A freelance PPC consultant is an independent specialist who advises on pay-per-click advertising such as Google Ads and Microsoft Ads. The work covers account reviews, strategy, second opinions and senior oversight of in-house teams or agencies. I'm Stevie Morris: 14 years in PPC, around 100 accounts, over £3M in ad spend managed, Google Partner and Microsoft Ads certified.
Start a conversationPPC stands for pay-per-click, an advertising model where the advertiser pays each time someone clicks an ad. In the UK it mostly means Google Ads and Microsoft Ads campaigns, which a PPC consultant reviews and advises on.
A PPC consultant is different from a PPC agency. An agency runs your ads. A consultant advises on them — providing expert strategy, honest assessment, and clear direction that you or your team can act on.
That might mean a one-off review of your current Google Ads account. It might mean fractional support where I work alongside your in-house team or existing agency as a senior voice. Or it might mean a second opinion when you’re not sure whether the advice you’re getting is right.
I work directly with business owners and marketing managers who want access to genuine PPC expertise, not an account manager reading from a dashboard.
Businesses typically hire a PPC consultant when they have an in-house team needing senior oversight, an agency they want checked, or plans to scale spend. Others have outgrown DIY Google Ads but are not ready for full management. If you run an online shop, see my ecommerce PPC consultant page for Shopping and Performance Max specifics.
An agency runs your campaigns end to end through an account manager, while a PPC consultant advises. A consultant suits businesses that need strategy, a second opinion or senior oversight; an agency suits those who want everything built and managed for them.
A PPC agency is worth hiring when you want campaigns built, managed and reported on end to end and have nobody in-house to do it. If you only need strategy or a second opinion, a PPC consultant may be all you need.
It’s a fair question and one I’m always honest about. If you want someone to handle everything end-to-end — build campaigns, write ads, manage bids, report monthly — you want a PPC agency or a managed service.
If what you actually need is sharp strategic thinking, an expert second opinion, or senior oversight without the full agency commitment, consultancy is the right fit.
The difference matters because you should only pay for what you actually need. I won’t sell you a full management retainer if a single review session would solve your problem. That’s not how I work.
Read do I need a PPC agency? or, for agency-style management, see PPC agency.
Three ways to work together, and what each costs.
A PPC review covers account structure, bidding strategy, conversion tracking, search terms and negative keywords, ad copy and extensions, and audience and targeting settings. Findings come as written recommendations with a clear action list.
Sometimes I’ll look at an account and tell you it’s actually in decent shape. Your current agency might be doing a good job. Your in-house person might have it under control. I only take on work where I can genuinely add value — and I’d rather tell you that upfront than bill you for something you don’t need.
A PPC consultant can work alongside an in-house team or existing agency as a senior voice. They review performance, set strategy and raise the standard of the work without taking over the account.
Stevie Morris charges 10% of monthly Google Ads spend for management, rounded down to the nearest £100, with a £300 a month minimum covering up to £3,000 of spend. Advisory work is quoted by scope.
I do not charge hourly for management. The fee is 10% of monthly Google Ads spend, rounded down to the nearest £100, from £300 a month. Example: £4,500 spend = £450. Ad spend is paid directly to Google, with no markup on media. More detail: how much does a PPC consultant cost?
With a freelance PPC consultant, the person you speak to is the person doing the work. Stevie Morris has 14 years of experience, around 100 accounts and over £3M in ad spend managed, and is Google Partner and Microsoft Ads certified.
When you hire a big agency, you brief a senior person in the sales meeting — and often never hear from them again. The work gets handed to an account manager who’s juggling 30 clients and following a playbook.
With me, you get 14 years of direct experience, every time. There’s no layer between you and the expertise you’re paying for.
If you want one Google Ads account reviewed, see Google Ads consultant.
This page covers the whole of the UK; for local detail see the town and county pages below.
An agency typically runs your campaigns for you on an ongoing basis. A consultant advises, reviews, and guides — either as a one-off engagement or fractional support. Consultancy suits businesses that have someone managing the day-to-day but want expert strategic oversight, a second opinion, or help solving a specific problem.
Yes. A lot of my consultancy work is exactly this — acting as a senior independent voice for businesses that already have someone running their ads. I can review what’s being done, flag issues, and advise on direction without replacing whoever is managing the account.
Management is from £300/month (10% of spend, rounded down to the nearest £100). Advisory work is quoted by scope. See the cost section above.
My core niches are ecommerce and D2C brands, and home services and trades. That’s where I have the deepest pattern recognition. That said, Google Ads fundamentals apply across sectors, and if your situation is a good fit I’ll tell you.
I’ll tell you. Being honest is the whole point. If your current setup is solid and your agency or in-house person is doing the right things, I’d rather say so than invent problems that let me justify an ongoing fee.
Yes. I work entirely remotely and take on clients across the UK — from London and Manchester to smaller regional businesses. Location has never been a barrier.
Whether you want a full account review, a second opinion on your current activity, or ongoing fractional support, the first step is a straightforward conversation. No hard sell — just an honest assessment of whether I can help.
Call 07410 907 104 Start a conversation