Martin
Founder, strategy and audits
Writes every audit and takes every first call. On your account from day one, running growth for SMEs since 2010.
SEM for Marketing Agencies
Paid Search for Marketing Agencies
When an owner types web design agency or small business marketing company into Google, they are close to a decision. Those clicks are not cheap, and many come from job seekers or people who want it free. We run search ads that aim at ready buyers, send them to a package page and track each call.
For agencies that want paid search to bring owners who are ready for a discovery call, with a budget that follows booked calls and not just clicks.
Paid search for an agency
Context from how your customers search, compare and book.
Agency keywords draw a mixed crowd. Alongside owners who want a new site or a retainer, you get students, freelancers looking for work and people comparing software. Without careful limits, a budget can vanish on searches that will never sign. Good structure separates the buyers from the rest.
A retainer is worth many months of fees, so a single signed client can justify a higher cost per lead than a one-off trade job would. That does not remove the need for discipline. We set the budget around how many discovery calls you can take and how many you tend to close.
Owners who click an ad want to see proof quickly: a sample of work in their line, a clear package and a way to book. Sending them to a general homepage wastes the click. A page built for the ad group, with a short brief form, converts far better.
Phone and calendar handling matter. A hot lead who reaches voicemail on a Monday morning may call the next agency. We set ad hours around when someone can answer, and we make the form promise only what you can deliver, such as a reply the same working day.
For the full picture, see marketing for marketing agencies.
To be found in organic search, read about SEO for marketing agencies.
To improve the page visitors land on, see web design for marketing agencies.
Who these ads are for
groups Customer segments
- person Studios with open capacity for new website builds and redesigns
- person Branding shops launching a package aimed at new local businesses
- person Retainer agencies replacing clients lost to turnover or budget cuts
- person Agencies opening a new service line that needs its first leads
psychology What drives their decision
- check_circle Ads that name the service and client type clearly
- check_circle A landing page with samples, packages and a booking button
- check_circle Quick, human replies to every form and call
- check_circle Honest scope that separates retainers from one-off projects
How we deliver SEM
A small, measured test, from choosing the offer to checking sales feedback.
1
Keyword groups by service and client type
We group keywords by what the buyer wants: website redesign, branding, monthly marketing, and agencies for specific trades or clinics. Each group gets its own ads and page. This keeps a branding search from landing on a web design pitch.
2
Negative keywords and exclusions
We block jobs, salary, internship, course, template, free, software and do-it-yourself searches, plus freelancers looking for work. We also protect your own agency name. The first weeks of search term reports show what else to add, and we trim waste each week.
3
Ads and landing pages
Ads promise one clear thing, such as a free site review or a discovery call. They lead to a page with samples from similar clients, package outlines and a short brief form that asks for budget and timeline. You approve every ad and page.
4
Call and calendar handling
We connect calls and booking links so every request is logged by source. Ad hours follow the times you can actually answer. A missed call triggers an alert to your team, so a hot owner does not wait until the next day.
5
Budget review and weekly checks
We start with a budget you set, watch which groups bring discovery calls and move money toward them. Each month you see cost per call, proposals and signed work. We stop groups that produce clicks without conversations.
query_stats
What Marketing Agencies SEM includes
Reach people who are ready to book on Google, without paying for clicks that never turn into customers in the UK
- check_circle Account build and tracking setup
- check_circle Landing pages for each ad group
- check_circle Negative keyword management
- check_circle Weekly search term review
- check_circle Monthly report on cost per call
What you can expect
- verified Your ads reach owners who are ready to hire an agency
- verified Job seekers, students and freebie hunters are screened out of the budget
- verified Every call and booking is logged against the ad that drove it
- verified Spend moves toward services and client types that bring proposals
- verified Owners land on samples and packages that match what they searched
- verified Reports show cost per discovery call and per signed retainer
Deliverables you receive
inventory_2 Keyword groups for each service, client type and buying stage
inventory_2 Long negative keyword list covering jobs, courses, templates and free requests
inventory_2 Ad copy and landing pages written for each group and approved by you
inventory_2 Call tracking, booking-link tracking and form tracking tied to ad source
inventory_2 Weekly search term review with waste removed and winning phrases added
inventory_2 Monthly report showing cost per discovery call, proposals and signed retainers
Technical approach
The mechanics behind SEM for marketing agencies, explained plainly.
Conversion tracking
We record form submits, calls above a minimum length and booked calendar slots as separate events. A booked discovery call counts for more than a brochure download. That lets the account learn from real conversations, not accidental clicks.
Match types and bids
Broad phrases pull in curious browsers, so we lean on tighter keyword matching until the data proves a wider net is safe. Bids follow how often each group turns into proposals. Competitor names are used only with care and never in a misleading way.
Landing page speed and mobile
Owners often click from a phone between jobs. The page loads quickly, shows the booking button at once and keeps long portfolios behind a tap. Slow image galleries waste paid clicks, so we test on real devices before launch.
Marketing from $500 USD a month
Month to month, no commitment. One fee covers the pages, the search and ad work and the tracking. Ad spend is separate and stays in your own accounts.
Starting at
$500 USD per month
Free to cancel with 1 month's notice. Tell us what you sell and where. We come back with what the first month would fix.
Get a Free AuditWhat $500 a month covers
Pages
IncludedPages built around the searches your buyers actually type.
Search and ads
IncludedSearch and ads aimed at people ready to enquire.
Tracking
IncludedCalls, forms and bookings tagged to the search, ad or page behind them.
What to expect from Google Ads
Paid search can start sending visitors quickly, but the first weeks are for learning which phrases bring real conversations and which waste money.
Days 1 to 14
We build the account, tracking and first landing pages. The first ads run on a modest budget. Early reports show which phrases attract owners and which attract job seekers or freebie hunters.
Weeks 3 to 8
We prune waste, rewrite weak ads and shift budget toward groups that produce discovery calls. You start to see a cost per call by service and client type, and decide where to put more money.
Months 3 to 6 and beyond
The account settles into steady rhythm. We test new packages, client-type pages and offers against closed work. We cannot promise lead counts or signed retainers, because competition and your closing both shape results.
Other Marketing Agencies marketing services
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Our team
The same people on the audit and on the work
Martin writes every audit and takes the first call. The same team stays on the account. 160+ businesses since 2010.
Yoana
Social and app development
Shapes social strategy and builds practical app experiences that turn attention into action.
Mike
SEO
Owns technical, local and content SEO so the right buyers find you when demand is highest.
Robert
Paid media
Plans and manages paid search and social campaigns around qualified leads.
Elmer
Analytics
Connects tracking, attribution and reporting so decisions are based on revenue-quality data.
Dino
Design
Creates clear brand and conversion-focused design across landing pages, campaigns and product experiences.
Certified and experienced
Certified where it matters. Accountable for the outcome.
Verified platform knowledge, 25+ years of hands-on experience, and an operating track record since 2010.
Google AdsCertified
✓Google AnalyticsCertified
✓Google Tag ManagerCertified
✓Operating since 2010Proven experience
✓Frequently Asked Questions
How much should a marketing agency spend on Google Ads? expand_more
It depends on your capacity and how many discovery calls you can take. We agree a starting figure with you, watch the cost per call and adjust. Because a retainer is worth many months of fees, a higher cost per qualified call can still make sense, but we never promise a result.
Will job seekers and freelancers waste my budget? expand_more
They can, which is why we block words like jobs, salary, course and internship from day one. We also review the actual search terms every week and add new blocks. This is one of the main reasons agency accounts need steady attention.
Should we bid on competitor agency names? expand_more
Sometimes, but carefully. Competitor clicks are costly and often low in intent, and the ad must never imply you are someone else. We usually start with service and client-type searches and test competitor terms only if the data supports it.
What should a marketing agency ad page include? expand_more
Samples from similar clients, a short outline of your packages, how you work and a short brief form. Owners should see within seconds that you serve their kind of business. A calendar link helps people ready to book now.
Can paid ads tell a retainer lead from a one-off project? expand_more
Yes, if the form and ad groups are built for it. A package page for monthly marketing separates from a one-off web design page, and the form asks about timeline and budget. Each lead is tagged so your reports show which type produced more signed work.
Who answers the calls from the ads? expand_more
Your team does. We set the number, the booking link and the ad hours so someone can respond. If calls go unanswered, paid search becomes an expensive way to hand leads to other marketing agencies.
Do you manage ads for a remote marketing agency? expand_more
Yes. We aim ads at the client types and regions you want to serve, not just your town. The page then says clearly that you work remotely and how the first call happens.
Ready to scale Marketing Agencies SEM?
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