The Ultimate London Guide to Finding the Best Ad Platform

If I had a tenner for every time a founder in London asked me, "What's the best ad platform?", I'd probably be retired on a beach somewhere instead of auditing ad accounts in my home office. It is the million-pound question, isn't it?

But here is the brutally honest truth that most agencies won't tell you because they want to sell you the service they are best at: The "best" platform doesn't exist in a vacuum.

Especially in London. This city is a beast. The competition here is fiercer than anywhere else in the UK. You aren't just competing with the shop down the road; you're competing with venture-backed startups in Shoreditch, massive corporate budgets in The City, and global brands trying to crack the UK market. If you pick the wrong platform, you will burn through your budget faster than a pint costs in Soho these days.

I’ve run campaigns for home cleaning companies where we achieved leads for as low as £5, and B2B SaaS firms where we drove thousands of registrations. The strategy for scaling paid media in London is completely different for each. So, let's strip away the sales fluff and look at where you should actually be putting your money.

The Core Split: Intent vs. Demand

Before we even look at the platforms, you have to understand your customer's mindset. This is where 90% of businesses get it wrong. They start with "I want to be on Instagram" because they like Instagram, not because their customers are looking for them there.

You need to ask yourself one question: Does my customer know they have a problem and are they actively looking for a solution?

Option 1: Google Ads (The "I Need it Now" Market)

If you are a service business in London—think emergency electrician, private dentist, commercial cleaner, or even a B2B SaaS tool that solves a specific payroll issue—Google Ads is usually where you start. Why? Because the intent is there.

However, Google Ads in London is expensive. You're bidding against everyone. If you search for "PPC agency London," you'll see clicks can be very expensive. In competitive niches, costs are significantly higher.

The London Strategy for Google Ads:

You can't just slap up some keywords and hope for the best. You need to be hyper-specific. If you are a removal company, don't target "removals London." You'll be broke in a week. Target "removals company Clapham" or "office moves Shoreditch."

We see this all the time. A business might be bidding on broad terms across the whole Greater London area while only servicing a specific borough. We have a guide on lead generation for UK local businesses that goes into the technical setup of this, but the gist is: tighter geography = lower costs.

Option 2: Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram)

People love to say Facebook is dead. It's not. It's just changed. Meta is an AI beast now. If you are selling a product (D2C), a course, or a service that people don't necessarily wake up searching for (like a new coffee subscription or a boutique gym membership), this is your playground.

In London, Meta ads work incredibly well because of the commute. Think about it. Millions of people stuck on the Tube or the bus or the train from commuter towns for 45 minutes twice a day. What are they doing? They are scrolling. They aren't searching for "best socks," but if you show them a great video of comfortable socks while they're standing in a sweaty carriage on the Central Line, they might just buy.

The Visual Component:

The bar for creative in London is high. We're exposed to world-class advertising on every billboard and bus stop. Your ad can't look like it was made in MS Paint. It needs to feel native, authentic, or highly polished. If you're stuck deciding, our comparison of Google Shopping vs Social Ads breaks down exactly when to prioritize the visual feed over the search bar.

Option 3: LinkedIn Ads (The B2B Premium)

If you are selling B2B services to corporate London—finance, legal, tech, consultancy—LinkedIn is the most accurate database of professionals on the planet. You can target "CFOs in the Financial Services industry in London."

The downside? It is expensive. You are looking at significantly higher costs per click compared to other platforms. Minimum. If you have a small budget, LinkedIn will eat it alive. It usually only makes sense if your Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) is over £10k. If you're selling a £50 ebook, stay away from LinkedIn Ads.

A Contrarian View on LinkedIn:

Everyone thinks B2B must go to LinkedIn. I disagree. I've had massive success targeting B2B decision-makers on Facebook. Yes, really. That CFO in Canary Wharf? She has an Instagram account. She checks Facebook on the weekend. If you can target her there, the clicks are significantly cheaper. The trick is using LinkedIn for data/lists and Meta for the delivery. We discuss this "cross-pollination" strategy more in our data-driven comparison of ad platforms.

London Ad Cost Estimator

One of the hardest parts of planning is knowing what budget you actually need. London imposes a "capital city tax" on clicks—it's just more expensive here than in Manchester or Birmingham. I've built a little calculator below to help you estimate what your returns might look like based on typical London metrics.

The "Geography Trap": Why Londoners Fail at Ads

Here is a mistake I see in 8 out of 10 accounts I audit. They select "London (+25 miles)" as their location.

Do you know how big that is? That includes people in Slough, Dartford, maybe even reaching out toward Reading. If you are a high-end restaurant in Mayfair, nobody—and I mean nobody—is driving in from Dartford on a Tuesday night for dinner. You are wasting money showing ads to people who physically won't convert.

The Fix:

Target by borough or even postcode sector. If you offer a premium service, maybe you only want to target Kensington, Chelsea, and Fulham. If you are a hip startup, maybe you target Hackney, Islington, and Brixton. Be ruthless with your geography. It's the easiest way to improve performance without changing your ad creative.

For more on structuring these accounts, we have a specific guide on choosing the right ad channels for London founders that dives deeper into the geography aspect.

Which platform is for you?

So, we've looked at the costs, the geography, and the intent. But you probably just want someone to tell you what to do. Fair enough.

I've broken down my recommendations based on specific business types I see frequently in London. This isn't generic "marketing advice"; this is based on where we actually spend money for clients.

This is the main advice I have for you: Don't try to be everywhere at once. If you have £2,000 a month, putting £500 into four different platforms is a recipe for disaster. You won't get enough data on any of them to optimise properly. Pick one platform—the one that matches your customer's intent—and master it. Once you are profitable there, then (and only then) should you expand.

Before you launch, check your budget against London ad costs to ensure you aren't going in under-capitalised. It's better to run ads for two weeks with a proper budget than four weeks with a weak one.

If you've read all this and you're still thinking, "I have no idea where to start," or "I'm already doing this and it's not working," it might be time for a second pair of eyes. The London market is unforgiving of mistakes. We offer a free initial consultation where we can look at your specific niche and tell you exactly where your budget is leaking.

Hope this helps!