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Agency Playbook
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🧮 Calculators 📋 Onboarding Checklist

Google Ads Agency Playbook

Standard operating procedures for managing high-converting Google Search campaigns for local service businesses.

The Agency Commercial Model: Month 1 is ad spend only (0% management fee). From Month 2 onwards, our fee is 20% of ad spend. Invoices are dispatched 7 days before the 1st of each month; payment is due 3 days before the 1st.
🏛️ Operating Rules Summary
Term Standard Policy Operational Rationale
Month 1 Fee £0 Fee (Spend Only) Removes barrier to entry; client evaluates lead flow risk-free.
Month 2+ Fee 20% of Ad Spend Transparent profit sharing as account scales.
Daily Budget Monthly Spend ÷ 30.4 Google caps monthly charges at 30.4× daily budget. Never divide by calendar days.
Campaign Model 80% Exact / 20% Broad Isolates high-intent keywords while discovering volume without budget waste.
Core Rule No Lead Guarantees Never guarantee lead counts. Guarantee meticulous execution, Friday reports, and clean data.

📞 Step 1: Intake & Discovery Meeting

Before creating any campaign assets, conduct a structured 30-minute discovery call to establish business economics and guardrails.

The 5 Core Discovery Questions:

  1. Marketing History: What marketing have you tried previously, and what were the exact shortcomings?
  2. Profit Ranking: Which 2–3 services generate the highest profit margins? Which work do you refuse?
  3. Job Economics: What is one average job worth, and how many quotes/enquiries turn into paying customers?
  4. Capacity: How many new jobs per week can your team take on without breaking quality?
  5. Geographic Boundary: Which specific postal codes, towns, or mile radii do you service?
📋 Open Intake Checklist 🧮 Compute Allowable CPL

📝 Step 2: Agreements & Advance Payment

The client must agree in writing and fund Month 1 ad spend prior to building campaigns.

Firm Agency Rule: Never spend agency capital on client Google Ads. Ad spend must be cleared in the agency bank account before campaigns are enabled.

Billing Schedule & Process

  • Call Summary Dispatch: Send terms email immediately following discovery call.
  • Written Acceptance: Client must reply with "I accept", registered company name, and address.
  • Month 1 Bill: Issued for planned ad spend only (£0 fee). Due before launch.
  • Month 2+ Billing: Sent 7 days before the 1st of the month, due 3 days before the 1st.

🔑 Step 3: Google Ads Manager (MCC) Onboarding

Manage all accounts through the central agency Manager Account (MCC).

Account Setup Scenarios

Case A: New Account (Standard)

1. In MCC: Accounts → + → Create new account.
2. Currency: GBP (Locked forever).
3. Time zone: Europe/London (Locked forever).
4. Attach agency consolidated billing profile.

Case B: Existing Account

1. Request client 10-digit Customer ID.
2. In MCC: Accounts → + → Link existing account.
3. Client accepts in: Tools → Access and security → Managers.
4. Billing remains on client payment card.

External Assets Access

  • Google Business Profile: Request Manager access to verified profile for Location Assets.
  • Website CMS: Obtain access to deploy Google Tag and test conversion triggers.

🚀 Step 4: Campaign Build & 80/20 Split

Deploy Arno's twin-campaign architecture: paired Exact and Broad search campaigns sharing negative lists.

Search Campaign Settings Checklist

  • Campaign Goal: Leads.
  • Campaign Type: Search.
  • Networks: Google Search Partners OFF, Display Network OFF.
  • Location Option: Strictly select Presence ("People in or regularly in your targeted locations").
  • Bidding: Maximize Clicks (with CPC limit) or Manual CPC. Do not enable Target CPA at launch.

The 80/20 Twin-Campaign Architecture

Campaign Structure Diagram: ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Total Monthly Budget (e.g. £1,000 / month = £32.89/day) │ └──────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────┘ │ ┌─────────────┴─────────────┐ ▼ ▼ ┌─────────────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────────┐ │ EXACT MATCH CAMPAIGN │ │ BROAD MATCH CAMPAIGN │ │ 80% Budget (£26.31/day) │ │ 20% Budget (£6.58/day) │ │ [emergency plumber] │ │ emergency plumber │ │ [boiler repair town] │ │ boiler repair town │ └────────────┬────────────┘ └────────────┬────────────┘ │ │ └─────────────┬─────────────┘ ▼ ┌─────────────────────────────────┐ │ Shared Campaign Negative List │ │ (Jobs, DIY, training, cheap...) │ └─────────────────────────────────┘

Required Ad Assets (Extensions)

  • Sitelinks: Minimum 4 high-value page links with descriptive text.
  • Callouts: 4 trust badges (e.g., "Fast Response", "Fully Insured", "Local Team").
  • Call Asset: Tracked business telephone line.
  • Location Asset: Linked Google Business Profile.

✅ Step 5: Pre-Launch Verification

Complete every verification checkpoint before flipping campaigns to enabled status.

  • [ ] Conversion Tracking: Test form submitted on live website; hit verified in Google Ads.
  • [ ] Payment Cleared: Month 1 ad spend received in agency account.
  • [ ] Networks: Search Partners and Display Network verified turned OFF.
  • [ ] Budgets: Daily budgets verify 80% Exact / 20% Broad allocation.
  • [ ] Negatives: Negative keyword list applied to BOTH campaigns.
  • [ ] Client Sign-off: Ad copy headlines and descriptions approved in writing.

🔄 Step 6: Weekly Optimization Routine

Execute this audit once per week (Thursday afternoon or Friday morning).

Weekly Routine Flow

  1. Search Terms Audit (Last 7 Days):
    • Flag irrelevant or out-of-scope terms → Add as Campaign-level Negatives on BOTH campaigns.
    • Identify converting queries from Broad → Add to Exact as [term] and to Broad as term.
  2. 80/20 Budget Rebalance:
    • If Exact has high impression share and low CPL: Maintain 80/20.
    • If Exact is volume-starved: Shift gradually to 70/30 or 60/40. (Never exceed 40% Broad).
  3. Cost Per Lead Evaluation:
    • Compare actual weekly CPL against target allowable CPL.
    • If CPL is well below target: Prepare to recommend budget scale.
    • If clicks exist but 0 conversions: Test contact form functionality immediately.
📊 Launch Weekly Audit & Email Builder

🎯 Step 7: Day-20 Review & Month 2 Retainer

The crucial transition point from the free trial month to long-term paid management.

The Day-20 Review Call Procedure

  1. Compile 20-Day Metrics: Actual spend, total enquiries generated, and average cost per enquiry.
  2. Audit Conversion Value: Ask client which enquiries booked jobs and calculate approximate gross profit.
  3. Contrast with Retainer: Compare client profit against our 20% fee. (e.g., £3,000 profit vs £200 agency fee).
  4. Agree Month 2 Budget: Confirm or scale ad budget for upcoming month.
  5. Dispatch Month 2 Invoice: Send 7 days before the 1st (ad spend + 20% fee on separate line items).

✉️ Client Email Templates

Ready-to-use communication scripts with one-click copy buttons.

Call Summary & Agreement (Step 2)
Subject: Summary & Next Steps - Google Ads Campaign Hi [Client Name], Thank you for your time today. Here is the summary of our plan: 1. Target Services: [Primary Service 1, Service 2] 2. Target Location: [Target Towns / Radius] 3. Month 1 Ad Spend: £[Planned Spend] (100% ad budget, £0 management fee) 4. Ongoing Terms: From Month 2, management fee is 20% of ad spend (£[Fee Amount]). Invoices are sent 7 days before each month. 5. Reporting: You will receive a performance update every Friday detailing spend, enquiries, and cost per enquiry. Please reply to this email with "I accept" along with your company's full legal name and billing address. We will then issue the Month 1 ad spend invoice and begin account setup. Best regards, [Your Name]
You Are Live Notification (Step 5)
Subject: Your Google Ads campaigns are now live Hi [Client Name], Your Google Ads campaigns went live today. Google's smart bidding algorithms require approximately 10 to 14 days to stabilize and gather baseline search data, so traffic in the first few days can be uneven. We monitor the account daily for negative searches and spend pacing. Your first weekly performance update will arrive this Friday. Best regards, [Your Name]
Friday Weekly Performance Update (Step 6)
Subject: Weekly Update: Google Ads Performance - [Client Name] Hi [Client Name], Here is your campaign summary for the past week: - Ad Spend: £[Weekly Spend] (of £[Monthly Budget] budget) - Enquiries Received: [Number] ([X] forms, [Y] calls) - Cost per Enquiry: £[Actual CPL] - What we adjusted: Reviewed search terms, added [Number] negative keywords to block waste, and refined keyword bids. Could you let us know which of these enquiries turned into booked jobs this week? Have a great weekend, [Your Name]
Day-20 Performance & Month 2 Invoice (Step 7)
Subject: Month 1 Review & Month 2 Plan - [Client Name] Hi [Client Name], Here is the 20-day summary of your Month 1 campaign: - Ad Spend to date: £[Actual Spend] - Enquiries Generated: [Number] - Cost per Enquiry: £[Actual CPL] - Known Jobs Booked: [Number] (approx value £[Job Revenue]) Attached is the invoice for Month 2, covering planned ad spend (£[Planned Spend]) and our 20% management fee (£[Fee Amount]), due [Due Date: 3 days before 1st]. Let's do a quick 10-minute catch-up this week to review keyword performance and plan Month 2 pacing. Best regards, [Your Name]