Paid Search

The paid search agency for brands who hate waste

A huge number of consumer brands overspend on paid search. It is the channel that overattributes most heavily and always looks better than it actually is. But it has a place in all consumer strategy, but a proper approach that's outcome-orientated is usually missed. We're anti-brand spend, incrementality focused, and honest about what Google can and can't do.

Problem we solve

Too many brands pour money into Google without questioning whether it's actually driving growth. Brand search looks great in reports — high ROAS, low CPAs — but it's often a tax, not an investment. Those customers were coming anyway.

The problem is measurement. Google's attribution is generous to Google. Without proper incrementality testing, you're crediting the channel for revenue it didn't create. You're scaling spend that feels safe but isn't actually moving the needle.

We take a different approach. We're sceptical by default, rigorous about measurement, and focused on the spend that genuinely drives new customers — not the spend that just captures existing demand.

How our PPC advertising agency works

Paid Search
01

Anti-brand spend

We see brand spend as a tax you should minimise, not a channel you should scale. If a customer is searching your brand name, they're already sold. We protect brand terms where necessary but we don't pretend it's growth.

Paid Search
02

Shopping and generics

Where we do run search, the focus is Shopping, Performance Max, and generic terms — the spend that actually reaches new customers. We build campaigns around incremental revenue, not inflated ROAS.

Paid Search
03

Incrementality at the core

We validate everything. Geo lifts, conversion lift studies, correlation models against other channels. If Google spend isn't showing up in the blended numbers, we cut it. No sacred cows.

Paid Search
04

One team, not two agencies

Most of our clients don't want to manage two agencies. We run paid search so you don't have to — with the same rigour and transparency we bring to paid social.

Paid Search
05

Right-sized for DTC

For most DTC brands, search is a secondary channel. We treat it that way. For ecom brands with large catalogues, it becomes more central — and we scale accordingly.

Ballpoint approach

01

Ex-in-house talent

Every strategist has managed search budgets in-house and knows how easy it is to waste money on Google. We've felt the pressure when CACs don't make sense and built this approach to fix it.

02

Incrementality-focused

We don't trust platform attribution. We measure what Google actually contributes, not what it claims. If it's not incremental, we reallocate.

03

Experiment engine

Same weekly sprints as every other channel. Clear hypotheses, rigorous testing, learnings that compound. Search feeds into the same system — no silos.

Case studies for

Paid Search

View all case studies
Mother Root

Launching Mother Root from 0 → 1

From 0 to 1

Thriva

How we helped Thriva 7× ad spend in a year

7× YoY ad spend

Tilly Sveaas

How we grew monthly revenue for Tilly Sveaas 2.8× in 10 months

New customer revenue ↑ 364%

Who we work with

Consumer brands who want search run properly without taking the hit on incrementality. You want rigour, not inflated numbers. You want spend that actually drives growth. Note that we only work with paid search as a secondary part of a paid social service.

Frequently asked questions

Is paid search worth it?

If your product solves a problem people are already searching for, yes. Paid search captures high-intent demand the moment it appears, which means shorter sales cycles and clearer attribution than most other channels.

Is PPC better than SEO?

They do different jobs. PPC delivers traffic immediately against proven intent; SEO builds compounding organic visibility over time. The best growth strategies run both - PPC to capture demand now, SEO to reduce your cost of acquisition later.

What is a PPC agency?

A team that manages paid advertising on platforms like Google Ads and Microsoft Ads. They handle keyword strategy, ad copy, bid management and landing page alignment to turn search intent into revenue at a target cost per acquisition.

How do I choose a good PPC agency?

Look for operators who talk about contribution margin, not just ROAS. Ask how they structure tests, how often they ship creative, and whether they build landing pages or just point traffic at your homepage. Transparency on spend and a clear reporting cadence are non-negotiable.

Our current and recent roster

Break through your next growth ceiling

Ballpoint are a full service, creative growth agency that support across the entire customer funnel.