Google Ads UK: Expert Guide for Online Course Creators

Let's be brutally honest. You've poured your heart, soul, and probably a worrying amount of caffeine into creating an online course. You know it can change peoples lives or careers. But when it comes to advertising it, you're chucking money at Google Ads and getting absolutely nothing back but a lighter bank account and a growing sense of dread. You've spoken to a few UK agencies, and they all sound the same—promising the world but their proposals feel like they've just copied and pasted it from the last plumber they spoke to.

The problem is, they don't get it. They don't understand that selling a course isn't like selling a widget or booking a sales demo. You're selling a transformation, a future version of someone. The journey from a curious searcher to an enrolled student is nuanced, and a generic Google Ads strategy will fail. Every. Single. Time. It leads to wasted ad spend and enrolment numbers that are frankly, embarassing.

I've seen this play out countless times. Founders with brilliant courses are let down by agencies that apply a one-size-fits-all template. So, what follows isn't more fluff. It's a founder's framework for vetting Google Ads experts in the UK, specifically for the online course market. This is how you cut through the noise and find a partner who will actually help you scale, not just send you a bill.

Why do most UK agencies get course advertising completely wrong?

The core of the issue is a fundamental misunderstanding of the business model. Most agencies try to cram your online course into one of two boxes, and neither of them fit.

First, there's the 'e-commerce' box. They see a price tag and a 'buy now' button and think it's just like selling a pair of trainers. They'll set up some Shopping ads, target bottom-of-funnel keywords, and then wonder why no one's buying a £1,500 course on impulse. They completly miss the consideration phase. Nobody wakes up and thinks, "I'll just buy a comprehensive course on data science today." There's a journey of awareness, trust-building, and validation that has to happen first, which a standard e-com strategy totally ignores.

Then there's the 'B2B SaaS' box. They see a higher price point and think it's all about lead generation. So they'll run ads to a "Download our free e-book" or "Request a Demo" landing page. This is equally flawed. You're not trying to get someone on a 30-minute sales call to explain the features. You're trying to inspire them, show them what's possible, and convince them that your course is the bridge to their goals. The funnel for a course—whether it's a webinar, a video sales letter (VSL), or a free challenge—is a different beast entirely. For instance, one course launch we managed on Meta Ads generated $115k in revenue in just six weeks. The key lesson, which applies to any platform including Google, was that success came from understanding the specific funnel for selling a course, not just generating cheap leads.

This leads them to focus on all the wrong metrics. They'll boast about a low Cost Per Click (CPC) or a high Click-Through Rate (CTR). Who cares? You can't pay your mortgage with clicks. If those clicks aren't turning into actual, paying students, it's just vanity. A good agency for course creators talks about one thing: profitable student acquisition.

What are the only three metrics that actually matter?

If you want to have a productive conversation with any potential agency and instantly tell if they know what they're talking about, you need to be obsessed with the right numbers. Forget everything else for a moment. These three are your north stars.

1. Cost Per Enrolment (CPE): This is your cost of acquisition. Not cost per lead, not cost per webinar signup. It’s the total ad spend divided by the number of new paying students. This is the ultimate bottom-line metric for your ads. You need to know this number cold. If an agency can't speak your language and keeps talking about 'leads', they don't have experience with your bussiness model.

2. Return On Ad Spend (ROAS): This is the simplest measure of profitability. For every £1 you put into ads, how many pounds in course sales do you get back? A 3x ROAS means for every £1 spent, you made £3 in revenue. This tells you if your campaigns are actually making money. I remember one campaign for a course creator where we hit a 447% ROAS in the first week. While this particular campaign was on Meta Ads, it shows what's possible when you're focused on the right metric from day one.

3. Customer Lifetime Value (LTV): This is where it gets interesting, and where most course creators (and agencies) miss a massive opportunity. What is a student worth to you over their entire relationship with your business? Do you have an advanced course they might buy later? A membership community? A high-ticket coaching programme? If your front-end course costs £500 but 20% of students go on to buy a £2,000 certification, your average LTV is actually £900 (£500 + 0.20 * £2000). Knowing this changes everything. Suddenly, a £400 CPE on the front-end course doesn't look like a loss; it looks like a massively profitable investment.

Understanding your LTV is your secret weapon. It allows you to spend more than your competitors to acquire a customer, dominating the market while they're stuck trying to be profitable on the first sale alone. To help you figure this out, I've built a simple calculator below.

The Vetting Framework: How to spot a genuine UK Google Ads expert

Right, so you know what metrics to focus on. Now, how do you find an agency that focuses on them too? You need a process. A systematic way to filter out the time-wasters and identify the real deal. Here's my three-step framework.

Step 1: Scrutinise Their Case Studies (The Only Thing That Matters)

Forget the slick sales decks and the fancy office photos. The only proof of an agency's competence is their past work. But you need to look beyond just a page of logos. A proper case study should tell a story. It should detail the client's initial problem, the strategy the agency implemented, and the specific, measurable results.

When you're looking at them, ask yourself:

• -> Is it relevant? Do they have case studies for online courses, e-learning platforms, or at the very least, info-products or high-ticket digital products? An amazing case study for a local plumber is completely irrelevant to you.
• -> Are the results meaningful? Are they talking about ROAS and CPE, or are they hiding behind vanity metrics like "increased traffic by 300%"? I don't care about traffic if it doesn't convert. I want to see revenue, enrolments, and profit.
• -> Is it detailed? Does it explain the 'how' and 'why'? A good case study might mention the types of campaigns they ran (e.g., Search, YouTube, Discovery), the funnels they used, and the challenges they overcame. Vague claims are a red flag.

This is non-negotiable. If an agency can't show you concrete proof they've successfully scaled a business like yours before, they're asking you to pay for their education. Don't do it. A good starting point is our guide on the founder's framework for vetting UK Google Ads experts, which goes into more detail on this.

Step 2: The Discovery Call (Your Interrogation)

If their case studies check out, the next step is a call. This isn't for them to sell to you. It's for you to interview them. You are the one in control. Your goal is to get past the sales pitch and gauge their actual strategic thinking. Here are some questions designed to do just that:

• -> "Walk me through the strategy for the [Relevant Course Case Study] you have on your site. What was the funnel? What were the biggest challenges?" - This tests if they actually know the details or if it's just marketing fluff.
• -> "For my course on [Your Topic], what would be your initial approach to keyword strategy? How would you differentiate between top, middle, and bottom of funnel?" - This forces them to think on their feet and demonstrate real expertise, not just repeat a script.
• -> "What's your view on using YouTube Ads versus Google Search for promoting a course like mine?" - A great question. An expert will explain the different roles each platform plays in the customer journey (YouTube for awareness and demand creation, Search for capturing existing demand).
• -> "How would you structure the campaigns and reporting to focus on Cost Per Enrolment?" - This directly tests if they understand your core metric.
• -> "What's a recent mistake you made on a client account, and what did you learn from it?" - This is a killer question. An honest expert will have an answer. They'll talk about a failed test and how they pivoted. Someone who claims they've never made a mistake is either inexperienced or lying.

Listen carefully to their answers. Are they specific? Do they sound like they've actually been in the trenches running these campaigns? Or are their answers vague and full of jargon? Trust your gut.

Step 3: The Proposal (The Final Filter)

If you're impressed after the call, they'll send a proposal. This is the final document to scrutinise. Most are terrible. Here are the giant red flags to watch out for:

• -> Guaranteed Results: If you see "We guarantee a 5x ROAS" or anything similar, run. Run fast. Paid advertising is a dynamic system. No one can guarantee results. A professional talks about methodology, testing budgets, and a strategic process to *find* what works. They don't make impossible promises.
• -> A Generic, Templated "Package": If the proposal outlines a "Gold Package" with "5 Campaigns, 10 Ad Groups, and Bi-weekly Reports," it's a massive red flag. Your business is unique. The strategy should be bespoke, tailored to your course, your audience, and your goals. You're paying for a brain, not a production line.
• -> An Obsession with Deliverables, Not Outcomes: The proposal should be focused on achieving your business objectives (e.g., "Our goal is to achieve a profitable CPE of £250 within 90 days"). It shouldn't be a laundry list of tasks like "keyword research" and "ad copy writing." Those are just the tools; they're not the goal.

A good proposal feels like a strategic plan of action that was written specifically for you, because it was. It should give you confidence that they've listened, understood your unique chalenges, and have a credible plan to solve them.

What should a winning Google Ads strategy for a UK online course actually look like?

So what should you expect a competent agency to propose? While every course is different, the underlying strategic framework should follow a full-funnel approach. You can't just target people at the moment they're ready to buy; you have to create and nurture that demand from the very beginning. It's about guiding a potential student from "I have a problem" to "This course is the only solution."

A smart strategy looks something like this, visualised in the flowchart below. It's a journey, not a single transaction.

To make this more concrete, let's imagine we're promoting a course called "Confident Presenting for Founders." Here's how the keyword and ad copy strategy would break down across the funnel.

An expert should be able to lay out a keyword strategy that mirrors this journey. It's not about bidding on everything; it's about bidding on the right terms at the right time.

And it's not just the keywords; the ad copy has to evolve too. You don't ask for a sale from a cold prospect. You offer value. An agency that gets this will move from feature-dumping to benefit-driven, transformational messaging.

Should your agency recommend platforms beyond Google?

While Google Ads is an absolute powerhouse for capturing intent, a truly strategic partner will look at the bigger picture. Depending on your specific course and ideal student, other platforms can play a huge role in a profitable marketing mix. An agency siloed only in Google might be leaving a lot of money on the table.

LinkedIn Ads: Is your course for a specific professional audience? For example, a "Financial Modelling for Corporate Finance Analysts" or a "Legal Tech for Paralegals" course? Then LinkedIn is a goldmine. The targeting capabilities are unparalleled for reaching specific job titles, industries, and company sizes. The leads will be more expensive, sure, but the quality can be phenomenal. For niche, high-ticket courses, a skilled agency should at least discuss a LinkedIn Ads strategy for your online course.

Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram): For courses with broader appeal or a strong visual component (e.g., photography, design, fitness, cooking), Meta is often the primary driver of scale. It's less about capturing existing demand and more about creating it. Through compelling video ads and smart targeting, you can introduce your course to millions of potential students who didn't even know they needed it yet. We've run numerous six-figure course launches primarily on the back of Meta ads; it's incredibly powerful when done right.

A good agency won't just push the platform they're most comfortable with. They'll analyse your ideal customer and recommend a budget allocation that makes strategic sense. For many course creators, this might be a mix.

The Final Question: Agency or In-House?

As you go down this path, you might start to wonder if you should just hire someone in-house instead. It's a valid question, and there's no single right answer. It depends entirely on your stage, budget, and long-term goals. Making the right choice between a PPC agency and an in-house team is a critical decision.

Hiring an in-house expert makes sense when:

• You have a consistent, significant ad spend (think £20k+/month) that can justify a full-time salary (£50k-£80k+ in the UK).
• You need someone deeply embedded in your company culture and product development.
• You have the time and expertise to manage this person effectively.

Partnering with an agency makes sense when:

• You need access to specialist expertise immediately, without the hassle and cost of recruiting.
• You want to benefit from the agency's experience across multiple clients and industries (they see what's working elsewhere and can apply it to your account).
• You need flexibility. Agency contracts are often more flexible than full-time employment.
• You want a strategic partner to challenge your thinking, not just an employee to execute tasks.

For most course creators starting to scale, an agency is the more logical and capital-efficient choice. You get the benefit of a whole team of experts for less than the cost of one senior hire. The trick, as this whole guide has been about, is finding the right one.

I've detailed my main recommendations for you below as a final summary:

Finding the right advertising partner can be the difference between a course that remains a side project and one that becomes a thriving, scalable business. It's not easy, and it requires you, the founder, to be educated and discerning. Use this framework, trust your gut, and don't settle for an agency that doesn't fundamentally understand what you're trying to build.

If you're tired of wasting money and want a second opinion on your current campaigns from a team that specialises in scaling online courses, consider scheduling a free, no-obligation strategy session with us. We can walk you through your account and provide some actionable insights you can implement right away. It's the kind of value-first approach you should expect from any expert worth their salt.