What does it really take to turn ad spend into measurable growth—lower CPCs for ecommerce brands or higher-quality SQLs for B2B pipelines?
As digital platforms evolve, two trends dominate the paid media landscape:
- The rise of precision targeting tied directly to revenue outcomes
- The shift toward creative strategies that balance automation with human oversight
Agencies are no longer judged only by impressions or clicks; their value is measured by how effectively they align channels, creative, and data systems to business outcomes. From AI-enhanced search to CRM-driven attribution, the playbook for success is being rewritten around efficiency, quality, and scale.
This article explores the top paid media services, highlighting the agencies that deliver not just ads, but sustainable growth engines. The intent is simple: help you identify the right partner whose expertise aligns with your business goals and performance priorities.
1. Thrive Internet Marketing Agency
Best for: Enterprises, Large and Small brands
Paid Media Services: Google Ads (Search, Display, Shopping), Microsoft Ads, Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram), YouTube Ads, Amazon Ads/Retail Media
Thrive Internet Marketing Agency is a U.S.-based performance shop with deep expertise in paid media execution across search, social, video, and commerce platforms. Thrive integrates seamlessly into a modern performance stack by managing pixels and server-side tagging, aligning reporting with GA4 and third-party attribution platforms, and optimizing catalog feeds for retail channels.
The firm is recognized not only for its disciplined PPC account management but also for creative production—its award-winning explainer video work demonstrates the level of storytelling quality it brings into ad formats.
This combination of precision media buying and creative craftsmanship positions Thrive as a strong partner for brands seeking both efficiency and engagement.
What Makes Thrive Stand Out
Thrive approaches planning and account strategy with structured campaign architectures that balance acquisition and retention. Their PPC teams emphasize funnel alignment, budget pacing discipline, and the use of automation for bid and budget adjustments while maintaining tight QA cadences. Market expansion plays include multi-geo builds, tailored ad copy for local markets, and structured testing frameworks that accelerate learning cycles.
Channel craftsmanship is evident in their multi-platform execution. Thrive builds sophisticated search campaigns across Google and Microsoft Ads, deploys social campaigns on Meta, TikTok, and LinkedIn, and manages YouTube placements to drive both awareness and performance. For retail and ecommerce, they optimize Amazon Sponsored Products and Google Shopping feeds, ensuring product catalogs remain accurate and conversion-ready.
The creative engine is reinforced by Thrive’s video production expertise, highlighted by its Telly Award-winning campaign for Aisle Planner. That capability extends into ad creative pipelines where they produce, iterate, and test copy, visuals, and video assets for maximum impact.
Their ability to merge creative storytelling with performance requirements—such as dynamic ad templates and brand safety reviews—sets them apart in the paid media field.
Commerce and feeds are another core strength. Thrive manages Google Merchant Center health, fixes feed errors, and implements catalog governance for large-SKU accounts. They also leverage product promotions and price-drop automation to maximize shopping ad performance.
On attribution and measurement, Thrive sets up and manages pixels, Events API integrations, and consent-mode compliant tagging. They align GA4 and ad platform reporting, run structured A/B and incrementality tests, and build dashboards that give clients transparency into spend efficiency and ROI.
Case Studies
For Coach Specialists of Texas, Thrive rebuilt PPC campaigns around intent-driven keywords and geo-targeted ad groups, adding negative keyword filters to cut irrelevant clicks. Landing page CTAs were consolidated, heatmap insights informed funnel adjustments, and ad pacing rules improved budget efficiency.
Within just three months, conversions from paid campaigns rose to 135+, while cost-per-click dropped to $11.86. Over seven months, paid media efforts helped deliver a +30% lift in conversion rate, a +55% increase in ad revenue, and thousands of new leads. Bounce rate fell by 96%, and overall sessions grew 43%, proving the role of disciplined PPC in driving tangible volume and efficiency.
For a high-end juicer ecommerce brand, Thrive combined SEO and paid media but saw the sharpest improvements in PPC. A complete audit introduced negative keyword lists, refreshed ad copy, and restructured shopping campaigns to eliminate waste. Google Shopping feeds were optimized for promotions and seasonal peaks like Father’s Day, while new Bing Ads campaigns extended reach.
The account produced striking improvements: a 138% overall increase in click-through rate (+449% in search), a 14% decrease in cost-per-acquisition, and a 31% reduction in search spend. Conversion rate rose 33% in search campaigns, and Google Shopping conversions climbed 72%. Year-over-year, PPC transactions grew 81%, revenue increased 87%, and CTR jumped 101%.
Why Thrive Is an Ideal Fit?
Best Fit Scenarios:
- Brands seeking disciplined PPC and shopping feed management at scale.
- Ecommerce businesses with large catalogs requiring catalog governance and promotional integration.
- Marketers who value high-quality creative, particularly video, embedded into performance campaigns.
- B2B and lead-gen firms needing structured funnel builds and offline conversion imports.
- Multi-channel advertisers looking for transparent dashboards and consistent budget pacing discipline.
Thrive is the right partner for brands that want rigorous paid media execution combined with creative strength—particularly those with high-SKU commerce needs or campaigns that benefit from strong video storytelling.
2. Directive Consulting
Best For: Midmarket, Enterprise
Paid Media Services: Google Ads (Search, Display, Performance Max), Microsoft Ads, LinkedIn Ads (Conversation Ads, Sponsored Content, ABM-focused campaigns), Meta Ads
Directive Consulting is a B2B performance marketing agency that specializes in turning ad spend into qualified pipeline and revenue—not just leads. Their paid media offerings include Search (Google and Bing), Paid Social (especially LinkedIn & Facebook), Programmatic, Retargeting, and Account-Based Marketing.
Their team structure features senior strategists, performance marketing experts, and strong revenue operations support. Directive fits modern performance stacks: they emphasize first-party data, conversion tracking (including offline conversion tracking), ad creative informed by customer voice and “Jobs to Be Done” frameworks, and transparent reporting dashboards.
Their differentiators are their consultant partner mindset (data-driven strategic counsel + deep execution), rigorous campaign fundamentals (targeting, copy & message alignment), and strong cross-channel optimization with attention to ad creative, audience segmentation, and efficiency in spend.
An example of their commitment to partner alignment: senior paid media staff recently met with LinkedIn’s partner reps in person to align growth goals, stay ahead of platform changes, and plan collaborative work for enterprise clients.
That kind of in-channel collaboration helps them access early features, new capabilities, or priority support—an advantage especially for B2B advertisers investing heavily in LinkedIn.
What Makes Directive Stand Out
Directive’s paid media strategy starts with planning and account strategy: focusing on buyer intent, tight firmographic/technographic targeting, using first-party data and total addressable market (TAM) analysis. They build funnel architectures that prioritize SQL or opportunity generation over low-quality MQLs, often reducing or eliminating middle-funnel wastage.
They layer in financial modeling so budgets are allocated towards ads and channels, showing a trajectory towards closed revenue.
On channel craftsmanship, they excel especially in Search and LinkedIn. The latter is partly due to their sister agency, Abe, which specializes in LinkedIn Ads for B2B brands.
For Search, they optimize branded vs non-branded mixes, negative keywords, bid strategies, ad relevance, position, and CPC/CPA metrics. Programmatic and retargeting complete the mix for upper funnel awareness plus re-engagement.
Commerce & feeds are less of a core given B2B focus, but where relevant (e.g. product-led B2B or hybrid B2B commerce) they ensure feed integrity, ad copy alignment, and efficient use of Google Shopping or equivalent for transactional touchpoints.
Attribution & measurement are strong: they implement pixel and offline conversion tracking, ensure tracking across channels is deduplicated, align platform & CRM data, run conversion/lift tests, use dashboards for visibility, and focus on metrics tied to closed-won revenue.
Their governance and compliance capabilities are robust for B2B industry standards: message integrity, JTBD-driven copy, demographic targeting, adherence to privacy standards, and maintaining ad policy and platform compliance — especially important for regulated verticals or professional services.
Case Studies
Directive has delivered large, measurable improvements in paid media performance, illustrated in two major engagements.
With Skillable, Directive shifted strategy to prioritize pipeline growth and lead quality. They paused Performance Max, reallocated budget into Search (especially branded terms) and LinkedIn, and implemented rigid offline conversion tracking. They expanded targeting to include European markets, focused on “money terms” (keywords likely to attract decision-makers rather than individual contributors), and segmented target account lists for distinct creative messaging.
As a result, Skillable saw +42% QoQ increase in MQLs, +32% QoQ pipeline revenue growth, and raised their MQL-to-SQL conversion rate from ~23% in August to 42% in October, driven by the tighter alignment of creative, channel mix, and targeting.
In the Zapproved case, Directive began by overhauling conversion tracking and restructuring the account by industry segments. They added LinkedIn to the channel mix and sharpened messaging using jobs-to-be-done copy, matching messaging tightly to buyer persona and pain points. They also optimized demographic targeting and cleaned up targeting inefficiencies.
The outcomes were dramatic: Google Quality Score improved from ~2.9 to 7.3, pipeline rose 200% QoQ, and LinkedIn cost per lead (CPL) dropped 58.4%.
Why Directive Is an Ideal Fit?
Best Fit Scenarios:
- B2B / SaaS brands with long sales cycles that need to move beyond high volume MQLs to high quality, revenue-generating leads.
- Companies investing in LinkedIn and enterprise social channels that want to leverage strategic partnerships (e.g. with LinkedIn).
- Brands needing clear measurement and revenue attribution, including offline conversion tracking and CRM alignment.
- Businesses expanding into multiple geographies or targeting many verticals, needing tailored creative and messaging per segment.
- Organizations prioritizing spend efficiency, tighter control of CPA/CPL, and performance design tied to creative messaging.
Choose Directive when you demand a partner that blends strategic thinking, precision in execution, and consistent, measurable revenue improvements rather than vanity metrics.
3. SmartSites
Best for: Small and Medium Size Businesses
Paid Media Services: Google Ads (Search, Display, Shopping), Microsoft Ads (Bing PPC), Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram), Amazon Ads and retail media campaigns, YouTube Ads, e-commerce PPC
SmartSites is a full-stack digital marketing agency with strong emphasis on PPC, search advertising, and paid media efficiency. They are certified partners for Google Premier, Microsoft Advertising, Meta, and Amazon—signals of their platform credibility and access to beta features.
Their service mix spans local, national, and e-commerce PPC; search engine marketing; display ads; remarketing; and robust reporting. They lean on data and technology to lower acquisition costs and improve campaign ROI. Awards and partnerships (like ADWEEK’s Fastest Growing Agencies and Microsoft Advertising Partner recognitions) show their industry reputation.
They also actively invest in thought leadership in paid media, speaking about generative AI’s impact on search, social, and PPC at auto-industry events, which indicates they’re forward-looking in applying new tools.
What Makes SmartSites Stand Out
SmartSites’ paid media execution is tightly constructed around campaign fundamentals: comprehensive keyword research, bid optimization, negative keywords, ad copy refinement, and thorough tracking. On channel craftsmanship, they cover Google Search, Shopping, Display, Microsoft/Bing PPC, and e-commerce PPC; they also run remarketing and use audience segmentation for better targeting.
Creative and messaging are optimized per campaign, with clean landing pages or checkout experiences for e-commerce clients. They offer transparency in reporting and leverage proprietary tools and performance dashboards to monitor conversion, CTR, cost per click, cost per acquisition, and return on ad spend.
Their team is certified across major PPC platforms, which supports technical execution (like feed-management for shopping campaigns, bid and budget pacing, spend optimization). They have strong capacity in e-commerce PPC and local-to-national scale campaigns (local PPC, national PPC, and e-commerce PPC).
Finally, they emphasize client service and communication—feedback in their testimonials frequently highlights responsiveness and clarity in reporting.
Case Studies
Two PPC-centred examples illustrate SmartSites’ strengths.
Melfast Marketing is a wholesale fastener distributor that needed its newly launched site to generate new leads. SmartSites implemented Google AdWords campaigns (search and PPC), performed keyword research, refined ad copy, optimized onsite content toward targeted keywords, and managed weekly content and link building.
The result: a 25% decrease in cost per click (CPC) and a 132% increase in site visitors, dramatically boosting paid media effectiveness and lead flow.
Baldwin Filters R Us faced frequent repeat purchases from customers, but their site and checkout experience were frayed. SmartSites launched a streamlined PPC campaign along with a clean website redesign, one-page checkout, and a quick-order feature to reduce friction. On the paid media front, they launched targeted PPC ads and optimized performance metrics.
The results showed a 16% decrease in CPC and a 27% increase in return on ad spend (ROAS).
Why SmartSites Is an Ideal Fit?
Best Fit Scenarios:
- E-commerce brands needing performance PPC (search, shopping, display) with enhanced site-to-checkout UX
- Local and national service-based businesses seeking lower CPC, better CTR, and more efficient acquisition
- Companies exploring generative AI in paid search execution
- Businesses wanting strong Microsoft Bing and platform partner advantages
Choose SmartSites when your priority is measurable PPC improvement—cutting costs, improving ad efficiency, increasing ROAS—and you want a partner who invests in both technical precision and client communication in the paid media space.
4. (un)Common Logic
Best for: Brands of all Sizes
Paid Media Services: Paid Search / SEM (Google, Bing, etc.), Display advertising, Remarketing, Programmatic advertising, Social media advertising (Meta / Facebook etc.), Video ads
(un)Common Logic (UCL) is a boutique performance agency based in Austin, Texas that specializes in paid media, B2B SaaS, e-commerce PPC, analytics, and conversion rate optimization. Their paid media services include search, product listing, international PPC, display, remarketing, video, and social advertising.
The team emphasizes high-touch management; they train their analysts deeply, treat client ad spend as their own, and focus on transparency and responsiveness. UCL has received industry recognition, including being named a finalist in the 2025 US Search Awards for Best Use of Search: Retail/Ecommerce and Emerging Talent (PPC & CRO Specialist), signaling both execution strength and rising leadership.
Their approach is both tactical (keyword refinement, ad copy, audience segmentation) and strategic (account structure, full-funnel revenue focus, ROAS optimization), making them a strong partner for advertisers seeking to move beyond “set-and-forget” strategies.
What Makes (un)Common Logic Stand Out
The agency excels in planning & account strategy by auditing existing setups, restructuring campaigns for better match types and segmentations, and placing revenue—not just traffic—at the center of optimization. They often shift channel mixes to favor lower-cost, higher-return avenues, and ensure campaigns are aligned top-to-bottom (keywords, creative, landing pages) for message consistency and conversion flow.
In channel craftsmanship, UCL covers Search (Google, Microsoft), international campaigns, product listing ads, display, remarketing, video, and social media platforms for both B2B and e-commerce clients. They use non-search channels and diversify spend to reduce risk and cost per conversion.
Their creative engine includes refining ad copy, testing messaging, aligning landing pages, leveraging audience insights, and using human oversight in automation tools. They do not rely purely on automated bidding but pair automation with active human optimization. On attribution & measurement, they implement thorough conversion tracking (often including offline or CRM-linked tracking), maintain ROAS targets, monitor campaign KPIs closely, and iterate via testing.
Governance and client experience are key: frequent communication, transparency, and treating clients’ budgets with ownership are central. They value continuous improvement and regularly update campaigns to reflect changing audience behavior or platform shifts.
Case Studies
Prior to working with UCL, Quill had been using automated bidding strategies with limited focus on revenue. UCL shifted the focus to a revenue-centered PPC strategy: refining keyword strategy, improving ad copy, and implementing advanced bid management.
As a result, Quill achieved a 36% increase in revenue, 19% increase in orders, and maintained incredible efficiency with a ROAS above 500%, while delivering ~899 average weekly orders.
LightBox struggled to generate qualified Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) and pipeline revenue from its PPC investments. UCL conducted an in-depth audit of their Google Ads account, restructured targeting, raised lead quality using Salesforce data, and optimized across creative and keywords.
The result: 149% increase in PPC pipeline revenue, a doubling of pipeline ROAS, and 54% increase in SQLs, showing much stronger alignment between ad spend and business outcomes.
Why (un)Common Logic Is an Ideal Fit?
Best Fit Scenarios:
- E-commerce brands that want high ROAS and care about revenue growth—not just clicks or traffic.
- B2B and SaaS companies seeking to scale PPC while improving lead quality and pipeline metrics.
- Businesses with existing PPC campaigns that have plateaued and need account audits, restructuring, and smarter budget allocation.
- Companies that value hands-on vendor partnerships, transparent reporting, and message alignment across channels.
- Advertisers wanting to diversify channel mix (search + non-search + remarketing + international) to reduce dependency on one platform.
Pick (un)Common Logic when you want an agency that combines revenue focus, precision execution, and continuous optimization rather than settling for standard automation.
5. Marcel Digital
Best for: Brands of all Sizes
Paid Media Services: Google Ads (Search), Microsoft Advertising, Programmatic and Display advertising, Paid Social media ads, Landing page optimization, Creative development
Marcel Digital is a Chicago-based agency with deep B2B and enterprise experience, especially in paid media, CRO, analytics, and UX. Their paid media service set includes paid search, display & programmatic, paid social, Amazon marketing, and YouTube advertising. They are a Google Premier Partner (a top ~3% of Google Partners) and certified in Microsoft Advertising, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and Data Studio.
Their team manages all paid media in-house without outsourcing. They emphasize continuous optimization: keyword research, audience targeting, ad & landing page testing, competitor research. Recognitions (shortlisted in multiple categories for 2025 B2B Marketing Elevation Awards) affirm their strength in demand generation, lead gen programs, and tangible commercial success.
Marcel Digital also stays current with platform changes. For example, being among those reviewing Google’s new “ads in AI overviews” feature to help clients leverage early advantages.
What Makes Marcel Digital Stand Out
Marcel’s planning and account strategy begins with rigorous audience and keyword research, alignment of search, social, programmatic channels, and landing page & creative configuration. They don’t settle for volume—they focus on lead quality, applying B2B targeting, ICP segmentation, and experimentation in bid and budget allocations.
In channel craftsmanship, they cover a full paid media stack: paid search (Google + Bing), paid social (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, potentially others), display and programmatic, YouTube, and Amazon where relevant. Their display work is backed by programmatic controls and remarketing to reinforce touchpoints.
They emphasize creative development matching audience needs, with ad copy that aligns to the buyer journey, testing across creative variants, and landing page optimization to reduce friction.
Attribution & measurement is treated with priority. They integrate Google Analytics & Ads, ensure tracking fidelity, use in-platform tools plus reporting via Data Studio or equivalent, monitor performance metrics continuously, and align spend to what is measurable in terms of conversion quality, not just click volume.
Their internal execution model is mature: high frequency of optimizations (they report 250+ average monthly optimizations for paid media), full transparency (clients get direct visibility into optimization workflows), retention and experience (22+ years of paid media expertise, average client retention of 4 years).
Case Studies
Here are two case studies highlighting Marcel Digital’s paid media results:
Charter Homes faced low conversion rates from their paid search and social campaigns, landing page design issues, and lead quality problems (especially from Facebook/Instagram in-platform lead gen, where many leads were spammy). Marcel Digital tested embedding forms directly on landing pages (improving accessibility of contact points) and shifted paid social from in-platform lead gen to ads directing users to landing pages with forms.
In one month (September→October), paid search conversions increased from 32 to 59 (an 84% increase). Paid social conversions also improved in terms of quality, with better-engaged leads. Embedding of forms and redesigns resulted in more consistent, high-quality lead flow and clearer metrics for conversion performance.
A global supply chain leader, SEKO Logistics, needed to improve their SQL generation via paid search and to link spend to actual closed business more reliably. Marcel audited their Salesforce data, identified only two campaigns were performing strongly, and shifted the budget wholly to those campaigns while cutting back on underperforming spend. They refined keyword and audience targeting to align with high-intent searches and ICP profiles.
Results: SQLs rose 144% QoQ, cost-per-SQL dropped by 22%, and 100% of closed business from paid search came from just those optimized campaigns. This data-driven refinement improved lead quality and ROI substantially.
Why Marcel Digital Is an Ideal Fit?
Best Fit Scenarios:
- B2B / enterprise companies needing paid media expertise that emphasizes lead quality, not just volume.
- Organizations with martech stacks (CRM / Salesforce / analytics) that want stronger attribution, revenue tracking, and pipeline visibility.
- Businesses targeting search + social + programmatic channels, especially those that require landing page improvements and creative alignment.
- Clients who prefer full transparency and in-house execution, frequent optimizations, and long-term partnerships.
Choose Marcel Digital when you want a partner deeply versed in integrating paid media strategy with creative, measurement, and lead quality—especially for B2B or complex lead generation environments where precision matters.
Choosing the Right Paid Media Partner for Scalable Growth
Selecting the right paid media agency comes down to alignment with your business model, growth stage, and performance priorities. Each agency reviewed brings unique strengths that can give your campaigns an edge.
Here’s where each stands out most:
- Thrive Internet Marketing Agency – Exceptional at ecommerce feed management and catalog governance, making them the go-to for brands with large SKU counts and retail media needs.
- Directive Consulting – Industry leader in B2B and Account-Based Marketing, especially with LinkedIn campaigns tied directly to pipeline and closed-won revenue.
- SmartSites – Strongest in driving down CPC while boosting ROAS for ecommerce and local businesses, with added innovation through Microsoft Advertising partnerships and AI adoption.
- (un)Common Logic – Renowned for revenue-centric PPC execution, not traffic for traffic’s sake; consistently delivers high ROAS and revenue growth for both ecommerce and SaaS clients.
- Marcel Digital – Ideal for B2B and enterprise advertisers that need lead quality over lead volume, with unmatched transparency, Salesforce/CRM integration, and frequent in-house optimizations.
Each of these agencies approaches paid media through a slightly different lens—whether it’s feed governance, ABM, cost efficiency, revenue-driven PPC, or data-first B2B strategy. The best choice depends on whether you want to maximize ecommerce sales, scale B2B pipeline, or optimize complex multi-channel campaigns.
Frequently Asked Questions
What role do paid media agencies play in scaling marketing campaigns?
Paid media agencies provide strategic planning, cross-channel execution, and performance tracking, enabling brands to maximize returns from platforms like search, social, and display. Many businesses choose to partner with specialized paid media agencies when they want expert guidance and full-funnel accountability
How is artificial intelligence changing paid marketing?
AI is accelerating creative production, predictive targeting, and real-time bidding adjustments, making campaigns more efficient. Businesses are increasingly turning to AI websites for paid marketing to generate ad copy, automate testing, and streamline reporting.
Should brands prioritize Reddit ads or organic engagement?
It depends on goals: paid campaigns provide rapid visibility and precise targeting, while organic builds community trust and long-term influence. Many marketers compare the impact of Reddit ads vs organic activity before finalizing their strategy.
What type of agency best supports ecommerce growth?
Ecommerce brands benefit from agencies that combine PPC, feed optimization, and conversion-focused design. Choosing the right marketing agency type for e-commerce businesses often determines whether campaigns generate immediate revenue or simply drive traffic.
How does a PPC agency differ from broader digital marketing firms?
A PPC agency focuses solely on paid search and performance advertising, ensuring tighter keyword strategies, bid management, and conversion tracking compared to generalist agencies.
What are the most effective Amazon PPC strategies today?
Success often comes from refined keyword targeting, product page optimization, and campaign segmentation. Brands that implement Amazon PPC strategies tailored to their catalog typically achieve stronger returns.
When should a company hire an Amazon PPC management partner?
Companies with large catalogs or aggressive retail goals often engage Amazon PPC management agencies to scale campaigns efficiently, reduce wasted spend, and improve sales velocity.
Why are paid search agencies still critical in 2025?
Even as social and programmatic grow, paid search agencies remain vital because they connect intent-driven queries with optimized ads that capture bottom-funnel demand.