Should I run Google Ads or Meta Ads?

Google captures demand that already exists, so it works when people actively search for what you sell and does very little when they don't. Meta creates demand, so it works when the product is visual, the price suits a quick decision, or the audience is definable by interest rather than by search. For many Dorset product brands Meta does more of the work, because local search volume is thin and the products photograph well.

How much should I spend on digital advertising?

Enough for the campaigns to gather usable data, which for most local businesses means a minimum monthly media budget below which the spend is largely wasted rather than partly wasted. The right figure depends on what a click costs in your category and how much a customer is worth to you. We'll work both out with you before anything goes live.

Do I own the ad accounts?

Yes. We set campaigns up inside your own Google Ads and Meta Business accounts with billing in your name and work in them as a managed user, so the accounts, the performance history, the conversion data, the pixels and the audiences all stay with you if we stop working together.

How do your fees work?

A management fee for the work, entirely separate from your media spend. Media goes directly from your account to Google or Meta, and we don't invoice it, mark it up or take a rebate on it. The fee doesn't change with your budget, so there's no incentive for us to push you to spend more.

How quickly do digital ads work?

Traffic arrives the day campaigns go live, but performance takes longer. Campaigns need a learning period while the platform works out which clicks convert, so the first few weeks usually look worse than what follows. Judging an account on its first fortnight is the most common way a workable campaign gets stopped too early.

Should I do paid ads or SEO?

Ads deliver traffic immediately and stop when you stop paying. SEO takes three to six months and then keeps working. If you need customers this quarter, ads are the better use of the money. If you're building something over a longer horizon, search compounds and ads don't.

Do you write and design the ads as well?

Yes. Most of a branding project happens over calls and shared files, so location matters less than it used to. We work with clients across the UK, including London. Dorset and Somerset clients get the option of meeting in person, which some projects benefit from and others don't need at all.

Can you target specific towns in Dorset and Somerset?

Yes, and in a rural county it needs handling carefully. On Google that means location settings restricted to people physically in the area rather than people showing interest in it, tight keyword lists, and campaigns split so the towns you want aren't competing for budget with ones you don't. On Meta, audiences drawn too tightly around a small population never gather enough data to optimise, so a wider geography with the creative doing the qualifying usually performs better.

What are Google Display ads?

Display ads are image and banner ads placed across Google's network of websites, apps and YouTube rather than in search results. Google uses what it knows about where your target market spends time online, and what they've recently been looking at, to show your ad on relevant pages even when those pages have nothing to do with what you sell. They work best for awareness and remarketing rather than for capturing someone ready to buy.

The Artist Studio / Sherborne

Digital advertising in Dorset.

Give the right people a reason to stop, look and take the next step. We plan, create and manage Google Ads and Meta campaigns for new launches and established businesses ready for fresh momentum.

Let’s talk campaigns Explore our price guide

A clear purpose.
A connected campaign.

From our Sherborne studio, we work with businesses across Dorset, Somerset and beyond. We consider your offer, audience, creative and website together, so the campaign has a clear job to do.

01 / How we can help

From the first idea
to the next improvement.

One focused campaign or ongoing management. We agree the goals, platform, creative and budget before deciding what to launch.

Strategy & setup

Decide who you want to reach, what you want them to do and how the budget will be used. We plan campaign structure and measurement around the outcomes that matter to your business.

Google Ads

Search campaigns for people looking for relevant products or services, alongside Shopping, Display or remarketing where appropriate. The mix depends on the offer and the role of each campaign.

Meta Ads

Facebook and Instagram campaigns, with creative planned for the relevant placements. We can support product discovery, awareness and returning visitors, with audience choices shaped by the brief.

Creative & optimisation

Photography, video, design and copy made for the campaign. We review the available results and refine creative, audiences, keywords and budget allocation as we learn.

02 / Start with what matters

Choose the channel
around the customer.

Search for an existing need.
Social creative for discovery.
A landing page that follows through.

Where are they looking — and what will make them care?

Google Search can help reach people actively looking for what you offer. Meta can introduce products and services through visual creative on Facebook and Instagram. Display can play a role in awareness or remarketing.

The right choice depends on demand, the offer, the buying journey and the budget. We’ll recommend a focused starting point rather than spreading the work across every channel.

Talk through my campaign

03 / The practical details

Your accounts.
Your campaign history.

Campaigns are managed in your own Google Ads and Meta Business accounts, with billing in your name and access granted to us. You keep access to the account history and assets held there.

Before launch, we agree which actions to measure and review the route from advert to enquiry or purchase. Reporting explains spend, outcomes where measurable and the changes worth making.

Built around the places you serve.

For Dorset and Somerset campaigns, location settings, relevant searches and audience size need careful planning. We agree the real service area rather than treating a radius on a map as the whole brief.

04 / A clearer starting point

Clear fees.
A considered media budget.

Our management fee covers the agreed work. Your media spend is separate and paid directly to Google or Meta. We scope the fee around the work, rather than a percentage of your ad budget.

Our wider marketing guide is a useful starting point for support and creative. A campaign-specific proposal confirms management, production and media budgets separately.

Your business / Your guide

Campaign planning and management
Creative and production, as agreed
Media spend, paid to the platform

Explore our price guide

Our prices include VAT. The guide is indicative; the final scope and quote are agreed together.

05 / How we work together

Launch with a plan.
Learn from what happens.

We’ll discuss the value of an enquiry or sale, the available budget and whether the website is ready for the traffic. That helps set useful expectations before the campaign starts.

Campaigns need testing and review. Early activity is not the same as a reliable pattern, so we look at outcomes and data quality before deciding what to change.

Explore our work

Agree the goal.
Set the audience, offer, service area and the action the campaign should support.
Prepare the journey.
Plan the creative, landing page, account access and agreed measurement.
Launch and learn.
Check delivery and the available data, then review the early response.
Refine and report.
Explain what was spent, what can be measured and what we recommend next.

The bigger picture

Give every click
a clear next step.

An advert and its destination should tell the same story. We can improve landing pages, create fresh photography or video and connect the campaign with your wider marketing.

06 / A little more clarity

Good questions.
Simple answers.

Let’s talk campaigns

Should I choose Google Ads or Meta Ads?

We look at your audience, offer, buying journey and budget. Search can reach people actively looking, while Meta can introduce an offer through visual creative. A focused campaign on one platform may be the best place to start.

How much media budget do we need?

Local campaigns currently start from a £200 monthly media budget, separate from our management fee. The useful budget for your campaign may be higher depending on competition and goals. We’ll discuss whether the available spend supports a worthwhile plan.

How do your management fees work?

The fee is scoped around the work and is separate from media spend paid directly to the platform. Explore our marketing price guide for broader context; we’ll confirm campaign-specific costs in a proposal. Our quoted service prices include VAT.

Will we own the ad accounts?

Yes. Accounts and billing are in your name, and we work with access granted to us. You retain access to the campaign history and the assets held in those accounts.

Do you write and design the ads?

Yes. We create campaign copy and design, with in-house photography and video available. The brief confirms which assets, formats and variations are included.

How quickly will we see results?

Campaigns can begin delivering once approved and live, but useful conclusions take time and enough data. We agree how to assess performance; sales, enquiries and returns cannot be guaranteed.

Can you target particular Dorset towns?

Yes, where supported by the platform. We plan around the areas you actually serve and review location settings and performance. Targeting is not perfectly precise, and an audience that is too narrow can limit delivery.

Can you improve campaigns already running?

Yes. We can review the current setup, creative, measurement and available history before recommending changes. You don’t need to be launching something new to work with us.