarian advice: your focus on finding someone *in London* might actually be holding you back. The real problem is rarely geography, especially when you're selling a digital product. The best person to help you might be in Manchester, Edinburgh, or anywhere else in the UK. What matters infinitely more than their location is their specific, verifiable experiance in the e-learning sector.

Is a London-Based Consultant Really What You Need?

Let's be blunt. In 2024, the idea that you need a local agency for a digital service is outdated. You aren't hiring a plumber. You're hiring a strategist whose work happens entirely online. The obsession with a London postcode often comes from a place of wanting accountability, of wanting to meet someone in person. But the best accountability comes from results, clear reporting, and a shared understanding of your business goals, not from being able to share a coffee in Canary Wharf.

A consultant's value isn't in their proximity to the Tube, but in their proximity to your customer's mindset. Do they understand the journey someone takes from being vaguely interested in a new skill to investing hundreds or thousands of pounds in one of your courses? Do they know how to build trust with ad copy, target the right professional anxieties on different platforms, and structure a campaign that nurtures a lead over weeks, not minutes? That’s the real expertise.

Of course, understanding the UK market is important. We're a different breed of consumer. But any competent UK-based consultant will have this knowledge. The thing is, if your campaigns are getting clicks but you find your Google Ads in London are simply not converting, the issue is almost certainly with the strategy, the offer, or the targeting—not because your consultant is based 100 miles away.

How Do You Spot a Real E-Learning Ads Expert?

This is where you need to become a forensic investigator. Forget the slick sales decks and fancy office photos. You need to dig into their track record with businesses like yours. When you ask for case studies, don't let them get away with showing you vanity metrics.

I remember one campaign for a course creator where we generated $115k in revenue in just over six weeks. For another, we hit a 447% Return On Ad Spend (ROAS) in the first week. These are the numbers that matter. They demonstrate an understanding of how to turn ad spend into actual profit for an education business. Clicks, impressions, and 'brand awareness' are mostly fluff. They don't pay the bills.

Here’s what to look for in a case study:

• The Starting Point: What problem was the client facing? Low sales? High ad costs? Inability to scale?
• The Strategy: What did the consultant actually *do*? Did they restructure campaigns? Target new audiences? Write new ad copy? This shows their thinking.
• The Results: Look for hard numbers. ROAS is the king metric. Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) or Cost Per Sale is also vital. How much did it cost to get one student?
• The Niche: How close is it to your business? Selling a £50 hobbyist course is a world away from selling a £3,000 professional certification. The closer their experience is to yours, the better.

You need to see proof that they understand the e-learning sales cycle. It's not a quick, impulsive buy. It often involves a webinar, a lead magnet, an email sequence, and multiple touchpoints. If their only experience is flogging cheap widgets on Shopify, they will almost certainly fail with your campaign.

What Questions Should You Ask on the Discovery Call?

The initial consultation is your interview. You're hiring for a critical role, so treat it that way. This is where you separate the experts from the salespeople. A good consultant will spend most of the call asking *you* questions, trying to understand your business, your student avatar, your numbers, and your goals. A bad one will spend the whole time talking about themselves and making grand promises.

Here are some questions you should be ready to ask them. Their answers will tell you everything you need to know:

1. "Based on what you know about my business, what would be your strategic approach for the first 90 days?" - This tests their strategic thinking. Are they just going to set up a basic search campaign, or do they talk about audience building, funnel stages, and testing different offers? A good answer will involve research, testing, and a phased approach.
2. "How do you measure success for an e-learning client? What are the top 2-3 metrics you'd focus on for us?" - If they say "clicks" or "impressions," end the call. The answer should be ROAS, CPA, and maybe Lead-to-Sale conversion rate. It shows they're focused on your bottom line.
3. "What's your experience with tracking for complex funnels, like those involving webinars, upsells, and recurring subscriptions?" - This is a technical question that will quickly expose a lack of depth. Selling courses isn't a simple one-click purchase. They need to understand how to track a user's journey across multiple steps to properly attribute sales.
4. "Can you show me an example of ad copy you've written for a previous education client?" - Writing for education is a specific skill. It needs to be inspiring, authoritative, and overcome skepticism. See if their style resonates and feels professional.
5. "What do you think is a realistic budget and ROAS for a course priced at £X in the UK market?" - This puts them on the spot and forces them to manage your expectations. A real expert will give you a considered range and explain the factors that influence it (competition, audience, quality of your landing page). They won't just promise you a 10x return without any data.

This whole process is a critical part of the guide to properly vetting advertising experts. Don't skip it. If their answers are vague, full of jargon, or they seem annoyed by your detailed questions, that's a massive red flag. They're not the right partner for you.

What's a Realistic Budget and Expected Return?

This is the "how long is a piece of string" question, but we can put some numbers around it. The cost to acquire a student will depend massively on the price of your course and the competitiveness of your niche. A £50 introductory course might have a target CPA of £10-£20. A £2,000 professional certification could have a viable CPA of £300-£500 if the numbers work.

The mistake most people make is focusing only on the upfront cost per sale. You need to understand your Customer Lifetime Value (LTV). Does one course purchase lead to other, more advanced course purchases down the line? If a student you acquire for £100 goes on to spend £1,000 with you over two years, that £100 acquisition cost looks like a brilliant investment.

To scale intelligently, you must know how much you can afford to spend to get a customer. Use the calculator below to get a rough idea. This simple calculation is the foundation of any successful paid advertising strategy.

How Should Your Ad Account Actually Be Set Up?

A huge mistake is just throwing up a single search campaign and hoping for the best. Selling courses requires a proper funnel. You need to attract people who are problem-aware but not yet solution-aware, nurture them, and then convert them when they are ready to buy. A good consultant will talk about structuring your account this way.

Here’s a simplified version of what that looks like on Google Ads:

This structure ensures you're not just trying to get a cold prospect to buy a £1,000 course on their first visit. You're building a relationship and demonstrating value at each step. If a potential consultant doesn't talk in these terms, they likely don't have the strategic depth you need. Getting the right campaign structure from the start is absolutely fundamental to success.

What Kind of Ads Actually Convince People to Buy a Course?

Finally, there's the creative itself. Your ads can't just list features. They have to sell a transformation. People don't buy a course on coding; they buy a new career, a higher salary, and the freedom to work remotely. Your ad copy must speak to that end goal.

A framework we often use is Problem-Agitate-Solve:

• Problem: "Tired of your marketing efforts falling flat?"
• Agitate: "Are you spending hours creating content that nobody sees, while your competitors seem to be everywhere?"
• Solve: "Our Advanced Digital Marketing course gives you the exact framework to attract clients consistently. Enrol now and land your first high-ticket client in 60 days."

Another is Before-After-Bridge:

• Before: "Your CV gets lost in a pile of 200 other applicants."
• After: "Imagine recruiters reaching out to *you* for top roles."
• Bridge: "Our Project Management Certification is the bridge. It's the qualification that gets your CV to the top of the pile."

The best ads use student testimonials, showcase the 'after' state, and have a very clear call to action. It’s not just about what you teach, but what your teaching *enables*. A consultant who understands this will write ads that connect on an emotional level, which is what's required to make a high-ticket sale. We've actually compiled a few examples of some of London's best ad creatives for online course sales if you're looking for some inspiration.

So, What's the Plan?

Finding the right partner is a process of systematic vetting. It's about shifting your focus from location to proven, niche-specific expertise. It requires you to ask the right questions, analyse their past work critically, and ensure they have a strategic, funnel-based approach.

This is the main advice I have for you:

Navigating this on your own can be daunting, and making the wrong hire can set you back thousands of pounds and months of wasted time. An expert partner can help you bypass the costly trial-and-error phase and implement a proven strategy from day one.

If you'd like a second pair of eyes on your current situation or want to discuss a potential strategy for your courses, we offer a free, no-obligation 20-minute consultation. We can take a look at your account, discuss your goals, and give you some actionable advice you can use right away, whether you decide to work with us or not. Sometimes, just having a chat with someone who's been there and done it can provide the clarity you need to move forward.