The verdict in three sentences
For a drilling equipment supplier in Manchester, the right Google Ads agency is the one that can track a qualified quote request all the way to a signed order, not the one with the slickest click report. Score every agency on a 100 point scorecard, weighting industrial B2B experience, offline conversion tracking and reporting most heavily. Insist on admin access to your own Google Ads account from day one, so the history stays yours if you ever switch.
What a B2B mining and quarrying campaign costs in the UK
Your buyers are a narrow group: plant managers at quarries, procurement leads at aggregates groups, drilling contractors working on mineral exploration and geotechnical sites. They search for part numbers, bit sizes and hammer models, and they often call before they fill in a form. That shapes the budget.
| Monthly line | 2026 market ballpark | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Agency management fee | £600 to £1,800 | Depends on campaign count and optimisation cadence |
| Google Ads media spend | £1,500 to £6,000 | Paid to Google on your own card |
| One off setup | £800 to £2,500 | Account structure, keywords, conversion tracking |
| Offline conversion import | £400 to £1,200 one off | CRM connection so signed deals flow back to Google |
| Quote requests expected | 8 to 25 per month | After a 2 to 3 month ramp up |
| Cost per quote request | £120 to £450 | Benchmark it against gross margin per order |
If you want a nearshore option for the build side, Kolonell's price for a paid campaign setup is 152 EUR (100,000 FCFA). Media spend is always billed separately.
The 100 point scorecard
Use the same scorecard for every agency and fill it in straight after each meeting.
| Criterion | Points | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial B2B experience | 30 | Past accounts selling technical products with long sales cycles |
| Offline conversion tracking | 25 | Can they import won deals from your CRM or sales spreadsheet into Google Ads? |
| Reporting quality | 20 | Cost per qualified quote and cost per won order, not just CTR |
| Fee and budget transparency | 15 | Fixed fee separate from media, invoices from Google visible to you |
| Responsiveness | 10 | Named account manager, stated response time, quarterly on site review |
| Total | 100 | Below 65, move on to the next candidate |
The offline conversion criterion matters more in mining than in most sectors. Your sales team qualifies leads by phone, and a single order for a rig's worth of consumables can be worth tens of thousands of pounds. If Google only sees form fills, it optimises toward cheap enquiries from hobbyists and students. When your sales team marks a deal as won and that signal flows back, bidding shifts toward the searches that actually produce revenue.
UK GDPR applies to the lead data you pass between your CRM and Google, so ask each agency how they hash and transfer it, and check your privacy notice covers it.
Red flags in pitch meetings
| Red flag | Why it hurts you | Question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Account opened under the agency's name | You lose the history when you leave | Who will hold admin rights? |
| Fee as a percentage with no cap | Costs rise every time you scale spend | What is the fixed fee at £4,000 media? |
| No mention of call tracking | Many mining buyers phone first | How do you attribute inbound calls? |
| Guaranteed top position | Nobody controls Google's auction | What CPC range do you expect? |
| Reports limited to clicks | You cannot see what drives quotes | Show me an anonymised sample report |
| 12 month lock in from day one | No exit if results never come | What is the trial period and notice? |
A sensible structure is a 3 month trial, then rolling quarterly terms with one month's notice.
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Mini case study
Illustrative example: Gareth, sales director of a drilling consumables supplier in Trafford Park, picks an agency that scored 81 out of 100. He spends £3,500 a month on media plus a £1,200 management fee, so £4,700 in total. By month three, offline imports show 18 quote requests, of which 4 become orders averaging £14,000. At a 22% gross margin, that is £12,320 of margin for £4,700 spent, a ratio of about 2.6 to 1. His cost per won order is £1,175, which becomes the target he gives the agency for the next quarter.
FAQ
What is the minimum budget to test Google Ads for drilling equipment?
Plan for at least £1,500 a month in media for 3 months, on top of the management fee. Below that, click volume is too thin to tell which keywords produce quotes.
Do we need a Manchester based agency?
Not necessarily, but a named contact who replies within 24 hours and understands your catalogue is worth 10 points on the scorecard. A remote agency works if it holds a monthly review call and visits once a quarter.
How long does offline conversion import take to set up?
Usually 2 to 4 weeks, depending on how clean your CRM is. Budget £400 to £1,200 for the one off connection and ask who maintains it if your CRM fields change.
When should we judge the agency's results?
First quote requests often arrive within 2 to 4 weeks, but cost per won order needs about 3 months to stabilise. Judge the agency on month three, with at least 10 qualified quotes in the data.
Should the media budget go through the agency?
Pay Google directly with your own payment method whenever possible. You keep 100% visibility over spend and full ownership of the account history.
Get found by the customers who are searching for you. Start with a visibility audit at 100,000 FCFA (about 152 EUR), credited against setup if you start within 30 days, then a Traffic Engine plan sized to your market, with a weekly report on the quote requests you receive: Traffic Engine. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
