My Journey in Google Ads & Conversion Optimisation

Early Days in Google Ads

I started managing Google Ads in 2004 for a variety of businesses, from small companies to unique website offerings—one even had a château in France, now featured on Escape to the Château DIY. Over time, I moved on to lead conversion rate teams at larger fintech firms, including Think Money.

At Think Money, ad spend exceeded £7 million a year by the time I left, with most of it going through Google Ads. My team and I were responsible for designing landing pages that maximised conversions. The results? A business that scaled significantly—all thanks to strategic ad management and conversion rate optimisation.

Back then hardly anyone talked about User Experience. But CRO was starting out. CRO was how you turned clicks into business. And it still is. 

The Power of Sponsored Links

The starting point of most search journeys is keyword clicks. These come from:

• Social campaigns
• Organic search (which is increasingly difficult)
• Sponsored links (now the dominant force)

I’ve worked on hundreds of campaigns over 20+ years, encountering everything from disastrous setups to finely tuned operations. I’ve collaborated with brilliant teams and delivered outstanding results, even in tough industries. We’ve achieved 7X return on ad spend, watched companies grow from 300 staff to 1,500, and used Google Ads, Bing Ads, and Facebook Ads to drive revenue—when done right.

The Art of Campaign Management

Successful ad campaigns demand:

• Precise campaign setup
• Accurate bidding strategies
• Correct conversion tracking
• Proper geo-targeting
• A well-formed strategy

These elements must be handled by an expert and managed almost daily. It’s not easy work—don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Mastering ad performance naturally led me to specialise in conversion rate optimisation (CRO).

Why CRO Matters in Ad Spend

Many businesses operate with tight budgets, starting from £500 a month in ad spend. To make this work, we need to deeply understand:

• Your business model
• Your best sales opportunities
• The right keywords to target

This is the core of our sales workshop—helping you refine your strategy, choose the right keywords, and direct traffic to optimised pages. From there, we test and refine everything—page layouts, sales strategies, tagging, and user flows—all to maximise ROI.

If an agency or ad specialist isn’t skilled in CRO, that’s a major red flag. It likely means they’re letting you burn money without understanding how your leads are converting. I learned this firsthand from my managing director, Steve Stylianou, at Think Money—where pay-per-click was a game changer for business growth.

Any keyword strategy starts with the user

I soon realised that CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation) and lead generation all start with the user, which led me to dive deeply into UX methodologies. This insight helped me secure several significant contracts and shaped my professional journey.

Notable achievements:

• Designed landing pages for Amnesty International and developed the global website for JCB, demonstrating ability to work with major international organisations
• Led the UX and interaction team for the New Zealand lottery, gaining valuable experience in the gaming and entertainment sector
• Founded Higher Ground upon returning to the UK, focusing on helping businesses optimise their conversion rates from existing traffic through improved user experience
• Developed expertise in keyword strategy and campaign management, often identifying businesses wasting budget on poorly managed campaigns with suboptimal user experieances
• Transitioned to working as an independent consultant, leveraging years of experience to help clients optimise their digital presence and marketing spend
• Successfully collaborated with skilled professionals to achieve impressive results, including a seven-fold return on ad spend for one client while eliminating wasteful spending

This experience was important because:

• It demonstrated the crucial connection between user experience and conversion rates
• Proved the value of understanding both technical and user-focused aspects of digital marketing
• Established a track record with major international brands
• Created a sustainable business model based on helping clients optimise their marketing spend
• Showed the importance of collaboration with other experts in achieving exceptional results
• Validated the approach of focusing on user needs rather than just technical metrics

"To make a website be successful, you need great keyword marketing - The starting point for all website traffic. I got so fed up of seeing poorly managed campaigns I started a company specialising in Conversion Rates, Keywords and leads. And our clients love us for it."

Rob Hufton - Higher Ground

Take Your Ad Performance to the Next Level

If you’re serious about increasing leads, driving sales, and making every marketing pound work harder, now is the time to act. Many businesses waste thousands on poorly managed ad campaigns, but with the right strategy and expert guidance, you can see a significant return on investment.

We offer:

• AdWords Management – from £550/month
  
  • Campaign setup, optimisation, and daily monitoring
  • Precise keyword targeting & bidding strategies
  • Conversion tracking & performance analysis
  • Continuous adjustments to maximise ROI
• CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation) – from £1,200/month
  
  • Deep dive into your sales funnel and user journey
  • A/B testing to refine your landing pages and ads
  • Data-driven changes to increase lead quality and conversion rates
  • Ongoing improvements to ensure long-term success

🚀 Why Work With Us?

✅ 25+ years of experience in Google Ads & CRO
✅ Proven track record of delivering 7X return on ad spend
✅ Worked with businesses from startups to large-scale fintech
✅ Hands-on, expert-led management—no “set and forget” strategies