Google Ads guides
Budgets, cost per lead, search terms, audits and hiring decisions for Google Ads and PPC. Start with the troubleshooting pieces if an account is already running.
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Articles · 23
Updated Sep 18, 2026 · 11 min read
Google Ads Not Generating Leads? 15 Reasons Why
Spending without leads almost always traces back to one of fifteen causes. Here they are, in the order I check them during an audit.
Updated Oct 7, 2026 · 11 min read
Why Google Ads Gets Clicks but No Leads: A Full-Funnel Diagnosis
Clicks without leads is a funnel problem with a specific location. Here is how to find the leak layer by layer before you change a single bid.
Updated Sep 18, 2026 · 8 min read
Google Ads Cost Per Lead Too High? 15 Ways to Lower Your CPL
Fifteen levers that actually move cost per lead, ordered by how quickly they pay back in a typical lead generation account.
Updated Oct 7, 2026 · 12 min read
Why Your Google Ads Leads Are Low Quality — and What to Fix First
Plenty of leads, few customers: the classic Google Ads quality problem. This framework traces unqualified leads to their source — the searches you bought, the forms you offered and the conversions you counted — and fixes each in order.
Updated Sep 18, 2026 · 10 min read
How to Reduce Cost Per Lead in Google Ads Without Killing Lead Quality
Cutting cost per lead is easy if you accept worse leads. Here are the levers that lower cost and raise quality at the same time.
Updated Oct 7, 2026 · 11 min read
How to Reduce Wasted Google Ads Spend: A Practical Framework
Most Google Ads accounts leak 10–30% of budget into searches, places and devices that never produce customers. This framework finds each leak in order, starting with the tracking that makes waste measurable.
Updated Sep 18, 2026 · 12 min read
How to Audit Your Google Ads Account: 25-Point PPC Checklist
The 25 checks I run on every Google Ads account, grouped by area, with what good looks like for each one.
Updated Oct 7, 2026 · 12 min read
How to Audit a Google Ads Account Before Hiring an Agency
Run this audit before you take sales calls, not after. It tells you whether you need a rebuild, a manager or nothing at all — and it becomes the brief that separates good agencies from confident ones.
Updated Sep 18, 2026 · 6 min read
How Much Should a Small Business Spend on Google Ads Per Month?
A monthly Google Ads budget is not a guess. Work backwards from your cost per click, close rate and the data volume bidding needs.
Updated Sep 18, 2026 · 10 min read
How Much Do Google Ads Cost for Small Businesses in the USA? [2026 Guide]
Realistic 2026 numbers for US small businesses: monthly budgets that can actually learn, cost per click by industry, and the levers that move cost per lead.
Updated Oct 7, 2026 · 10 min read
How Much Does Google Ads Management Cost? US & UK Pricing Guide
Freelancer vs agency fees, setup and tracking costs, what actually moves the price, and the warning signs that a cheap quote will cost you more — for US and UK buyers.
Updated Oct 7, 2026 · 11 min read
Google Ads Management for Small Businesses: A Buyer's Guide
When Google Ads makes sense for a small business, what budget it actually needs, and how to judge whether the person managing it is doing the work that matters.
Updated Sep 18, 2026 · 11 min read
How Much Does PPC Management Cost in the UK? [2026]
Typical UK retainers, percentage models and freelancer rates for 2026 — plus what should be included at each level and where VAT and setup fees sit.
Updated Sep 18, 2026 · 10 min read
PPC Management for Small Businesses: What You Actually Need
The weekly work that actually moves a small PPC account, the deliverables worth paying for, and the warning signs that nobody is really looking at it.
Updated Sep 18, 2026 · 10 min read
Google Ads Agency vs Freelancer: Which Should You Hire?
Cost, seniority, capacity and continuity risk — an honest comparison, including the cases where an agency is genuinely the better call.
Updated Oct 7, 2026 · 11 min read
How to Know if Your PPC Agency Is Actually Doing a Good Job
A framework for judging whether your PPC provider is doing good work: nine areas to check in the account itself, the questions to ask, and what to do with the answers.
Updated Sep 18, 2026 · 11 min read
Google Ads for Small Businesses: Complete Lead Generation Guide
Account structure, keyword selection, landing pages and tracking — a practical first-90-days playbook for small businesses using Google Ads to generate leads.
Updated Sep 18, 2026 · 10 min read
Google Ads for Local Businesses: How to Generate More Calls & Leads
Radius targeting, call-first ad formats, Local Services Ads and hour-of-day scheduling — how local businesses turn a modest budget into phone calls.
Updated Oct 7, 2026 · 13 min read
Google Ads vs Meta Ads for Lead Generation: An Honest Comparison
Demand capture versus demand creation. A balanced comparison across intent, cost, lead quality, sales cycle, tracking and scale — ending in a decision framework rather than a verdict.
Updated Sep 18, 2026 · 7 min read
Google Ads for Dentists: Complete PPC Guide to Getting More Patients [2026]
Dental PPC works when the keyword set matches the treatment you actually want to sell. Here is how to structure a dentist Google Ads account for new patient leads.
Updated Sep 18, 2026 · 7 min read
Google Ads for HVAC Companies: How to Generate High-Quality Leads
HVAC leads are seasonal, urgent and phone-driven. Here is how to build a Google Ads account that catches demand spikes without burning budget in the shoulder months.
Updated Sep 18, 2026 · 6 min read
Google Ads for Plumbers: Complete Lead Generation Strategy [2026]
Plumbing searches are urgent and local. This is how to build a plumber Google Ads account that catches emergency demand without paying for DIY researchers.
Updated Sep 18, 2026 · 6 min read
Google Ads for Roofers: How to Get More Roofing Leads Without Wasting Budget
Roofing clicks are expensive and tyre-kickers are common. Here is how to qualify earlier in the funnel and keep cost per booked inspection under control.
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