THE PROBLEM WITH MOST PPC

Most Google Ads campaigns generate activity. Fewer generate actual business.

The gap is usually in how campaigns are built...and how results are measured.

Paid search should be one of the most accountable channels in your marketing mix. You set a budget, run ads against specific search terms, and measure what comes back. In practice, a surprising number of campaigns fall short of that — not because Google Ads doesn't work, but because the campaign has been built around the wrong measures.

Optimising for clicks is not the same as optimising for enquiries. A high click-through rate on a narrow keyword set looks impressive in a report but tells you very little about whether the spend is generating business. A lower CTR across a broader, more relevant audience: one that produces significantly more actual contacts, is almost always the better result.

The other common gap is attribution. Most PPC agencies track conversions inside Google. That works for straightforward e-commerce transactions, but it misses a lot in B2B and service businesses, where leads come in through phone calls, contact forms, and CRM-managed workflows. Without connecting your ad data to your CRM, you're making budget decisions based on an incomplete picture.

We build and manage campaigns with both of those things in mind: the right measure of success from the start, and proper attribution throughout.

Ready to talk?

Google Ads management

Google Ads management focused on the outcomes that matter

Performance Max, search, and display — connected to your CRM from day one.

At Bud Marketing, we manage Google Ads campaigns for B2B businesses, professional services firms, and local service providers across the UK.

Every campaign is built around a clear definition of what a successful outcome looks like: an enquiry, a call, a form submission - which is then tracked all the way through to your CRM rather than stopping at the click.

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CLIENT RESULTS

More enquiries, lower cost — PPC that actually pays off

Here is a snapshot of results for recent work with a local business in the Berkshire area.

We took over their Google Ads account and landing page in March and rebuilt the campaign structure from scratch: expanding the keyword set, adding a Performance Max layer, and integrating with HubSpot to track verified conversions end-to-end.

Here's what that rebuilt structure delivered: comparing April 2025 with April 2026, we generated 21 HubSpot-verified enquiries against a prior baseline of 12; a 68% increase — at a cost per enquiry that remained virtually unchanged (£59.26 vs £57.95). Average CPC dropped from £5.07 to £2.29, and impressions grew from 1,520 to 12,539. Based on these results, the campaign is now rolling out across additional service areas.

Google Ads management focused on the outcomes that matter

Performance Max, search, and display advertising, connected to your CRM from day one.

At Bud Marketing, we manage Google Ads campaigns for B2B businesses, professional services firms, and local businesses across the UK.

Every campaign is built around a clear definition of what a successful outcome looks like — an enquiry, a call, a form submission — and tracked all the way through to your CRM rather than stopping at the click.

How do we do that?

THE FULL PICTURE

Everything we include in a managed PPC campaign

From initial strategy through to monthly reporting, here is what each campaign delivers.

We start by understanding your business goals, your customers, and the search terms they actually use. If you have an existing account, we audit it before making any recommendations.

Campaign structure, keyword strategy, match types, and negative keyword lists are all built before a pound of your budget is spent. This is the foundation — getting it right at the start determines everything that follows.

Campaign strategy and account structure

Ad copy is written to qualify as well as attract. The right language brings in the right searches and discourages irrelevant clicks. We test variations systematically rather than guessing, and update copy as we learn what converts.

Landing page guidance is included where relevant; driving traffic to a page that doesn't convert is an avoidable waste.

Ad copy development and testing

Where the brief supports it, we layer in Performance Max campaigns alongside traditional search. PMax extends reach across Google's full inventory: Search, Display, YouTube, Discover and Gmail, and tends to generate clicks at a meaningfully lower cost.

Used alongside a well-structured search campaign, it broadens reach without sacrificing relevance.

Performance Max and search integration

Bid management, negative keyword development, search term analysis, and ongoing structure review run monthly.

We don't set campaigns live and leave them to optimise themselves. Performance data informs decisions; decisions inform the next iteration.

Ongoing optimisation and management

PPC isn't a set and forget project, it needs regular adjustment. Our monthly reporting focuses on what matters: enquiries generated, cost per enquiry, and budget efficiency. We don't pad reports with impression counts.

If something is underperforming, we say so and explain what we are doing about it.

Performance reporting and attribution

Get found where your buyers are searching now. AI assistants like ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews are changing how businesses find suppliers.

We structure your content and your digital presence so Bud — and our clients — show up in those results, not just in traditional search.

Answer Engine Optimisation

our methodology

How we run a PPC campaign, from brief to results

Every campaign follows the same structured process — so you always know where we are and what comes next.

Stage #	Activity	What happens
1	Discovery & Audit	We understand your goals, your customers, and your current setup. If you have an existing account, we review it before making recommendations. No assumptions.
2	Strategy & Structure	Campaign architecture, keyword strategy, and audience approach are agreed before anything goes live. You see the plan before we spend.
3	Build	Campaign build, ad copy, conversion tracking, and CRM integration all in place before launch. Reporting is set up from day one.
4	Optimise and refine	Monthly bid management, negative keyword development, ad copy testing, and search term analysis. We improve campaigns as the data builds.
5	Report & Review	Monthly performance reviews focused on enquiries and business generated, so you get a clear view of what is working and what we are changing.

The process is the same whether you are starting from scratch or bringing an existing account to us. What changes is the starting point. An audit replaces the blank-sheet strategy session, and we work with what is already there rather than rebuilding unnecessarily. Either way, you have a clear view of what we are doing and why before any budget moves.

See what's included in the service

GOT QUESTIONS?

The things people usually ask us first

Straight answers on how AI marketing works, who it's for, and what to expect.

What types of business benefit most from AI marketing services?: Any business that relies on a consistent flow of leads and wants a more efficient way to identify, reach, and convert prospects. In practice, we work with technology companies, managed service providers, professional services firms, and local businesses. The common factor is a desire to connect marketing spend more directly to revenue — and a willingness to put the right systems in place to make that happen.
Do I need to be using HubSpot already?: No. We work with businesses that are already on HubSpot and those that aren't. If HubSpot is the right CRM for your business, we can set it up and configure it as part of the engagement. If you're using another CRM, we'll assess whether integration is practical or whether a migration makes sense.
How is this different from using an AI tool directly?: Most AI tools handle one part of the process — outreach automation, or lead scoring, or data enrichment — in isolation. We connect those components into a single system that feeds data back into your CRM and gives your sales team a clear picture of where to focus. The difference is between a collection of separate tools and an integrated pipeline.
How long before we see results?: The honest answer is that it depends on your starting point. If your data foundation is solid and your ICP is well defined, campaigns can be generating qualified leads within a few weeks. If there's foundational work to do: cleaning up CRM data, establishing tracking, defining the ideal customer, allow six to eight weeks before the pipeline starts moving consistently. We'll give you a realistic timeline in the initial conversation.
What does AI-driven lead generation actually mean in practice?: It means using machine learning to identify which prospects are most likely to convert, personalise outreach at scale based on enriched contact data, automate follow-up sequences triggered by prospect behaviour, and surface the right leads to your sales team at the right moment — all without manual intervention. Your team still handles the conversations; the AI handles the volume and the timing.
Is this suitable for smaller businesses?: Yes. These campaigns have become accessible enough that businesses of almost any size can benefit. We work with local businesses and smaller companies alongside larger enterprise clients. The key is matching the approach to your budget and your pipeline capacity — there's no point generating 500 leads a month if you only have the capacity to follow up with 50.

PPC Management

Paid search that delivers enquiries, not just traffic

Most Google Ads campaigns generate activity. Fewer generate actual business.

Google Ads management focused on the outcomes that matter

More enquiries, lower cost — PPC that actually pays off

Google Ads management focused on the outcomes that matter

Everything we include in a managed PPC campaign

How we run a PPC campaign, from brief to results

The things people usually ask us first

Ready to build a campaign that generates more of the right enquiries?