MyLeadsFactory markMYLEADSFACTORY
Financial Services PPC

Google Ads for UK Lenders, Advisers & Fintech

FCA-compliant campaigns that produce qualified applicants — not regulatory scrutiny.

We run Google Ads for UK lenders, mortgage brokers, IFAs, insurance firms, and fintech companies. Our focus is on compliant campaigns meeting FCA and Consumer Duty requirements — producing qualified applications rather than volume that triggers enforcement.

Book a 15 min callGet free audit
No long contracts24-hour replyYou own the account
10+ yrs
Inside Google before this
500+
Brands we've worked with
Vertical
Financial Services-specific playbooks
What breaks

Why Financial Services Google Ads fail.

01

FCA and Consumer Duty rules restrict most standard copy

Financial Promotions rules (Section 21 FSMA) require FCA authorisation for promotional content. Consumer Duty (active since 2023) adds fair-value, understanding, and support tests. Most PPC agencies produce ad copy and landing pages that fail Consumer Duty — firms face supervisory action.

02

Google's financial services category requires verification

Personal loans, mortgages, investment services, and crypto require Google's financial services category verification plus FCA FRN submission. Multi-product lenders need proper product-level approvals. Running without verification leads to mass ad disapprovals.

03

CPCs punish any campaign setup mistake

'Personal loan UK' and 'mortgage broker' CPCs run £8-£40. A single broad-match error or location misconfiguration burns £3,000 in a week with nothing to show. Margin for error is near zero in UK financial services PPC.

What works

Financial Services PPC tactics that actually produce revenue.

Tactic 01

Financial services category approval before launch

File Google's financial services category verification with FCA FRN first — before building campaigns. For lenders and advisers, product-level verification required. This takes 2-4 weeks; running campaigns without it guarantees disapprovals and wasted setup time.

Tactic 02

Consumer Duty-compliant copy libraries

Build pre-approved copy libraries per product (personal loans, mortgages, pensions) meeting Consumer Duty understanding and fair-value tests. Use responsive search ads with compliance-verified headlines. This is how UK financial services firms scale ad creation without retriggering FCA-level review for every ad.

Tactic 03

Intent-based keyword segmentation

'Mortgage rates' is research intent. 'Apply for mortgage' is transactional. Segment so high-CPC transactional terms get Smart Bidding focus. Research-intent keywords get lower-CPC manual bidding with education-focused landing pages designed to capture mid-funnel.

Tactic 04

FCA-compliant call tracking

Install Ruler Analytics or CallRail with call recording consent flows meeting FCA rules on regulated-activity calls. Call quality scoring (not just call count) feeds to Google Ads as conversions. Calls convert at 3-4x web forms for UK mortgage and financial advice.

Tactic 05

Application-completed as the conversion event

Don't optimise toward form-start or quote-request. Optimise toward application-completed or agreement-in-principle (via offline conversion imports from your CRM or originations platform). Smart Bidding then learns which keywords produce real borrowers, not quote-comparison tourists.

Our playbook

How we run Financial Services campaigns.

01

Week 1: FCA compliance audit + category verification

Audit current campaigns against FCA Financial Promotions rules and Consumer Duty tests. File Google's restricted-category verification with FRN. Identify compliance gaps in current copy and landing pages.

02

Week 2: Consumer Duty-compliant copy rebuild

Product-specific campaigns built with pre-approved compliant copy. Research-intent and transactional-intent campaigns separated. Call tracking installed with FCA-compliant consent flows.

03

Week 3: Launch + application-completed conversion tracking

Campaigns live. CRM or originations platform connected for offline conversion import. Application-completed (not quote-requested) becomes Smart Bidding target. First optimisation cycle on day 7.

04

Month 2+: Scale on commission or fee value

Once funded applications flow back, shift Smart Bidding to target ROAS based on commission or fee value. A mortgage broker earning £2,500 per completion scales differently than a personal loan broker earning £150 per agreement.

Frequently asked

Questions about Financial Services Google Ads.

Can UK financial services firms run Google Ads?

Yes, but under FCA Financial Promotions rules (Section 21 FSMA) and Consumer Duty obligations. Regulated financial promotions must be issued by an FCA-authorised firm. Unauthorised firms running financial promotions face criminal liability. With proper authorisation and Google financial services category verification, the channel works — without it, accounts get suspended and firms face FCA action.

What does Consumer Duty require in financial services ads?

Consumer Duty (July 2023) requires firms to demonstrate fair value, support, understanding, and product governance. For advertising this means: clear language (not jargon), realistic expectations (not guarantees), fair comparisons, and evidence that target customers can understand what's being offered. Most pre-2023 ad copy fails at least one Consumer Duty test.

What is a realistic cost per funded mortgage via Google Ads?

UK mortgage broker cost-per-completion: £200-£1,500 depending on product and lender. Personal loans: £100-£400 per funded agreement. Investment/wealth management: £150-£1,500 per qualified enquiry. Insurance policies: £30-£200 per issued. Margin-per-completion matters more than cost — £200 acquisition cost on a £2,000 proc fee is very different from a £30 proc fee.

Can fintech startups run Google Ads before FCA authorisation?

Carefully. Pre-authorisation, a fintech can run awareness and education campaigns without promoting specific regulated products. Once authorised, file Google's financial services verification before launching product-specific ads. Running regulated-product ads pre-authorisation is both FCA enforcement risk and fast Google Ads suspension.

What's the minimum ad spend for UK financial services PPC?

£2,500-£5,000/month is the floor because CPCs are punishing. £10,000-£40,000/month is common for mid-market lenders and brokers. Below £2,500/month, a single broad-match mistake can burn the weekly budget before any meaningful learning takes place.

How does UK GDPR and the ICO affect financial services remarketing?

UK GDPR requires explicit opt-in for marketing cookies and email follow-up. ICO enforcement is increasing, particularly for financial services. Cookie banners must genuinely gate pixels (not just display a notice). Remarketing audiences must exclude visitors who didn't consent. Done properly, remarketing works; done carelessly, it's both regulatory risk and an empty audience.
Also relevant

Related industries we serve.

Solicitors & Law Firms →

Case inquiries for law firms across personal injury, family, and corporate.

Estate Agents →

Buyer and seller leads for brokerages, agents, and developers.

Start here

Ready to fix your financial services Google Ads?

Free audit of your current account. Loom walkthrough of what we would fix. Send the form or book a 15-minute call — we respond within 24 hours.

Book a 15 min call
10+ yrs
Google experience
500+
Clients managed
Vertical
Specific expertise
Send an Enquiry

Get a free audit of your ad account.

We respond within 24 hours.

Your information is safe. We never share it.