The best PPC agency in the UK is the one that fits your business: your budget, your sector, how many markets you advertise in and how close you want to be to the people running your account. The UK has strong options at every size, from global groups with hundreds of specialists to focused paid search teams. Below are ten good choices, what each is genuinely best for, and the questions that separate a good fit from an expensive mistake.
Full disclosure: this list is written by Brightpace, and we’ve put ourselves at number one. We’d rather say that plainly than pretend to be neutral. Everything we say about the other nine is based on their own websites and trade press, and each is strong at something, so use the “best for” labels to find your fit, even if it isn’t us.
How we chose
Every agency on this list:
- Offers PPC management as a core service, not an add-on to web design or SEO
- Works with UK businesses, from a UK base
- Is established and credible, with a clear specialism and a public track record
We’ve ordered the list by who we’d recommend for a typical business that wants senior, commercially focused PPC management, which is, admittedly, the brief we built Brightpace around.
At a glance
| # | Agency | Best for | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brightpace | Senior, founder-led PPC judged on profit | UK, working remotely |
| 2 | Brainlabs | Large brands wanting data-led scale | London (global) |
| 3 | Hallam | Search, social and programmatic from one team | Nottingham and London |
| 4 | Havas Market (formerly Search Laboratory) | International and multilingual paid search | Leeds, London and Manchester |
| 5 | Circus PPC | A pure paid media specialist | Leeds |
| 6 | ROAST | Paid and organic search planned together | London |
| 7 | Impression | Joined-up search, paid media and digital PR | Nottingham, London, Manchester |
| 8 | Journey Further | Search-led, discovery-focused growth | Leeds and London |
| 9 | Herdl | PPC alongside SEO and web design | East Midlands and London |
| 10 | Soap Media | Paid search within a wider digital partnership | Manchester and Preston |
The 10 best PPC agencies in the UK
1. Brightpace
Best for: businesses that want senior, founder-led PPC management judged on profit, not clicks.
Yes, this is us. Brightpace is a founder-led UK agency, founded by a former Performance Marketing Manager at Ticketmaster. You work directly with the person running your account across Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Shopping and Performance Max and YouTube.
Why we’d put ourselves first:
- Targets from your economics. Bids and budgets are set from your margins and what a customer is worth, not a generic ROAS. Our free ROAS and CPA calculators show the maths.
- Tracking first. Enhanced conversions, offline conversion imports and clean data, so Smart Bidding learns from real sales and qualified leads.
- Clear pricing. A monthly fee agreed up front, no setup fee and a 30-day rolling contract. See our PPC management service.
- Your account, always. Your ad accounts and data stay in your name.
Worth knowing: we’re a deliberately small, senior operation, and we don’t offer SEO. If you need one agency for paid and organic search, or a large team across many countries, an agency further down this list may suit you better.
2. Brainlabs
Best for: large brands that want data-led, technology-heavy paid media at scale.
Brainlabs was founded in London in 2012 by a former Google employee and began as a PPC agency. It has since grown into a global agency covering paid media, measurement and creative, with a strong reputation for data and automation. A natural fit for big advertisers running complex accounts across many markets.
3. Hallam
Best for: established brands that want search, social and programmatic from one team.
Hallam is based in Nottingham with an office in London, and has worked in digital marketing since 2000. Its paid media team covers paid search, paid social and programmatic, including Google Ads, Shopping, Display and YouTube, and it describes itself as a Google Premier Partner. A good option if you also want SEO and content from the same agency.
4. Havas Market (formerly Search Laboratory)
Best for: brands advertising across several countries and languages.
Leeds-founded Search Laboratory merged with Havas Market UK in January 2025, and the combined team now works as Havas Market, with offices in Leeds, London and Manchester. Its services include PPC and paid search, international search, Amazon advertising, Google Marketing Platform and data science, backed by the wider Havas network.
5. Circus PPC
Best for: businesses that want a pure paid media specialist.
Leeds-based Circus describes itself as a PPC and paid media specialist with more than 20 years in paid media. It runs Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Meta, LinkedIn and Amazon campaigns, and says it is a Google Premier Partner. Its focus on paid media alone suits businesses that want specialists rather than a generalist agency.
6. ROAST
Best for: brands that want paid and organic search planned together by a larger team.
London-based ROAST describes itself as an integrated performance media agency, covering PPC, paid social, display and programmatic, Amazon and mobile, alongside SEO. A good match if you want search planned as one channel, paid and organic, rather than bought from two suppliers.
7. Impression
Best for: joined-up search, paid media and digital PR.
Impression has offices in Nottingham, London, Manchester and New York, and covers paid media, SEO, digital PR, analytics and conversion optimisation. It suits brands that want their paid search to work closely with organic search and PR rather than in isolation.
8. Journey Further
Best for: search-led brands focused on how customers discover them.
Founded in 2017, Journey Further is headquartered in Leeds with an office in London. It positions itself around “discovery-led” performance marketing: finding where growth is held back and improving the signals that shape how customers find a brand. A strong option if search and discoverability sit at the centre of your growth plan.
9. Herdl
Best for: small and mid-sized businesses that want PPC alongside SEO and a website partner.
Herdl was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Ashby-de-la-Zouch in the East Midlands, with offices in Nottingham and London. It offers PPC alongside SEO and web design, which suits businesses that want one partner for search and their website.
10. Soap Media
Best for: businesses that want paid search as part of a wider digital partnership.
Soap Media was founded in 2005 and has offices in Manchester and Preston. It offers PPC alongside SEO, content, social media and web design and development, which makes it a sensible choice for businesses in the North West that want several services from one agency. Selling to businesses? See our list of the 10 best B2B PPC agencies in the UK.
How to choose a PPC agency in the UK
Whoever you shortlist, ask these questions. Our 12-point checklist for choosing a PPC agency goes deeper.
- What will they optimise to? Sales, qualified leads and profit, not clicks or platform-reported conversions alone.
- Who runs your account day to day? Meet them, not just the pitch team.
- How do they handle automation? Ask how they control Performance Max and AI Max, separate brand from non-brand, and stop spend on searches you don’t want.
- How is tracking set up? Look for enhanced conversions and, for lead generation, offline conversion imports from your CRM.
- How long is the contract? Long minimum terms protect the agency, not you.
- Do you keep your account? Your ad accounts and data should stay in your name. A paid account audit is a good test of how an agency thinks before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a PPC agency cost in the UK?
Most UK agencies charge 10% to 20% of monthly ad spend, or a fixed monthly retainer, often with a minimum fee. Some add a setup fee. Our guide to what PPC management costs in the UK has worked examples by budget.
What is a Google Premier Partner?
Google Partners are agencies that meet Google’s requirements for spend, performance and certifications. Premier Partner status goes to the top-performing Partners in each country each year. It’s a useful sign of experience, but not a guarantee the agency is right for your business.
Should I choose a large agency or a small one?
Large agencies bring scale, specialist teams and multi-market reach. Smaller, specialist or founder-led agencies usually offer more senior attention and more flexible terms. Choose based on how complex your account is, how many markets you run and how close you want to be to the work.
Is PPC management worth it for a small business?
It can be, when the account is big enough to justify the fee and tracking is in place. If your budget is small, our guide to Google Ads for small businesses explains what to expect.
In short
The UK’s best PPC agencies range from global groups to focused specialists and founder-led teams. Shortlist on fit, your budget, sector and markets, then judge each on what they optimise to, who runs your account, how they control automation, how tracking is set up, contract length and whether you keep ownership of your ad accounts.
Sources
Each agency’s own website, checked for services and locations, plus trade press where noted. Last checked October 2026.
- Brainlabs, Brainlabs
- Brainlabs winner profile, Deloitte UK Technology Fast 50
- Hallam, Hallam
- Search Laboratory is now part of Havas Market, Havas Market
- Circus PPC, Circus
- ROAST, ROAST
- Impression, Impression
- Journey Further, Journey Further
- Herdl locations, Herdl
- Soap Media, Soap Media
Want to see if Brightpace is the right fit? Explore our PPC management or let’s chat about your account.
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