Skip to main content
CJ Digital Marketing

Google Ads · Cork

Google Ads that pay for themselves. Or you do not pay me.

Google pay per click advertising is the fastest legal way to get in front of someone who is searching for exactly what you sell, at the exact moment they want it. It is also the fastest way to burn €500 a month on clicks from people looking for something else entirely.

The difference is in the setup, the tracking, and the person watching the account. That person is me. From €50 per week per campaign, billed every 4 weeks.

Charlie Johns running Google Ads campaigns for Cork SMEs

Realistic timeline

How long it takes. When ROI shows up.

Honest milestones with a rough sense of where you should be on returns at each stage. No "results in 7 days" nonsense.

Google Ads timeline

Week 1

Account live

Audit, keyword research, tracking set up, first campaigns running.

ROI Investing

Weeks 2-4

Data collecting

Real search terms come in. Weekly negative keyword sweeps. Early ad copy tests.

ROI Returns starting

Month 2

First optimisations

Cost per enquiry starts dropping. Winning campaigns identified. Budget reallocated.

ROI Profitable

Month 3+

Predictable pipeline

Cost per enquiry stable. You know what you spend and what you get for it.

ROI Scaling up

The Fit Test

Who Google Ads is right for.

Right for you if

  • People already Google search for what you sell — services, products, professional advice
  • You can spend at least €500 a month on ads. Below that, the auction never optimises
  • You need enquiries in the next 30 to 60 days, not the next 6 months
  • You have a landing page (or are willing to build one) that can convert a click
  • You want to know what every euro spent produced. No black-box "brand awareness"

Not for you if

  • Nobody searches for what you sell yet. Meta ads or LinkedIn ads suit better
  • You want to spend €50/month. Google Ads will chew that in three days
  • Your website is broken. Fix the site first — Google Ads amplifies whatever the landing does
  • You are hoping the "AI" campaigns run themselves. Google's automation optimises for Google's revenue, not yours

What's included

What I do on every account.

Conversion tracking first

Calls, form fills, WhatsApp taps. If we cannot measure it, we do not spend on it. GA4 and Search Console setup free in every engagement.

Keyword research with buying intent

The right keywords are not the popular ones. They are the ones with buying intent. I find them, rank them by likely return, group them by campaign.

Campaign structure that scales

Search, Shopping, and Performance Max where they make sense. Segmented so we can see what is working and what is not.

Ad copy that does not sound like ad copy

Written by me, not by AI. Tested against alternatives so we know what gets clicks for the right reasons.

Weekly negative keyword sweeps

Half the job is stopping you from paying for clicks from the wrong people. Sweeps every single week, not every two.

Monthly reporting in plain English

Cost per enquiry, not click-through rate. What we changed, why, and what happens next. No 40-page slide deck nobody reads.


Campaign types

Which Google Ads campaign type is right for you.

01

Search campaigns

The workhorse. Text ads that show when someone types a query. Every Cork service business should start here — it converts fastest and lets us prove the model works before scaling.

02

Shopping campaigns

Product listings with images and prices. If you sell products online, often the highest-ROI campaign type in your account. Requires a Google Merchant Center feed set up properly.

03

Performance Max

Google's AI-driven campaign running across every Google surface. Powerful when it works, dangerous by default. I use it with tight constraints, not as a starting point.

04

Local Services Ads

Pay-per-lead rather than pay-per-click, restricted to verified trades. If you qualify (plumber, electrician, HVAC, cleaner in Cork), often the cheapest source of leads on Google.


Pricing

What it costs.

Management fee

From €50

Per week / per campaign

Billed every 4 weeks. Three-month minimum, month-to-month after. Money-back guarantee.

Ad spend (paid to Google)

From €500

Per month, minimum

Paid directly to Google, never marked up. Below €500/mo the auction never optimises.

Not sure a budget like this would actually pay off for your business? Run your own numbers through the free Google Ads Budget & Break-Even Calculator before you talk to me. And if you are still vetting whether any of this is legitimate, see my honest guide on spotting digital marketing scams — I would rather you ask the hard questions upfront.


FAQ

Things people ask.

Is Google Ads worth it for a small business with a limited budget?

Yes, if the targeting is right. A small budget spent on high-intent local searches beats a big budget sprayed nationally. I have run campaigns that produce enquiries on €10 a day. I have also told businesses not to run ads yet because their website would waste the clicks. You will get the honest version.

How is pay per click different from SEO?

PPC is renting position; SEO is buying it slowly. Ads produce enquiries in weeks, SEO compounds over months. Most of my clients run Google Ads for immediate pipeline while marketing (SEO + social) builds underneath.

What about Google's automated / AI campaigns?

Useful tools, dangerous defaults. Google's automation optimises for Google's revenue unless someone constrains it. I use smart bidding where it earns its keep and cage it where it does not.

Do you work with businesses outside Cork?

Yes. Cork is home, but I run campaigns across Ireland, the UK and Australia. Local search is local everywhere.

What if I already have a Google Ads account?

Great. I will audit it for free in the first week and tell you what is working, what is not, and what I would change. If you decide not to proceed after the audit, no charge.


Two ways to start.

Option 1. Book a 20-min call.

We talk. I learn about your business. You learn about how I work. No pitch deck, no pressure. If it is not a fit, I will tell you and point you at someone who is.

Book a call

Option 2. Get the free audit.

Tell me your website and your industry. I spend an hour on it and come back with a report telling you exactly where you are leaking enquiries online. No call required. No follow-up unless you want one.

Get the free report