6 of the Best Paid Search Agencies for 2026
In today’s digital marketplace, running effective paid search campaigns is one of the most direct ways to reach high-intent audiences and drive measurable business growth.
Whether you’re a SaaS vendor, e-commerce brand, lead-gen specialist or local service provider, paid search (i.e., PPC on platforms like Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising / Bing, and others) remains a cornerstone of performance marketing. But it only works well when managed by a partner with specialist skills and strategic discipline.
If you don’t have the in-house resources or want to accelerate results, partnering with a top paid search agency is the fastest, most flexible, and cost-efficient route to scale. Below, we explain how we ranked leading agencies, and then show you the best of the best.
Our comprehensive agency ranking criteria
Choosing the right paid search agency can make a real difference in your campaign outcomes. That’s why we’ve carefully ranked the top performers using these criteria:
- Strategy: How does the agency help its clients grow and attract new business via paid search?
- Reviews & Testimonials: Does the agency have fresh, relevant evidence of client satisfaction?
- Portfolio: Which clients and industries has the agency worked with, and how relevant are they to your own business?
- Industry & Channel Expertise: How much experience does the agency have in paid search specifically, not just general digital marketing?
Pricing & Transparency: What sort of price point can you expect, and how clear is the agency about deliverables and reporting?
The 6 Best Paid Search Agencies
1. Velocity
If you’re serious about paid search results and full-funnel impact, look no further than Velocity. We don’t just run ads, we manage the full paid search lifecycle: keyword strategy, bid management, ad copywriting, landing page optimisation, conversion tracking and CRM automation.
With millions of dollars in campaign spend across highly competitive sectors, we know what drives success. You’ll get responsive senior oversight, transparent reporting (no black-boxes), and a team focused on delivering real business outcomes, not just impressions and clicks.
Why clients choose Velocity
- Specialist paid search and PPC management with deep channel expertise
- Clear, jargon-free communication, accessible pricing and senior-level oversight
- Proven track-record of driving lead volume, reducing cost-per-lead and improving ROAS in crowded markets
- Full-funnel service + real-time optimisation
Key features
- Full-funnel strategy: from search ads to landing page conversions and CRM handoffs
- Data-first, test-and-learn methodology (we don’t just launch and forget)
- Real-time dashboards you can access 24/7
- Flexible pricing to accommodate growth stages
If you’re looking for a partner to move from “we should try paid search” to “we are dominating paid search”, we’re ready. Book a free paid search consultation.
2. Disruptive Advertising
Disruptive Advertising is featured in multiple “top paid search agencies” lists thanks to their focus on paid search and performance metrics. They specialise in managing substantial ad-spend across industries and combine bid strategy, landing page testing and optimisation into their offering.
Stand-out traits
- Deep focus on PPC/SEM vs general digital marketing
- Transparent reporting and optimisation-centred processes
- Strong across e-commerce, B2B, home-services verticals
Best for
Businesses with solid ad budgets who are looking to push paid search to the next level through aggressive optimisation and growth.
3. WebFX
WebFX is an award-winning, full-service digital marketing agency that offers extensive paid search services. With a large team and wide service set, they are well-suited for brands looking for scale, cross-channel integration and full reporting.
Stand-out traits
- Broad digital marketing services with paid search as a core component
- Case studies reporting significant lead volumes and sales growth
- Infrastructure and resources for higher-scale clients
Best for
Brands that need paid search embedded into a wider digital marketing ecosystem, with multiple channels and higher spend levels.
4. Brainlabs
Brainlabs (formerly Hanapin Marketing) is known for its tech-forward, data-science approach to paid search. They bring in mathematicians, testers and automation experts to optimize campaigns beyond the ordinary.
Stand-out traits
- Heavy experimentation, automation and tech stack leverage
- Suited for complex campaigns, multiple markets, multi-platform
- Strong in B2B, SaaS and global footprints
Best for
Companies with complex paid search requirements, multiple markets and a desire to push innovation (not just “run search ads”).
5. Ignite Visibility
Ignite Visibility is a full-service digital marketing agency, but their paid search arm is highly rated. They emphasise ROI, custom audit processes and integration across search, social and display.
Stand-out traits
- Multi-channel mindset with paid search as a key component
- Good for brands that want broader digital growth plus PPC
- Strong on reporting, benchmarks and client education
Best for
Businesses who want paid search, but also want their agency to pull in SEO, Meta ads, CRO or content as part of a unified strategy.
6. HawkSEM
HawkSEM offers search engine marketing (SEM) and has been recommended in agency round-ups for paid search expertise. They emphasise tracking, CRO, creative + media combination.
Stand-out traits
- Solid tracking and conversion-focus (not just clicks)
- Good fit for e-commerce and lead-gen business models
- Balanced size: large enough to deliver tech and process, nimble enough for responsiveness
Best for
Brands that have good traffic but want to improve conversion performance, reduce waste and optimize holistically.
How to pick your paid search agency partner
As you short-list potential agencies, keep these five questions in mind:
- What’s your paid search campaign structure look like?
A great agency will walk you through their campaign build-out: keyword tiers, match-types, negative keywords, ad groups etc. If you hear “we’ll just launch and optimize later,” be cautious. - How do you track conversions and attribute results?
Top agencies audit tracking and ensure your data is reliable, because what gets measured gets improved. - What’s your reporting process and how often will I get insights?
You should expect more than a monthly PDF. Daily/weekly dashboards, actionable insights, and strategy reviews are hallmarks of a strong partner. - Who will actually manage my account. Junior or senior talent?
In many agencies, once you’re onboarded you’re handed off to a junior and you get quarterly check-ins. Make sure you know who’s driving your campaigns. - How will you scale as my business grows and ad spend increases?
Paid search isn’t static. The best agencies treat it as a growth engine, with scalability, experimentation (new keywords, new markets), audience expansion and performance improvements baked in.
Why choose a specialist paid search agency over a general-purpose digital agency?
Many digital marketing agencies claim to do “everything”. SEO, social, display, content, PR. But when it comes to paid search, depth matters. The best paid search agencies:
- Are data-driven and continuously optimize.
- Have channel-specific expertise (bid strategies, Quality Score, keyword segmentation, match-type strategy) that generalists often lack.
- Integrate paid search with the wider funnel: from ad to landing page to conversion to beyond.
- Stay ahead of platform changes (Google algorithm, audience behaviour shifts) so you don’t have to.
Working with a specialist means you’re not learning on the job, you’re leveraging years of refined thinking and tested processes.
When to engage a paid search agency
You should consider working with an agency when:
- You’ve either attempted paid search and seen mixed/poor results, or you’re planning to launch a major ad campaign and want to hit the ground running.
- The internal cost of hiring, training and retaining a specialist PPC team is higher than outsourcing it to experts.
- You need to scale quickly, whether by geography, product line, or controlling ad spend growth.
You want someone who will manage the full funnel (not just clicks) and tie paid search performance to business outcomes (leads, sales, MRR, ROI).
Your next step
Every paid search campaign should start with an audit. At Velocity we offer a free paid search audit, where we’ll review your current account structure, keyword strategy, conversion tracking, and landing pages, and provide a clear action plan.
Don’t let budget get wasted on generic search ads or poorly-optimized campaigns. Choose the partner that treats paid search as the growth engine it truly is.
Ready to dominate paid search? Get in touch with our team today.