London's Ultimate Guide To Hiring A PPC Expert

I get it. You're based in London, you've probably poured a fair bit of cash into Google or Meta ads, and you've got precious little to show for it. Now you're looking for a PPC consultant, hoping they're the magic bullet. The truth is, most businesses in your position are asking the wrong questions. The problem isn't just finding someone who can click the right buttons in Google Ads; it's about finding a partner who forces you to confront the real reasons your advertising isn't working.

Most of the time, it boils down to a fundamental misunderstanding of who you're selling to and what your numbers actually are. You can have the best PPC expert in the world, but if you're aiming at the wrong target with a weak offer, you're just setting a pile of money on fire, faster. So before we even talk about how to find someone, let's fix the foundations. This isn't just another guide on vetting agencies; it's a new way of thinking about growth that will make you a much smarter buyer of advertising services.

So, who are you actually selling to? (Hint: It's not a demographic)

Your last marketing hire probably gave you a nice, tidy 'Ideal Customer Profile' that looks something like this: "SMEs in the finance sector, 50-200 employees, located in the UK." This is utterly useless. It tells you nothing of value and leads to the kind of generic, wallpaper ads that everyone ignores. It's why your campaigns have high CPCs and zero conversions. You're shouting into a crowded room hoping someone, anyone, listens.

To stop burning cash, you have to define your customer not by their demographics, but by their nightmare. You need to become an obsessive expert in their specific, urgent, and expensive problem. The one that keeps them up at night.

Think about it. The Head of Sales you're trying to sell to isn't just a job title. She's a leader who's terrified of missing her quarterly target and having to explain it to the board. Your Head of Engineering client isn't just 'in tech'; he's petrified of his best developers quitting because their workflow is a complete mess. Your ICP isn't a person; it's a problem state. A moment of intense professional pain.

Once you've isolated that nightmare, your targeting strategy writes itself. Where do these people go to solve their problems? They dont just browse the web. They listen to niche podcasts like 'Acquired' on their commute from Zone 4. They actually read industry newsletters like 'Stratechery'. They're in private Slack communities or Facebook groups like 'SaaS Growth Hacks'. This is the intelligence that builds winning campaigns. Do this work first, or you have no business spending another penny on ads.

If you're finding your ads are driving traffic but no actual business, it's almost certainly because you haven't nailed your ICP's pain point. Your ads might be getting clicks from curious people, but not from desperate buyers. This is a common issue, and understanding how to diagnose low ad ROI in London is the first step to fixing your funnel.

Can you even afford to grow? Let's do the maths.

Here's the second question that sinks most campaigns before they start: "What's a good Cost Per Lead?" It's the wrong question. The real question is, "How high a CPL can I afford to acquire a fantastic customer?" The answer to that is your Customer Lifetime Value (LTV). If you don't know this number, you are flying blind.

Most founders I talk to either don't know their LTV or they massively underestimate it. This leads to them getting scared by high-quality, 'expensive' leads and pausing campaigns right before they turn profitable. Let's break it down. It's simpler than you think.

• Average Revenue Per Account (ARPA): What's a customer worth to you each month? Let's say it's £1,000.
• Gross Margin %: What's your profit margin on that? After staff, software, etc. Let's say it's 70%.
• Monthly Churn Rate: What percentage of customers do you lose each month? Be honest. Let's say it's 5%.

The calculation is: LTV = (ARPA * Gross Margin %) / Monthly Churn Rate

So, in our example: LTV = (£1,000 * 0.70) / 0.05 = £700 / 0.05 = £14,000.

Each customer is worth £14,000 in gross margin to your business. Now we're talking. A healthy business model aims for at least a 3:1 LTV to Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) ratio. This means you can afford to spend up to £4,666 to acquire a single customer (£14,000 / 3).

If your sales process converts 1 in 10 qualified leads into a paying customer, you can afford to pay up to £466 for a single, properly qualified lead. Suddenly that £150 lead from a LinkedIn campaign targeting CTOs in Canary Wharf doesn't look so expensive, does it? It looks like a bargain. This is the maths that unlocks aggressive, intelligent scaling and stops you from making emotional decisions about ad spend.

What a good London PPC consultant actually looks like (and how to spot the fakes)

Right, now that you know your customer's pain and what they're worth to you, you're ready to actually find someone to help. The London market is saturated with agencies, freelancers, and consultants all promising the earth. Most of them are mediocre at best. Here's how you cut through the noise.

1. Case Studies Are Everything (But Read Them Properly)

Don't just look for flashy logos. Look for case studies that are similar to your business – same industry, same business model, maybe even a similar price point. I remember one B2B software client we worked with who was impressed that we’d reduced another SaaS client's CPA from £100 down to just £7. That specific, relevant result meant more than a dozen generic eCommerce case studies. Results need context. If a consultant shows you a campaign with a 10x ROAS, ask them what the product price was and what the ad spend was. A 10x return on a £500 monthly spend is very different to a 4x return on a £50,000 spend.

You gotta be realistic with results too. If your niche is hyper-competitive, like legal services in the City, you're not going to get leads for £5. A good consultant will manage your expectations, not just tell you what you want to hear.

2. The Free Consultation is an Audition

Get on a call with them. Any consultant worth their salt will offer some form of free initial consultation or account review. This is not a sales pitch; it's their audition. Don't let them just talk about their agency. Make them talk about *your* business. Ask them specific questions about your website, your offer, and your target market. Are they giving you generic advice, or are they already spotting things you've missed? We offer a free account review where we actually go through a potential client's ad account with them on the call. It gives them a real taste of the expertise they'd be getting. Look for that level of engagement.

Tbh, if after a detailed call and seeing our case studies, someone asks for references to call one of our clients, it's a bit of a red flag for us. It signals a lack of trust that will probably persist. A good set of detailed case studies and a valuable initial chat should be enough to demonstrate expertise.

3. Reviews Tell a Story

Look at their reviews on platforms like Clutch or Google. Don't just look at the star rating. Read what clients are actually saying. Are the reviews specific? Do they mention the consultant by name? Do they talk about the process and communication, or just the results? Strong, detailed reviews are a great sign.

Ultimately, finding the right partner comes down to a rigorous vetting process. For a deeper dive, our ultimate guide to vetting UK Google Ads experts provides a complete checklist you can use.

Questions to ask on the vetting call that expose the pretenders

When you're on that initial call, you need to go beyond "What's your pricing?". You need to ask questions that test their strategic thinking. Here are a few that I've found separate the real experts from the crowd:

• "Based on my website and what I've told you, what do you see as my biggest immediate opportunity and my biggest threat?" - This tests if they've actually done their homework and can think critically on their feet. A good answer won't be about a specific ad platform, but about your offer or your audience.
• "Walk me through your process for the first 30 days." - Look for a structured answer that includes research, an audit of existing assets, campaign building, and a clear plan for testing. If they just say "we'll launch some ads and see what happens", run away.
• "What's your philosophy on awareness vs. conversion campaigns for a business like mine?" - This is a bit of a trick question. For most SMEs, the answer should be a laser focus on conversion campaigns. As I've said before, running 'Brand Awareness' campaigns on Meta is often just paying to reach the people least likely to ever buy from you. True awareness is a byproduct of sales, not a prerequisite. If they start waffling about 'building a brand presence' without tying it to a commercial outcome, be sceptical.
• "How do you approach split testing creative and audiences?" - You want to hear a methodical answer. They should talk about isolating variables, having a clear hypothesis for each test, and knowing when to call a test complete. This shows they have a process, they're not just guessing.

The quality of their answers to these questions will tell you everything you need to know. For more guidance on this, our specific London guide to vetting PPC experts is designed to help you find a partner that genuinely delivers ROI.

The London Market: What to Expect in Terms of Cost and Competition

Advertising in London is a different beast. You're competing with global brands, well-funded startups from Clerkenwell to Paddington, and established players in finance and law. This means costs can be higher, but the potential rewards are massive. Understanding the local landscape is crucial.

In our experience, lead costs can vary wildly depending on the industry. We've managed campaigns for a home cleaning company that achieved a cost of just £5 per lead. On the other hand, we currently run a campaign for an HVAC company in a competitive area, and they're seeing costs around $60 (£47) per lead. For B2B, especially in SaaS or professional services, CPLs can easily hit £100-£250+ on platforms like LinkedIn. I remember one LinkedIn campaign where we got the cost per lead down to $22 for B2B decision makers, which was a huge win.

The key is not to fixate on the CPL in isolation, but to compare it to your LTV. A £200 lead that turns into a £20,000 client is an incredible investment. Knowing your numbers allows you to compete confidently in a pricey market like London.

Agency and consultant fees in London also reflect the market. You can find freelancers on the cheaper end, but for specialist expertise, expect to pay a monthly retainer of anywhere from £1,500 to £5,000+, plus a percentage of ad spend for larger accounts. Understanding London ad agency pricing is key to budgeting effectively and ensuring you're getting value for money.

Freelancer, Agency, or Consultant? Choosing the Right Model

The next question is what type of partner you need. There's no single right answer; it depends on your stage, budget, and internal resources. Many founders struggle with whether to hire an agency or a consultant for their SaaS business, and the same logic applies to other industries.

• Freelancers: Often more affordable and flexible. Great if you have a very specific need (e.g., just Google Search ads) and a clear strategy for them to execute. The risk is that they can be a single point of failure and may lack broader strategic oversight. Our guide to hiring a paid ads freelancer in London can help you navigate this option.
• Agencies: Offer a team of specialists (copywriters, designers, analysts) which can be a huge advantage. They usually have more robust processes and can handle larger, more complex accounts. The downside can be higher costs and potentially less direct contact with the senior strategists.
• Consultants: This is often a hybrid model. A good consultant provides high-level strategy and direction, and might also handle the hands-on implementation. This is ideal for businesses that need both strategic guidance and expert execution but aren't yet large enough for a big agency. This is where we fit in – providing senior-level expertise that's deeply embedded in your business goals.

To help you decide, here’s a simple flowchart:

Your Final Check: The Proposal and Onboarding

So you've done the work. You know your numbers, you've identified your customer's nightmare, and you've found a consultant who has passed your rigorous vetting. The final step is the proposal. This document should be crystal clear. It must outline:

• The Scope of Work: Exactly what platforms they will manage and what tasks are included (e.g., campaign management, reporting, creative direction).
• Deliverables: What will you actually get? Regular reports? Weekly check-in calls? A monthly strategy review?
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): How will success be measured? This should be tied to business goals (CPA, ROAS, pipeline generated), not vanity metrics.
• Timeline and Fees: A clear breakdown of the first 30-60-90 days and a transparent fee structure.

If the proposal is vague, push back. Clarity at this stage prevents misunderstandings later. The onboarding process should be just as thorough. A good partner will have a structured process to get access to your accounts, learn your brand voice, and understand your sales process in detail. It should feel like they're becoming an extension of your team.

So, should you hire a London PPC consultant?

Finding the right PPC consultant in London isn't about finding a magician. It's about finding a strategic partner who forces you to be disciplined about your own business fundamentals first. By defining your customer's pain, calculating your LTV, and then using that knowledge to rigorously vet potential partners, you transform from a hopeful gambler into a savvy investor.

The process I've outlined takes more work than just hiring the first agency that pops up on Google. But it's the only way to build a predictable, scalable growth engine instead of just another expensive marketing campaign that goes nowhere. The right expert will not only save you from costly mistakes but will pay for themselves many times over by unlocking growth you couldn't achieve on your own. They bring years of experience from dozens of accounts to the table, an outside perspective you can't get internally, and the focus to execute methodically while you run your business.

I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:

If you're a founder or marketing lead in London and you're tired of the guesswork, this is the process that works. If you'd like an expert second opinion on your current strategy and want to see how we apply this thinking in practice, feel free to schedule a free, no-obligation strategy session with us. We'll audit your campaigns and give you actionable advice you can implement immediately.