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Meet Ed Leake, a prominent figure in the PPC world and a true expert in digital advertising.
With over 13 years of experience running his successful agency, Midas Media, Ed has firmly established himself as a leading voice in the industry.
His impressive journey includes the acquisition of Adboozter in 2018 and the creation of AdEvolver, a revolutionary tool designed to automate Google Ads accounts at scale, ensuring clients always walk away satisfied.
Ed’s expertise doesn’t stop at managing campaigns. He is also the mind behind God Tier Ads, a comprehensive Google Ads training program, and The Agency Forge, a specialized training platform for agencies.
His contributions to the field have earned him a prestigious spot on the top 50 PPC influencers list, where he holds the 5th position.
Ed, it’s great to have you here. Can you tell us a little about your background and how you got started in the world of PPC?
It has been a weird and windy road. My first job was actually in IT. Why? Because I liked computers.
Well, I liked playing computer games in the 90’s and I thought that might translate to enjoying working with computers…
I actually dropped out of school at 17 and worked on a building site as a laborer. In my spare time I built computers and sold them via a local newspaper.
I started with display ads before AdWords; this was still back in the late 90’s when I ran a computer hardware review website in my spare time. We (I had a small team of writers) ran banner ads for sponsors and product manufacturers such as Cyrix and Asrock. That gave me a taste for pay per click, but it wasn’t until over a decade later I actually started formally working in the advertising industry.
Between the late 90’s and mid 2000’s I was very much stuck in IT and project management.
Fast forward through my ‘IT years’ which I generally hated, I quit my job in 2010 and started an agency with my friend.
No money. No clients. No prospects.
But somehow in the first year we knocked enough doors (literally) to make rent and drag ourselves over the line… but it was tough.
We got lucky, one of the companies we reached out to locally needed a new website and they were running AdWords (this was 2011). So we took the job, rebuilt their website and I learnt how to manage AdWords in a weekend.
Quickly realising I could run ads for other people and charge them, I ran a few for our fledgling agency and landed a plumber from London. Being a plucky upstart I took a chance and tripled my management fee, they paid and I got their phone ringing off the hook.
I’m glossing over many of the details here. The journey was tough, we tried to do everything for everyone and struggled to make money. I parted ways with my friend on good terms and went off on my own.
Here’s where we insert many, many years of struggle whilst teaching myself how to really optimise Google Ads, land more clients, do sales, hire people, manage them and run an agency… the list never ended.
I made so many mistakes along the way.
However, one thing persisted – I was good with ads and I could make money. Everything else was noise and it took me years to appreciate this and really focus down the agency and my efforts.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced when you first started with Google Ads?
Getting clients. I got lucky finding the first one, but I had to spend money to find the next one.
Because it has been nearly 14 years I actually find it difficult to remember what Google AdWords was like back then, but I don’t remember feeling it was hard. I remember enjoying the work.
Perhaps the second biggest challenge was to STOP working and not overwork an ads account! That was all too easy, as a newbie I’d get sucked in and spend hours pouring over the details.
In hindsight, that wasn’t where the money was and ad accounts generally don’t need that level of scrutiny. It is busy work.
Reflecting on your journey, what’s the best investment you’ve made in your professional development?
A relentless pursuit of self-improvement to the point of becoming obsessed with the subject matter.
I spent far too many hours, every week, for years on end doing ad related stuff. I did not have any hobbies, just the work to keep my brain engaged.
I don’t think you can really get ahead and become top-tier in what you do unless you are obsessive and blinkered to everything around you. It might sound unhealthy and I am not suggesting you do that forever, but pushing yourself hard for a period of time really elevates you above what the majority of your peers are prepared to put themselves through.
During those hard times I made sure I went out for runs in the countryside. After all, you can’t just sit on your arse all day and expect your mind and body to be okay.
I am always thinking 5 years ahead and investing today pays dividends down the line, in life, business and health.
Today, I am fortunate to live in the mountains with the highlands as my playground for walking and cycling. I also have a fully kitted out home gym setup so I can throw iron around many times a week.
Without investing in my health, there is no chance I’d have the energy to push myself as hard as I have in my day job.
What inspired you to create a course on Google Ads?
I got real good with ads.
Oh… and the fact I started to get 100’s of emails and messages on social media from people asking for help, or a quick chat, or coffee.
I did not have time for that, it was overwhelming but I struggled to say no.
In September 2020 I took the decision to put my experience to paper, but I did not want to create yet another Google Ads training course. I wanted to give people a genuine step-by-step checklist, which later became a fully fledged Framework.
Since mid-2016 I had been building up an email list. I was writing guest articles, blogging and doing video, so my list was a few thousand strong by this point.
I simply sent an email asking if a) people wanted what I thought they needed and b) were they willing to pay for it.
My audience is amazing. I had nothing to give them other than a promise and my word, and yet over 120 people put money down.
I essentially crowdfunded my idea.
Then the work began. In my spare time outside of running the agency, I spent over 200 hours creating the first version of God Tier Ads.
200 hours in 2 months, in my spare time?
Obsessive and relentless.
Every guru out there said it was the worst time to launch anything because it was too close to Christmas.
And yet God Tier Ads launched 10 weeks later on the 11th December.
It sold 100 odd copies and made over $20,000 in the first week. And it continued to sell every single day into the new year too.
Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal. 🙂
Diving into the course details, what can students expect to learn from your Google Ads course?
There are no secrets; just inexperienced people trying to sell you a dream.
Don’t get distracted by social media hype, the shiny new stuff, the many Google changes. That is wasted energy and diverts your focus away from the prize.
Get the Google Ads fundamentals right and you’ll win way more often and be much more consistent with your results. And you will be ahead of the majority of advertisers out there.
The good news is that you do not have to be obsessive like me. I’ve done most of the hard work for you – literally follow my templates and processes.
You still need to use a little of your own brain power, I can’t do the thinking for you. No one can.
I made it as easy as I could, without making it dumb.
How is your course different from other PPC courses available online?
It is not a course. It is a framework you follow, a big checklist with supporting template and documents.
Instead of sitting through hours of video, the God Tier Framework actually enables you to dip-in and take immediate action. Pick a topic or thing, and follow the steps. Easy!
Given the rapid changes in digital marketing, how do you ensure your course content stays up-to-date with the latest Google Ads trends and changes?
I don’t let the noise distract me; when something changes that has a direct impact on results and the actual work required – I update the training to reflect this.
Otherwise, I ignore it, because it makes no difference to the outcome.
I love seeing testimonials where a student shares before and after results.
There have been many but a standout was Sam Obrart back in 2021. He applied God Tier Ads to his work and literally slashed 50% off his client’s cost per conversion. He shared the screenshots to prove it.
He then went and did it in another account… proving my process is repeatable.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job as a teacher and mentor?
The money.
I’m on my 5th Lambo now.
Oh, and receiving hundreds of reviews over the years from people who have purchased my training and seen big wins in their ad accounts and positive outcomes in their work.
Seeing a positive review never gets old and reminds me of why I am still updating the framework some 4 years later – for free.
Delegation.
My agency runs itself because I work with smart people, my social media is completely outsourced to someone who gets me and my YouTube videos are just highlights from my Forge private group. And I don’t even upload those myself either.
That leaves me to focus on growth and essentially become the puppetmaster.
When you’re not working on PPC campaigns or teaching, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I spend a lot of time in the world of finance. Making money means managing money, and since 2000 I have been investing or trading in some shape or form. And yet, I still consider it a hobby not a chore.
That aside, working out is big for me now.
I have a dedicated home gym with a full rack, weights and machines, and the most amazing views over the glen. I have a rowing machine and gravel bike too – don’t can’t skip cardio!
I make sure I am doing some form of exercise 6 times a week.
And finally in the evenings I might play a solo board game, read a book or work on my side projects. These projects are not related to PPC.
Before we wrap up, let’s end on a fun note.
If you could choose any fictional character to be your mentor, who would it be and why?
Tony Soprano.
An oldskool tough guy who didn’t take any sh!t – knows how to crack skulls, make a few ‘bucks’ and command respect. And yet still had a soft side, with strong family values and a longing to do the right thing when it mattered.
We can gloss over the money laundering, infidelity and list of missing people that could be attributed to his actions… *ahem*
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Fantastic choice! We can’t wait to see where your journey takes you next.
Thank you, Ed, for your time and for sharing your story with us.
For those interested in diving deeper into the world of Google Ads, be sure to check out Ed’s course God Tier Ads and follow his insightful content on LinkedIn and YouTube.