If you’re a business owner in and around Manchester like us, you’re probably trying to grow your online presence. A lot of businesses have tried PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising, there’s a chance you might have even dabbled in it yourself. We speak to many business owners that have set up a Google Ads account, picked a few keywords, set a daily budget and hoped for the best. This is where a large number of those businesses reach the point that they seriously consider handing it over to the professionals.
So, what’s the right move? Should you continue to manage your PPC ads in-house, or bring in a PPC agency in Manchester to help scale your growth? In this blog, we’ll walk through everything you need to know to make the right decision for your business – whether you’re exploring PPC Manchester services for the first time or rethinking your current ad campaigns.
What Is PPC and Why Does It Matter for Businesses?
Pay-Per-Click advertising is one of the most efficient ways to get your business in front of potential customers fast, especially in a city as competitive as Manchester. Whether you’re targeting locals searching for “emergency plumber near me” or trying to attract e-commerce sales nationally, PPC gives you the power to appear exactly when someone’s ready to buy.
For businesses in Greater Manchester, where local search intent is high and competition is fierce, PPC advertising often delivers results far quicker than search engine optimisation or organic social media ever could. However success depends heavily on how well the campaigns are set up and managed.
DIY PPC: What It Looks Like and Why People Try It
A lot of businesses start their PPC journey in-house. It’s appealing at first, platforms like Google Ads promise easy onboarding and there’s no shortage of YouTube tutorials or blog posts to follow. You get full control over your spend and in theory, the flexibility to test what works.
In practice, DIY PPC ads usually involve a steep learning curve. Most people underestimate how many small (but critical) components make up a successful campaign. From keyword match types and negative lists, to conversion tracking, audience segmentation, ad extensions and bidding strategies – a lot goes into it!
Many businesses give it a go, see a few clicks but no leads and end up either overspending or switching off their campaigns in frustration. That’s not a failure, it’s a sign that professional help might be worth considering.
The Learning Curve: What Most DIY Advertisers Get Wrong
The most common mistake we see in DIY PPC management is poor targeting. Without a PPC strategy that focusses on proper keyword research and negative keyword curation, your PPC ads can show for all sorts of irrelevant searches. One thing to remember, paid search advertising charges you per click (relevant or not) it’s easy to burn through your budget fast.
Another big issue is tracking. If your conversion tracking isn’t set up properly, you might be getting results and not even know it. Read our complete PPC advertising guide for an in-depth look at setup, tracking and optimisation best practices to avoid these common mistakes.
Also let’s not forget the time you have to invest into it. Managing campaigns, writing ad copy, testing landing pages and analysing data to name a few. If you’re also running the day-to-day of your business, something is bound to give.
The Hidden Costs of DIY PPC
DIY PPC advertising may seem cheap, but it often costs more in the long run. The time you spend trying to learn, manage and troubleshoot paid search campaigns is time you’re not spending on other parts of your business. And the real kicker? You don’t know what you don’t know, meaning many mistakes can go unnoticed for months.
From wasted spend on irrelevant clicks, to poor bidding strategies and underperforming landing pages, each small inefficiency chips away at your budget. Over time, the hidden costs of DIY add up far more than most business owners expect.
When Does It Make Sense to Manage PPC Yourself?
If you’re just starting out with a very small budget (under £500/month) and you want to understand the basics before outsourcing, DIY can be worthwhile. You’ll gain a better appreciation for how PPC services work and what to expect from an agency later on.
It’s very important to recognise the limits as PPC changes fast. What works today might not work next week and without the time, tools and expertise to keep up, even experienced DIYers find themselves falling behind.
DIY makes sense as a short-term experiment – not a long-term solution.
How A Good PPC Agency Actually Helps You Grow
A good Manchester PPC agency doesn’t just build campaigns, they build campaigns with consistent growth. They take the time to understand your goals, map out your ideal customer journey and create PPC strategy plans that drive real revenue.
Agencies know how to structure campaigns to match user intent, separate cold from warm traffic and drive the right people to the right offer. They create multiple ad variations and test them continuously. They’ll also pair ads with conversion-focused landing pages so that your traffic doesn’t just click – it converts.
We once helped a local solicitors firm triple their lead flow within six weeks. They were running their own Google Ads campaigns, sending everyone to a general homepage. We built our service-specific pages, rewrote their ad copy to address pain points and set up call tracking. The difference was night and day.
PPC Strategy vs Just Running Ads: Know the Difference
There’s a huge gap between setting up some ads and having a fully developed PPC strategy. A proper strategy considers your lifetime customer value, the profitability of different services, seasonal trends and competitor behaviour.
Without a strategy, you’ll likely end up reacting to metrics rather than planning around them. One week your PPC ads work, the next week they don’t and you’re left guessing why. Strategy turns PPC from a gamble into a predictable growth tool.
Agencies think long-term. They monitor trends, run experiments and build campaigns that evolve with your business. That’s not something a DIY setup can easily replicate.
What Makes a PPC Campaign High-Converting
Clicks are only half the story. Getting someone to your website is important, but what happens after they land matters just as much, if not more. That’s why high-converting PPC ads consider the full journey. Ad copy, landing page load speed, visual design, persuasive copywriting, trust signals and clear calls to action.
We worked with a local plumbing business that had a decent ad setup but they were sending visitors to a slow-loading homepage with too much text. After building a simple, mobile-optimised landing page with testimonials, a quote form and phone number tap-to-call their conversion rates doubled.
Most DIY advertisers focus on driving traffic. Agencies focus on generating results.
The Role of Creative in PPC Success
PPC isn’t just data and spreadsheets, creative execution plays a huge role. From the wording of your headlines to the design of your landing pages, every element needs to earn its keep.
Great creative improves click-through rates, reduces cost-per-click and makes your brand more memorable. A new PPC customer of ours saw a 3x improvement in form submissions after swapping generic ad copy for location-specific messaging with a clear benefit.
An agency can bring the fresh perspective and creative resources you often don’t have in-house, this can be the edge that sets you apart in a saturated market.
What You’re Really Paying for with a PPC Agency
Hiring the number 1 PPC agency in Manchester (talking about Rank Kings obviously!) isn’t just about outsourcing tasks, it’s about gaining access to people who live and breathe PPC. You’re buying experience, yes, but also insight, tools and accountability.
Agencies have access to enterprise-grade software, from SEMrush and SpyFu to Optmyzr and advanced attribution tools. They also have benchmarks across industries and know what “good” actually looks like. They’ll spot underperformance before you even know there’s a problem.
When you’re paying for a service, the PPC agency is accountable for delivering results. That keeps your campaigns sharp, your spend optimised and your business moving forward.
Why Experience Matters in PPC Management
Experience doesn’t just speed up campaign setup it improves results. A seasoned PPC specialist knows which levers to pull to quickly shift performance. They understand the nuances of each platform, from Google Ads to Meta, and can optimise across channels to make every pound work harder.
We once took over an account from a freelance consultant where conversions had flatlined. It turned out the bidding strategy was set to maximise clicks rather than conversions, this was a subtle but critical oversight. Within two weeks of switching strategy, the campaign produced 5x more leads with no increase in budget.
How Agencies Stay Ahead of Google’s Constant Updates
Google Ads and other PPC advertising platforms evolve constantly. New features are rolled out, rules change, policies tighten and automation tools shift how things work. For most DIY advertisers, keeping up with these changes is nearly impossible without making it a full-time job.
Agencies, on the other hand, are immersed in the ecosystem. They attend training events, monitor industry news and work across multiple client accounts, all meaning they can spot changes early and adjust strategies before performance dips.
We’ve seen cases where a new ad type or bidding strategy rolls out, businesses that adapt fast gain a serious edge over competitors still running outdated tactics.
Real Examples: How PPC Agencies Improve Results
We’ve seen countless examples of businesses unlocking better returns just by having the right setup. One ecommerce brand was spending over £3,000/month and seeing flat results. We audited their account and found they were sending 80% of traffic to out-of-stock or low-margin items.
After restructuring the product feed, tightening audience targeting and pausing underperforming ad groups, we helped them increase their ROAS (return on ad spend) by over 90%. This is how you optimise PPC campaigns to work smarter, not harder.
What to Expect in the First 90 Days with a PPC Agency
If you’ve never worked with an agency before, the first few months can feel like a black box. A good agency will take you through onboarding, account audits, goal setting and strategy development before anything goes live.
Expect weekly or bi-weekly updates, KPI tracking dashboards and a shared understanding of what success looks like. That structure creates momentum, clarity and confidence. This is one of the biggest reasons why businesses who try agencies rarely go back to DIY.
Choosing the Right PPC Agency in Manchester
If you’re ready to explore hiring help, be selective. Look for a local agency that takes time to understand your business, shows you their strategy and communicates clearly.
Ask for case studies and results from similar industries. Make sure they’re transparent with reporting and willing to explain what’s working, just as importantly ask to see what isn’t. Avoid agencies that talk in circles or hide behind jargon.
At Rank Kings, we work with businesses across Manchester and beyond to turn ad spend into consistent results. We’ll audit your current setup, share honest feedback and show you exactly where we can help.
What Working with a Local PPC Agency Looks Like
Working with a local agency gives you more than just time zone alignment – it gives you cultural and regional relevance. A Manchester-based PPC team knows the language your customers use, the areas they’re searching from and what matters most to them.
We’ve helped local service providers target high-value postcodes and avoid spammy leads from outside their catchment area. We even tailor ads to align with local events and behaviours. That kind of insight is hard to come by unless you live and work here too.
Deciding whether to manage your PPC campaigns in-house or partner with an agency depends on various factors, including your team’s expertise, available time, and budget. For a comprehensive comparison of both options, this guide from PPC Agency Guide breaks down the key considerations to help you choose the best path for your business.
How Long It Takes to See Results From PPC (And What to Expect)
PPC can produce leads and sales quickly but meaningful results take time and refinement. It’s not just about launching a campaign and hoping it works. The first few weeks are typically about gathering data, testing audiences, evaluating click-through rates and analysing which ads attract the right kind of traffic.
In months two and three, that data turns into strategy. Budgets are adjusted, winning ad creatives get more spend and underperformers are paused or reworked. Landing pages are refined, extensions are added and conversion tracking becomes more accurate.
We often tell clients to think in 90-day phases. The first 30 days set the foundation. The next 30 build on early learnings. By day 90, you’ve got a well-oiled campaign that’s tailored to your market and that’s when scale becomes a realistic goal. If you’d like a full breakdown of Google Ads setup and cost expectations for 2025, our guide covers everything from budgeting and bidding to long-term ROI.
Should You Hire or DIY? Making the Right Choice for Your Business
If you’ve read this far, chances are you’re already considering hiring a PPC agency. The question isn’t whether it’s possible to do it yourself, it’s whether you want to spend your time learning an entirely new skill or hand it off to someone who already knows how to deliver results.
Hiring a Manchester PPC agency gives you breathing room, sharper results and more time to focus on running your business. You don’t have to do it alone.
For many, PPC is just one part of a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. A good agency helps align PPC with SEO, content, social and CRM efforts – giving you not just leads but long-term growth. To see how paid search stacks up against organic optimisation, check out our SEO vs PPC in Manchester guide – it explains when to invest in each for maximum return.
If you want help from a Manchester PPC agency that actually cares like they say they do, just give us a call. With Rank Kings there is no pressure, no jargon…just real advice and proven results.
