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I'm Anthony McGrath, a freelance Google Ads and PPC specialist in Leeds with 22 years in paid media. I run Google Ads and Meta Ads, build fast websites, and get B2B and DTC brands found in Google and in AI search like ChatGPT. Then I fix the tracking underneath, so every pound you spend is measured properly. One person doing the work, no account managers in between. Available for projects, retainers and contract or full-time roles.

Or call 07828 224315

Anthony McGrath, freelance Google Ads specialist in Leeds

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Anthony McGrath, freelance Google Ads specialist in Leeds, smiling in front of a starry night sky

About me

Hi, I'm Anthony

I'm a freelance Google Ads specialist and digital marketer based in Leeds, with 22 years in paid media, from running my own agency to managing marketing in-house. My lucky break was a pixel tracking fix for FIFA in 2014, and I have been fixing tracking and building ad accounts ever since.

Today I work with B2B firms, online shops, local businesses and agencies across Leeds, Yorkshire and the rest of the UK. I like plain English, honest numbers and work that pays for itself. Outside work you will find me with my kids, in the kitchen, or out somewhere dark with a telescope.

  • Google Ads and Meta Ads, from first campaign to scaling
  • Websites and landing pages built to convert
  • SEO, GEO and AEO so you show up in Google and AI answers
  • GA4, GTM, server-side tracking and CAPI
Hiring?

I am open to contract and full-time remote roles. Have a look at my CV.

Who I work with

Businesses in Leeds, Yorkshire and across the UK that spend real money on marketing and want to know it is working. I have done this for 22 years, from agency to in-house, so you are not paying me to learn.

B2B and lead generation

Search and LinkedIn-style lead generation for B2B firms, with offline conversions so Google Ads learns which leads turn into customers, not just form fills.

DTC and ecommerce

Shopping, Performance Max and Meta ads for online shops on Shopify, WooCommerce and Magento, reported on profit rather than ROAS alone.

Local and service businesses

A fast website that turns visitors into calls, local SEO so you show on Google Maps, and Google Ads that only pay for the searches that matter.

Agencies, white label

Extra hands for agencies. I build and fix Google Ads, Meta and tracking under your brand, and your client never needs to know I exist.

Tracking that actually adds up

Most ad accounts optimise on broken numbers: double-counted sales, missing conversions and consent banners that switch tracking off. I set up GA4, Google Tag Manager and server-side tagging properly, with enhanced conversions for Google Ads and the Conversions API for Meta, then check the numbers against your real sales or CRM.

What I do

Freelance Google Ads and PPC management, Meta Ads, web development, SEO, GEO, AEO and server-side tracking. Hire me for one or all of them.

Google Ads management

Search, Shopping, Performance Max and YouTube campaigns built around what makes you money, not vanity numbers. Tight keywords, clean structure and honest reporting.

  • Search terms checked and cut every week
  • Shopping and Performance Max for online shops
  • Offline conversions so Google learns from real customers
  • Budget moved to what actually pays

Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram)

Facebook and Instagram campaigns with proper creative testing, sensible audiences and retargeting that does not burn your budget.

  • Creative tested properly, not guessed
  • Prospecting and retargeting kept separate
  • Catalogue ads for online shops
  • Conversions API so Meta sees the sales

Web development and landing pages

Fast, mobile-first websites and landing pages built to turn visitors into enquiries and sales, with tracking wired in from day one.

  • Landing pages for your ad campaigns
  • Shopify, WordPress or custom builds
  • Core Web Vitals passed
  • Forms, calls and sales tracked

SEO services

Technical fixes, site structure and content that ranks. Keyword research tied to what your customers search for and buy, not just traffic.

  • Technical SEO audit and fixes
  • Pages planned around buying searches
  • Local SEO and Google Business Profile
  • Monthly rankings and traffic report

GEO: AI search optimisation

Generative engine optimisation. Get your brand mentioned and recommended when people ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google AI Overviews for advice.

  • See where AI tools mention you now
  • Content AI assistants can quote
  • Mentions on the sites AI tools trust
  • Monthly AI visibility tracking

AEO: answer engine optimisation

Structure your pages and schema so search engines, voice assistants and AI tools pick your answer first.

  • Schema markup on key pages
  • Question-led FAQ content
  • Featured snippet targeting
  • llms.txt and crawler access set up

Server-side tracking and GA4

GA4 and Google Tag Manager set up properly, server-side tagging, Meta Conversions API, enhanced and offline conversions, and Consent Mode v2.

  • Every sale or lead counted once
  • Server-side tagging
  • Consent Mode v2 done properly
  • Checked against your real numbers

Audits and Looker Studio reporting

A full audit of your ads, website and tracking with a list of fixes in priority order, then Looker Studio reporting your team will actually read.

  • Ads, site and tracking audit
  • Fixes ranked by money at stake
  • Looker Studio dashboards
  • BigQuery when the data gets big

Recent work

Websites, ad campaigns and brands I have worked on as a freelance digital marketer.

Ecommerce

Safeguard Armour ecommerce website home page with soldiers silhouetted at dusk, ecommerce marketing by Anthony McGrath
Google Ads, SEO and landing page optimisation

Safeguard Armour

Wilsons dog food ecommerce website with a 33% off first box subscription offer
Google Ads, SEO and landing page optimisation

Wilsons

My Cookie Dough ecommerce website home page: the original baked cookie dough
Google Ads, SEO and landing page optimisation

My Cookie Dough

Red Candy ecommerce website for quirky home decor and unusual gifts
Google Ads, SEO and landing page optimisation

Red Candy

Events and music

Event ticket ad for Tomorrowland Belgium 2026 shown on a tablet
Event ticket ad

Tomorrowland Belgium 2026

Meta ad for the Chop Suey System of a Down tribute 2026 tour
Meta ad, event tickets

Chop Suey 2026 tour

Festival sign-up ad for Hide and Seek music and arts festival, July 2026
Festival sign-up ad

Hide & Seek Festival

Nirvana UK tribute band, Meta ads for tour ticket sales
Meta ads, tribute band tour

Nirvana UK

Better ROAS

More sales from the same ad budget

Most accounts I audit are not short of budget. They are wasting it: broad keywords, broken tracking and campaigns bidding on numbers that are not real. Fix those first and ROAS goes up without spending a penny more.

    Get a free account review
    ROAS1.8xLosing money on every £1 of ads
    Wasted spend
    38%
    Sales tracked
    61%
    Cost per sale
    £46
    Profit after ads
    -£1,240
    Example figures from a typical ecommerce account before and after a restructure. Your results depend on your margins, market and budget.

    Every pound tracked back to a result

    Plenty of marketers report what the ad platforms claim. I report enquiries, sales and revenue matched to your own records, and which ad, search or page produced each one.

    • Leads and sales matched to your CRM or store, not only what Google and Meta claim.
    • Server-side tracking, enhanced conversions and the Meta Conversions API keep the numbers right when browsers block cookies.
    • One monthly report in plain English: spend, leads or sales, cost per result and what I am changing next.
    How a customer reaches you: from the ad, search result or AI answer that found you, to your website, to the follow-up they get, and back into your reports.

    Why it matters

      Questions people ask me

      What does a freelance Google Ads specialist do?

      A freelance Google Ads specialist plans, builds and manages your Google Ads campaigns, then keeps improving them: keywords, ads, bidding, budgets and landing pages.

      I also make sure every lead or sale is tracked properly in GA4 and Google Ads, so the campaigns learn from real results and you can see exactly what you get for your money.

      Why hire a freelancer instead of a marketing agency?

      You work directly with the person doing the work, usually for less than an agency charges, and nothing gets lost in handovers between account managers and juniors.

      With 22 years in paid media, including running an agency, I bring agency-level experience without the agency overheads.

      Are you a freelancer or an agency?

      A freelancer. You deal with me directly from the first call to the monthly report. I ran an agency for years, so I know how agencies work, but I prefer doing the work myself.

      For bigger projects I bring in people I trust, and I will always tell you when I do.

      What does it cost?

      It depends on the job. One-off work like a tracking set-up, an audit or a website is quoted as a fixed price. Ongoing ad management is a monthly fee. Your ad budget is separate and paid straight to Google or Meta.

      Tell me what you need and I will give you a clear price, usually within a day.

      Do you tie clients into long contracts?

      No. Ongoing work is month to month after an initial period we agree up front, usually three months, because ads need time to learn. Then you stay because it works, not because of a contract.

      Where are you based? Do you work remotely?

      I am based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, and work with businesses across Leeds, Yorkshire and the rest of the UK, mostly remotely. Video calls and a shared report do the job for most clients. Happy to meet in person if you are nearby.

      Are you open to contract or full-time roles?

      Yes. I am open to remote contract and full-time roles in paid media, tracking and digital marketing leadership. My CV is on this page, or get in touch and I will send it over.

      Which ad platforms do you work with?

      Mainly Google Ads (Search, Shopping, Performance Max and YouTube) and Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram). I also set up Microsoft Ads for clients where it makes sense.

      Is there a minimum ad budget?

      There is no fixed minimum, but ads need enough budget to learn. For most businesses that means at least a few hundred pounds a month on Google, and a bit more on Meta. I will tell you honestly if your budget is too small to be worth it.

      Why do my ad platforms and analytics show different numbers?

      They count conversions differently, so a small gap is normal. A big or growing gap usually means a tracking fault, such as sales counted twice or consent set up wrongly. A tracking check finds out which it is.

      What is server-side tracking and do I need it?

      It sends sales and leads to Google, Meta and GA4 from a server you control, so fewer go missing to ad blockers and browser privacy settings. It is worth it once you spend seriously on ads, especially on Meta.

      Do you build websites?

      Yes. Fast, mobile-first websites and landing pages on Shopify, WordPress or a custom build, with SEO and tracking set up from day one.

      What are GEO and AEO?

      GEO, generative engine optimisation, helps your brand get mentioned in AI answers from tools like ChatGPT and Gemini. AEO, answer engine optimisation, structures your pages so search engines and assistants can pick your answer first. Both build on good SEO.

      How long does SEO take?

      Technical fixes can show results within weeks. New pages and content usually take three to six months to rank well, depending on your competition. I report progress monthly so you can see it moving.

      From the blog

      Plain-English advice on Google Ads, SEO, GEO, AEO and tracking.

      Let's make your marketing pay

      Tell me what you are working on. I will come back with what I would do first and what it costs. Based in Leeds, working across the UK.

      Get in touch

      Phone 07828 224315

      Email ppcmarketingkey@gmail.com

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