The Real Guide to Hiring a Paid Ads Agency in Manchester

So, you’re on the hunt for a paid ads agency in Manchester. It’s a bit of a minefield out there, isn't it? Whether you’re based in the shiny offices of MediaCityUK, running a startup from a co-working space in the Northern Quarter, or managing an industrial firm out in Trafford Park, the challenge is pretty much the same. You know you need to scale. You know paid advertising—whether that's Google, Meta, or LinkedIn—is probably the lever you need to pull. But finding someone who actually knows what they're doing, rather than just talking a good game, is incredibly tough.

I’ve been in this game for years, managing millions in ad spend, and I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the downright ugly of the agency world. Manchester is a fantastic hub for digital talent—honestly, it rivals London in many ways—but it also attracts a fair few cowboys who’ll happily burn through your budget with nothing to show for it but a flashy report full of vanity metrics.

This isn't just a list of "top 10 agencies." This is a deep dive into how you actually go about hiring a partner who will make you money, rather than just cost you money. We're going to look at the red flags, the questions you absolutely must ask, and how to structure a deal that protects your business.

The Manchester Landscape: MediaCity vs. The Boutiques

Manchester has established itself as a massive digital powerhouse in the UK. You’ve got the giants over at MediaCityUK in Salford, and then a thriving ecosystem of independent agencies scattered around the city centre and the Oxford Road Corridor.

Here’s the first contrarian point I’ll make: The size of the agency’s office has zero correlation with the performance of your ads.

In fact, it’s often an inverse relationship. Those big, glossy agencies with the expensive Spinningfields addresses? They have massive overheads. They need to charge you hefty retainers just to keep the lights on and the espresso machine running. Often, their business model relies on "churn and burn"—getting as many clients in the door as possible, assigning them to junior account managers who are juggling 20 other accounts, and hoping you don't notice that your ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) is tanking.

On the flip side, there are smaller, boutique setups—sometimes just two or three senior experts working remotely or from a small office in Ancoats—who can run rings around the big guys. Why? Because the person selling you the service is the person doing the work. In paid ads, nuances matter. A junior ticking boxes on a checklist won't spot that your "broad match" keywords on Google are wasting £500 a week on irrelevant searches. An expert will spot that in five minutes.

If you are looking at mastering UK paid ads and hiring the right agency, you need to look past the glitz. Ask yourself: do I want to pay for their office rent, or do I want to pay for results?

Defining Your Goal: The "Why" Before the "Who"

Before you even open Google and search for "PPC agency Manchester", you need to know exactly what you are trying to achieve. This sounds obvious, but you’d be amazed how many businesses skip this step.

"I want more sales" is too vague.

Are you a B2B software company in the tech hub looking for qualified leads? Are you a fashion brand aiming to replicate the success of the big Manchester e-commerce giants (like Boohoo or PLT) and need direct purchases? Or are you a local service business, like a solicitor or a plumber, needing the phone to ring?

The strategy for each of these is wildly different, and the agency that is great at one might be terrible at the other.

If you’re a local business, you might be asking is Google Ads worth it for UK local businesses? The answer is almost always yes, provided you aren't paying an agency £1000 a month to manage a £500 spend. We'll get to fees later, but keep that ratio in mind.

The "Full Service" Trap

This is a big one. You'll find many agencies in Manchester that pitch themselves as "Full Service." They do web design, SEO, PR, social media management, content creation, and... oh yeah, paid ads.

Here’s the brutal truth: It is incredibly rare to find an agency that is world-class at all of these things.

Usually, a full-service agency has one core strength—maybe they started as a web design shop—and they bolted on the other services to upsell clients. The "Head of Paid Media" might actually be a general digital marketer who also writes the blog posts and manages the office Christmas party.

Paid advertising is a mathematical and psychological discipline. It requires deep technical knowledge of algorithms, attribution models, and data privacy laws, combined with the creative ability to write copy that stops the scroll. It’s not something you do "on the side."

If you hire a generalist agency, you get generalist results. If you want to scale, hire a specialist. If you're running a SaaS company, for instance, you might want to specifically check out our guide to LinkedIn Ads agencies rather than going for a generalist who mostly does Facebook ads for local gyms.

Vetting Candidates: The Questions They Hope You Won't Ask

Okay, so you've found a few agencies. Maybe you met them at a networking event in Spinningfields or found them on LinkedIn. How do you know if they're any good? Their website will say they are "award-winning" (awards are often bought, by the way) and "results-driven" (who isn't?).

You need to grill them. Here are the questions I'd ask if I were in your shoes:

1. "Who will actually be managing my account?"

In the pitch, you’ll meet the Director, the Head of Strategy, and maybe the CEO. They’ll dazzle you with strategy. But once you sign, who does the work? Often, it’s an Account Executive with six months of experience. Make sure you meet the person whose hands will be on the keyboard. Ask about their experience. If they switch the team on you after you sign, that’s a bait and switch.

2. "Can I see a live account you manage?"

This separates the pros from the amateurs. Ask them to screen share (with sensitive client info hidden, obviously) and walk you through an account. Ask them why they structured it that way. If they refuse citing "NDA" for every single client, be suspicious. We often walk potential clients through anonymised data or our own accounts to show we know our stuff.

3. "How do you report results?"

If they say "we send a PDF once a month," run. In 2024, you should have access to a live dashboard (Looker Studio, Databox, etc.). And more importantly, what metrics do they focus on? If they talk about "Clicks," "Impressions," or "CTR" (Click Through Rate) as their primary success metrics, they are hiding something. They should be talking about CPA (Cost Per Acquisition), ROAS, and POAS (Profit on Ad Spend). Impressions don't pay your rent.

4. "Do I own the ad account?"

This is non-negotiable. You must own your ad account. I’ve seen agencies in Manchester hold ad accounts hostage when a client tries to leave. "If you leave, you lose all your data." That is unethical and arguably illegal if not stated in the contract. You should be the admin; they should be the partner. If they insist on running it through their own "proprietary" account, it’s usually to hide the true media costs or to lock you in.

Budgeting for Success: It's Not Just About the Ad Spend

One of the biggest friction points I see is expectations around budget. Manchester isn't London, but ad inventory costs the same whether you're bidding from Didsbury or Shoreditch. Google doesn't give a "Northern discount."

You need to factor in two costs: the Media Spend (what you pay Google/Facebook) and the Management Fee (what you pay the agency).

For a realistic look at costs, you can compare with the capital. Check out our guide to planning your budget, the principles apply here too. Generally, if you can't afford at least £1,500 - £2,000 in media spend per month, you probably aren't ready for an agency. The management fee will likely be another £1,000 - £2,000 minimum. If an agency charges you £300 a month, they are spending about 20 minutes on your account. You get what you pay for.

Use the calculator below to get a rough idea of the maths involved for an e-commerce campaign.

Local Nuances: What Works in Manchester

Is there actually a "Manchester strategy"? Sort of. While the platforms are global, the local market has quirks.

Recruiting Talent

If you are in the recruitment space or looking to hire, Manchester is fiercely competitive. The tech scene around the Northern Quarter means developers cost a premium. We've found that for B2B or recruitment campaigns in the region, LinkedIn ads are expensive but necessary. However, savvy agencies might use Meta (Facebook/Instagram) to retarget those professionals at home, where clicks are cheaper.

E-commerce Heritage

Manchester is the spiritual home of fast fashion in the UK. This means there is a deep talent pool of creative strategists here who understand "drop culture" and influencer marketing. If you are an e-com brand, look for an agency that has cut its teeth with these local giants. They will understand that creative refreshes need to happen weekly, not monthly.

Service Businesses

For solicitors, accountants, or tradespeople, local SEO and Google Local Services Ads are king. If you’re a plumber in Stockport, you don't want to pay for clicks from Bolton if you don't travel there. A good agency will set up rigorous location exclusions. I've audited accounts where a local service business was paying for clicks in London. That is just burning cash.

The Strategy: It’s Not Just "Turning Ads On"

A lot of people think hiring an agency means you just hand over the keys and the sales roll in. It’s never that simple. The best agency relationships are partnerships. You know your product; they know the platform.

Your agency should be challenging you on your offer. If your website converts at 0.5%, no amount of ad magic will fix that. A good agency will tell you to fix your landing page before spending money on ads. If they are happy to take your media spend and drive traffic to a broken site, they don't care about your results.

For example, if you're trying to figure out how to scale paid media, the principles we apply in London or Manchester are the same: fix the funnel first. You can’t fill a leaky bucket.

Red Flags to Watch Out For

I’ve mentioned a few, but here is a checklist of things that should make you walk away immediately:

• "We guarantee results." No one can guarantee results on a platform they don't own (Google/Meta). Algorithms change. Auctions fluctuate. Guarantees are usually marketing fluff with so many caveats in the contract they are meaningless.
• "We are a Google Premier Partner." This sounds impressive, but it mostly just means they spend a lot of money and their staff have passed some basic exams. It doesn't mean they are good at strategy. Don't be blinded by badges.
• Long-term contracts. In the beginning, there is no reason to sign a 12-month contract. A 3-month initial term is standard (to allow for the learning phase), followed by a rolling 30-day notice. If they need to lock you in for a year, it’s because they know clients usually want to leave after three months.
• Proprietary Tech fees. Some agencies charge extra for their "AI optimisation tool." Usually, this is just a third-party tool they’ve white-labelled, or worse, a spreadsheet. Unless they can prove exactly what value it adds, don't pay for it.

When NOT to Hire an Agency

Sometimes, the best advice I can give is: don't hire us. Or anyone else.

If you are a pre-revenue startup with £500 to spend, you are better off learning the basics yourself or hiring a freelancer. Agencies have minimum fees. If their fee is £1,500 and your ad spend is £500, your CPA is instantly tripled. You need to be at a scale where the agency fee is a fraction of the value they generate.

Also, if you don't have product-market fit yet, ads will only amplify your problems. Ads are an accelerator, not a creator of demand. If people don't want your product, ads will just help you find out faster and more expensively.

If you are still figuring out your new business approach, take a look at our UK performance marketing guide for some foundational steps before you commit to a retainer.

Summary: Your Hiring Checklist

Hiring the right partner is a big decision. To help you structure your thoughts, I've put together this comparison of what a "Good" vs "Bad" agency looks like.

I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:

Finding a good agency in Manchester isn't impossible, but it does require you to be a bit cynical and ask the tough questions. Don't be swayed by a fancy office in Spinningfields or a smooth sales pitch. Look for the nerds who are obsessed with data, who talk about "profit" rather than "clicks", and who aren't afraid to tell you when your website is the problem.

If you’re tired of the guesswork and want an honest second opinion on your current strategy or agency setup, we’re happy to take a look. We offer a free consultation where we can review your ad account or strategy—no sales pitch, just a look under the hood to see what’s really going on.

Hope this helps!