Outsourcing Google Ads in Cardiff: The Ultimate Guide

So, you’re looking to outsource your Google Ads management in Cardiff. Maybe you’ve been running them yourself from your office in the city centre and you're just burning cash, or maybe you've been working with a freelancer who’s gone a bit quiet lately. It’s a position we see business owners in all the time. You know the customers are there—you can see them searching—but actually getting them to click and convert without spending a fortune is a whole different ball game.

Cardiff is a weird market for advertising. It's competitive enough that you can't just throw up a basic ad and expect it to work (like you might have got away with ten years ago), but it's not London. You don't need London budgets to dominate the local search results if you know what you're doing. But finding someone who actually knows what they're doing? That’s the tricky bit.

I’ve worked with plenty of businesses in the area and across the UK, and honestly, the amount of bad advice floating around is staggering. You get web designers claiming they are ad experts, or big agencies charging you an arm and a leg just to put a junior on your account who checks it once a month. It’s a minefield.

If you're thinking about handing over the reins, you need to go into it with your eyes open. This isn't just about freeing up your time; it's about trusting someone with your revenue engine. I'm going to walk you through exactly how to approach this, what to look out for, and frankly, why you should be skeptical of anyone promising you "guaranteed #1 rankings" overnight.

The "Local Agency" Trap

There's a massive temptation when you're a local business—say, a solicitor in Roath or a plumbing firm covering the Vale—to just hire the agency down the road. It feels safer, doesn't it? You can pop in for a coffee, look them in the eye. And don't get me wrong, face-to-face is nice. But in the world of paid advertising, proximity is pretty much the least important factor.

Here’s the reality: Google Ads is a technical, data-driven discipline. It doesn't require local knowledge as much as it requires platform knowledge. A specialist in Leeds or even a remote consultant who has spent the last five years only doing Google Ads for service businesses is going to get you better results than a "full-service" agency in Cardiff Bay that does a bit of PR, a bit of web design, a bit of social, and "oh yeah, we can do PPC too."

We see this all the time. Generalist agencies often treat Google Ads as a passive income stream. They set it up, leave it running, and collect their management fee. They might not know about the latest changes to match types or how to properly implement server-side tracking, which is getting super important these days. If you want to dive deeper into pricing structures and what you should expect to pay, I wrote a piece on marketing agency pricing and hidden costs that opens the lid on this.

If you find a Cardiff agency that specialises purely in paid traffic, brilliant. That’s the jackpot. But don't limit yourself to a specific postcode if it means sacrificing expertise.

Understanding the Cardiff Market Costs

Before you outsource, you need to understand what you're actually paying for in terms of media spend. Advertising in South Wales is generally cheaper than in London or the South East, but costs are rising.

For example, if you're in the trades (electrician, roofer, etc.), cost per lead can vary. We've seen costs as low as £5 per lead for home cleaning services, but up to around $60 per lead for more competitive services like HVAC. In legal or finance, it could be even higher. If an agency tells you they can get you leads for pennies without knowing your industry, they're lying. You gotta be realistic.

One thing that often gets overlooked is how much the management fee impacts your overall ROI, especially for smaller spenders. If you're spending £1,000 a month on ads and the agency charges £1,000 a month to manage it, your ads need to be working twice as hard just to break even on the fees.

What to Look For (And What to Run From)

Okay, so you've decided you definitely want help. How do you separate the pros from the blaggers?

First off, check their case studies. And I don't mean just looking at the logos on their homepage. Anyone can stick a logo up. I mean detailed breakdowns of what they did. Do they have experience in your niche? If you're an eCommerce brand selling boutique Welsh gifts, you need an agency that understands shopping feeds, Merchant Center, and Performance Max. If you're a B2B software company in the tech hub near Central Station, you need someone who understands lead quality and long sales cycles.

We often see accounts where agencies have set up one campaign targeting the whole of the UK for a local business, paying for clicks from Scotland for services they couldn't deliver. It was shocking, but sadly not uncommon.

If you suspect your current setup isn't working, it might be worth checking if your Google Ads campaign is not scaling due to these kinds of basic targeting errors.

Red Flags to Watch Out For:

1. They guarantee results.
"We guarantee #1 spot" or "We guarantee 50 leads a month". Run away. Google Ads is an auction. Prices change, competitors change. Nobody controls Google. A real expert will give you forecasts based on data, not promises based on thin air.

2. They won't let you own the account.
This is a massive one. Some agencies will build the campaigns in their own ad account and "rent" it to you. If you leave, you lose everything—all the data, all the history, all the optimisation. It holds you hostage. You must insist on owning your own Google Ads account (the 10-digit ID). If they say no, walk away.

3. Long-term contracts.
If they are confident in their work, they shouldn't need to lock you in for 12 months. A 3-month initial period is normal to get things going, but after that, it should be rolling. If they need a year-long contract, it's usually because they know clients tend to leave after three months when results don't materialise.

Strategy: It's Not Just About Search

When businesses in Cardiff ask about Google Ads, they usually just mean Search Ads—the text links at the top of Google. And yeah, that's the bread and butter. If someone searches "emergency plumber Cardiff", you want to be there.

But a good outsourced partner will look beyond that. They should be talking to you about:

• Google Maps / Local Search: For local businesses, showing up in the 'Map Pack' is crucial. There are specific ways to run ads here. If you're struggling with this, we have a guide on running search ads on Google Maps that avoids the black box of Performance Max.
• Retargeting: Most people won't buy from you the first time they click. Are you following them up?
• Landing Pages: You can have the best ads in the world, but if your website looks like it was built in 1999, you're wasting money. A good agency will be brutally honest about your website.

The Cost of Outsourcing in Cardiff

What should you expect to pay?

In the UK, freelance rates can vary wildly. You might find a junior freelancer for £300/month, but you get what you pay for. A decent, experienced freelancer will likely charge between £500 and £1,000 per month depending on the complexity.

Agencies usually have a minimum fee, often starting around £1,000 - £1,500 per month, or they work on a percentage of ad spend (usually 10-20%).

If you're spending £500 a month on ads, hiring an agency for £1,500 doesn't make sense maths-wise. You might be better off with a consultant who can set it up for a one-off fee and teach you how to maintain it, or a smaller freelancer. But if you're spending £5k, £10k, £50k a month? Then that agency fee is a drop in the ocean compared to the wasted spend they will save you.

For a detailed breakdown of costs, check out our article on the real cost of hiring a marketing agency.

The "Cardiff Factor"

While I said earlier that local knowledge isn't the *most* important thing, it does help in specific contexts.

For example, knowing the geography is handy. An outsider might target a radius around Cardiff that includes huge chunks of the Bristol Channel or extends too far into the Valleys where you might not service. I've seen campaigns for Cardiff businesses that were accidentally targeting Bristol because the radius was too wide and they didn't exclude the other side of the bridge. That’s wasted money on toll (well, used to be toll) bridge crossings that customers won't make.

Also, understanding the local economy matters. There's a lot of public sector work here, a growing tech scene, and a strong hospitality sector. The messaging that works for a corporate London audience might feel too stiff for a Welsh audience. We tend to appreciate a bit more authenticity and straight talk.

Is Your Business Ready to Outsource?

Not everyone is ready for an agency. If you are a startup with zero cash flow, hiring an agency is risky. You need to have a proven offer first.

Outsourcing makes the most sense when:

• You have a proven sales process: You know that if you get a lead, you can close it.
• You have budget: You can afford to spend at least £1k-£2k on ads plus management fees without sweating if it doesn't return immediate profit in week one.
• You are time-poor: You simply cannot keep up with the changes in the Google Ads platform (and trust me, they change things every week).

If you're a local service business, say a window cleaner or landscaper, you might find specific advice in our guide on how to boost local service ads leads which is very relevant for the Cardiff market.

Making the Decision

Don't rush this. Interview a few people. Ask them tough questions.

"How do you handle click fraud?"

"What is your strategy for negative keywords?"

"Can you show me a report from a current client?" (with sensitive data redacted, obviously).

If they stumble or give you vague corporate-speak about "synergy" and "brand lift", run. You want someone who talks numbers, costs, and returns.

We’ve worked with plenty of businesses who got burned by big, fancy agencies before finding us. It’s not about the size of the office in the city centre; it’s about the person actually pushing the buttons in your account.

My Main Advice for You

I've detailed my main recommendations for you below on how to approach this outsourcing journey:

Outsourcing your Google Ads in Cardiff doesn't have to be a headache. It just requires a bit of due diligence. Don't be swayed by a flashy sales pitch or a local postcode. Look for the expertise that will actually grow your bank balance.

If you're still scratching your head about whether your current campaigns are working, or you're about to sign a contract and want a second opinion, it might be worth getting a fresh pair of eyes on it. We offer a free initial consultation where we can look at your strategy or account together. No sales pitch, just honest advice on whether we can help or if you're better off looking elsewhere. Sometimes we even tell people they don't need ads yet!

Hope this helps!