Bath · Bristol · London

PPC, AI Search & Technical SEO Consultancy

Commercial Velocity.

Senior-led PPC, AI search and technical SEO consultancy for mid-market leaders across the UK and internationally.

For mid-market leaders whose agency manages the account but never thinks about the market. One senior operator owns the channel that moves your number, whether paid, search or AI, from audit to invoice, and builds the commercial edge that decides who dominates 2027.

Verified Infrastructure Partners

Six layers that separate
consultancy from execution.

While conventional agencies rotate junior staff, file the same templated plan, and mistake activity for commercial thinking, one senior mind holds the entire architecture. Undivided. Continuous. Compounding week after week.

Your media budget compounds on accurate data. In the client audits we run, inherited tracking typically captures only 60 to 75% of true conversions, leaving accounts optimised against incomplete signals. Every engagement starts with a forensic data audit. We validate event architecture, conversion paths, and timestamp precision. Server-side tracking closes that gap, recovering the conversions browser limitations strip out. Offline conversion tracking connects CRM systems directly to bidding algorithms. Technical SEO foundations, spanning crawlability, schema, Core Web Vitals and hreflang, are reviewed alongside the paid stack so organic and paid compound, rather than compete. Internal system integration turns fragmented data into clean commercial intelligence. You receive a bespoke performance framework built from first principles. Year-on-year growth, cumulative pacing, budget efficiency, period-level ROAS. Not a dashboard export. The vantage point: seeing the entire landscape before committing capital.

Forensic data audit as standard Server-side tracking infrastructure Technical SEO foundations Offline conversion tracking Bespoke performance framework Internal system integration Event parameter validation BigQuery-ready architecture Conversion path integrity

The person who audited your account is the same person optimising bids, fielding platform calls, and reviewing weekly performance. No account manager rotations. No handover documents. No coverage gaps. This is the structural advantage of working with a single senior practitioner who combines the depth of an ex-head of PPC, commerce director, and analytics lead, with proven expertise across B2B lead generation, B2C and full omnichannel e-commerce. Credentials include the global transformation of LUSH Cosmetics across sixteen markets, the safe migration of Towergate Insurance and forty other brands into Everywhen, and a career spent training teams and authoring industry best practice. Every client receives that expertise, undivided, every week of the year. For businesses tired of institutional knowledge walking out the door with every personnel change, this is the antidote: compounding intelligence that never resets.

Single senior practitioner throughout No account manager rotations Available every week of the year B2B and e-commerce mastery LUSH Cosmetics across sixteen markets Everywhen 40+ brand migration Ex-head of PPC Commerce and analytics depth

Fortnightly strategy calls with Google deliver vertical market insights, beta access, and platform intelligence that most organisations receive quarterly at best. When Google convenes face-to-face industry events, we attend. When Meta releases new attribution models for Facebook and Instagram, we test them before they reach the mainstream. LinkedIn's B2B targeting ecosystem and YouTube's intent-rich audience signals receive the same forensic attention. Both are structurally underutilised by organisations without a direct platform relationship. When the platforms move, this engagement moves first. Straight from the source: your media strategy shaped by the platforms themselves, not filtered through layers of account management.

Fortnightly Google strategy calls Beta programme access Meta Certified Media Buying Professional LinkedIn Campaign Manager YouTube and Display Network Vertical market intelligence Google Partner certified Microsoft Advertising (Bing) Amazon Ads Partner Stape Partner

We architect across every revenue-bearing channel: Google Search, Google Shopping, Microsoft Advertising (Bing), YouTube, Meta (Facebook and Instagram), LinkedIn, Amazon, and the technical SEO foundations that earn organic visibility alongside the paid stack. All anchored to a single profitability model rather than managed as isolated channels with competing KPIs. Our Comparison Shopping Service expertise and proprietary feed management approach means product data becomes a competitive weapon, not an afterthought. Display image creative is designed as standard because media without considered creative is capital without direction. Competitor intelligence is structural: understanding where rivals deploy, where they retreat, and where category gaps are widening before others notice them. The whole, not the parts: every channel, every platform, every pound serving one commercial north star.

Unified profitability model Google Search and Shopping Microsoft Advertising (Bing) Meta (Facebook and Instagram) LinkedIn B2B acquisition YouTube and Display Network Technical SEO and organic search Amazon Performance Ads CSS and feed management Display image creative as standard Cross-channel attribution

Every decision traces to one question: does this make the business more profitable? Not more visible. Not more awarded. Not more active across more platforms. More profitable. The Kaizen principle of incremental, compounding improvement means every week is a forensic review, never a celebration of output. AI is applied as subtraction. Removing noise, redundant spend, and the underperforming inventory that accumulates silently inside every account, on every platform, across every channel. Gains in data fidelity, bid efficiency, and audience precision do not reset between account managers or review cycles. They compound indefinitely, because the same senior mind holds the account, without interruption, from the first week to the last. The compounding advantage: continuous oversight that catches what fragmented teams structurally miss.

Profit-first decision making Kaizen methodology AI as subtraction Bid efficiency forensics Audience precision Spend elimination discipline Zero vanity metrics

Most PPC practitioners hand the website back to a separate development team and brief vaguely from there. This engagement reads HTML, CSS and JavaScript fluently, which means conversion-blocking errors, render-blocking resources, broken schema, mobile usability defects, tracking failures and tag manager bloat are diagnosed at source rather than guessed at. The codebase remains your developers' responsibility. We provide the strategic technical layer that sits between the PPC plan and the developer queue, translating diagnosis into precise, executable briefs your in-house or third-party team can act on without ambiguity. Core Web Vitals, on-page SEO, structured data and accessibility are reviewed, documented and prioritised, not implemented. Site speed compounds every paid pound. A faster landing page lifts Quality Score, lifts ad rank, lifts conversion rate and lowers cost per acquisition simultaneously. The forensic diagnosis that ensures your developers fix the right things in the right order. The strategic technical eye most consultancies cannot offer because they have never opened the code.

Strategic technical audits Conversion blocker diagnosis Developer-ready briefing documents Core Web Vitals diagnosis Render-blocking resource analysis Schema and structured data review Tag manager hygiene Mobile usability diagnosis Form and funnel error tracing On-page SEO best practice Tracking gap analysis
The Senior Mind

Held by one practitioner.
From audit to invoice.

Nicholas Crane, Founder of The Crane Consultancy
Nic Crane Founder
Nic Crane · Founder

A decade engineering profit at scale.

Architect of the LUSH Cosmetics global digital transformation across sixteen markets, recognised by Welocalize as Best Global Client Team. Former Paid Media Enablement & Commerce Lead at Adapt and Head of Paid Media at Navigate, leading media programmes across attraction, conservation and tourism portfolios. The track record spans B2C and B2B, from global retail to lead generation and full omnichannel e-commerce.

Most recently engaged by The Ardonagh Group and Everywhen as Digital Data & Analytics lead through the Q4 2025 Everywhen brand launch, securing data integrity across a complex multi-organisation migration spanning Towergate Insurance and forty other brands.

Meta Certified Media Buying Professional. Meta Discovery Commerce certified. Google Partner. Amazon Ads Partner. The practice operates from Bath and Bristol, serving clients across the UK and internationally, with pitches and sessions hosted at the registered London office at 45 Albemarle Street, Mayfair when the engagement calls for a room in town.

The senior mind that wins the work is the senior mind that does the work.

One Minute, In Person
The Crane Consultancy founder portrait, introduction video preview
LUSH Cosmetics, global commercial transformation across sixteen markets
Our Services

The infrastructure of scale.

Three disciplines, each a complete engagement in its own right: paid media, technical SEO and AI search. Engage the one that moves your number, or run all three under a single senior mind. Most clients start with one.

Creator of the AI Search Readiness Scanner

Paid Media

Profit-first PPC across Google, Microsoft, Meta, LinkedIn and Amazon, measured against profit, not vanity metrics.

  • Google Search and Shopping
  • Microsoft Advertising (Bing)
  • Meta (Facebook and Instagram)
  • LinkedIn B2B Acquisition
  • YouTube and Display Network
  • Amazon Performance Ads
  • Server-Side Tracking
  • Attribution Modelling
  • Conversion Rate Optimisation
Explore Paid Media

Technical SEO

The schema, crawl and Core Web Vitals foundations that win durable organic rankings.

  • Technical Site Audits
  • Schema and Structured Data
  • Core Web Vitals
  • Crawlability and Indexation
  • Internal Linking and Architecture
  • International (hreflang)
Explore Technical SEO

AI Search

Visibility inside AI Overviews and large language models, through GEO and AEO.

  • Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)
  • Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)
  • AI Overviews Visibility
  • LLM Citation Strategy
  • ChatGPT and Perplexity Visibility
Explore AI Search

Data & Automation

The measurement spine beneath all three, wired to profit and clear of manual reporting. Also a standalone engagement: agencies and in-house teams bring it in directly when a tracking build or a data problem needs a senior pair of hands.

Explore Data & Automation
  • GA4 & Server-Side Analytics
  • Consent Mode v2 & Data Integrity
  • Marketing & Revenue Dashboards
  • CRM & Pipeline Integration
  • Workflow & Reporting Automation
  • AI Integration (Claude & Gemini)
  • API & Systems Connection
Operating Standards

What we will not do.

Mid-market teams have had enough agency theatre. Four commitments that separate this engagement from what most boards have signed before.

i.

You own everything.

Every ad account, tag manager, analytics property and dashboard sits under your ownership. Always. We do not gatekeep your own data.

ii.

No bait-and-switch.

The senior named on the proposal is the senior who does the work. No handover to a junior. No silent reassignment after the contract signs.

iii.

Live, not laminated.

Performance dashboards updated frequently. No vanity PDFs assembled the night before a quarterly review.

iv.

Direct line to the founder.

WhatsApp access to Nicholas, not a ticket queue or an account-management layer. Ask the difficult question on a Sunday if you need to.

The Ledger

A small book.
By design.

Capacity dictates execution. I only take on what one senior mind can carry without dilution, which is why 2026 is now largely spoken for. The businesses that will dominate 2027 are being lined up now: the ones planning their move while they serve out the old contract, so they start the year already ahead.

Bailey of Bristol

Category Dominance

BIG Language Solutions

Stateside Expansion

Brunel Engraving

Demand Capture

Celtic Routes

Dual-Market Capture

PRIMA Leisure

Revenue Acceleration

The Burrow Farm Estate

Ultra-Prime Positioning
The Verdict

Results first.
The reviews follow.

Rated 5.0 out of 5, verified on Google Reviews. Read all reviews
In the two months since starting to work with Nic, I have been so impressed by his technical understanding across analytics and digital advertising. He has completely overhauled our data so we can see in detail what is happening and make better decisions, and reviewed all of our existing campaigns, which are already performing better. I cannot recommend Nic highly enough.
Donna MooreBIG Language Solutions
Nic manages our PPC campaigns with professionalism and expertise. He takes the time to understand our business, its objectives and the challenges we face, and is proactive in identifying opportunities to maximise results and return on investment.
Cristina Dorador de los SantosBailey of Bristol
Nic helped fill in the missing pieces on a complex data, attribution and privacy project, unearthing a series of unknown issues in the data stack and laying out a plan to remedy them that rolled out successfully. I would recommend Nic and The Crane Consultancy for their technical expertise and thorough understanding.
Jack SladekThat Media Thing
I have worked with Nic for several years and his attention to detail is second to none. He is extremely knowledgeable and very attentive, offering solutions and proactive in his suggestions.
James MarkwellCeltic Routes
Nic is an expert in his field, offering insight and reporting with real value, tailored to our needs.
Talitha BurnettPRIMA Leisure
Common Questions

The questions we're
asked most.

Who do you work with?

Mid-market leaders running businesses with established revenue who need predictable commercial growth across PPC, spanning B2B lead generation, B2C and full omnichannel e-commerce.

What platforms do you cover?

Google Search, Google Shopping, Microsoft Advertising (Bing), Meta (Facebook and Instagram), LinkedIn, YouTube, and Amazon. Anchored to a single profitability model.

How is this different from a traditional agency?

One senior practitioner holds the entire account from audit through ongoing optimisation. No account manager rotations, no junior handovers, no fragmented expertise.

Where do you work?

The practice operates from Bath and Bristol, with a London office at 45 Albemarle Street, Mayfair available to hire for pitches and client meetings. We work in person across England and Wales, with Scotland and Northern Ireland served remotely at full rigour, alongside international clients across the United States, Europe and Asia-Pacific. The same senior-led standard applies wherever you trade.

45 Albemarle Street, Mayfair, The Crane Consultancy registered London address
Bath, Bristol & London · UK-wide and international

London office at 45 Albemarle Street, Mayfair available to hire for pitches and face-to-face client sessions.

Available for new mandates

Start with a conversation.

A proper conversation with the person who would do the work. Tell me where you are and what you're weighing up, and you'll get an honest read on what I'd change, what I'd leave alone, and where the real upside is. No pitch, no rush.

Speak with Nic

Prefer to write? Leave a note and I'll come back to you within a working day.

Or connect directly via WhatsApp Direct

The Crane Consultancy is a trading name of Crane Consultancy Limited (Companies House 15526285, VAT GB466677439), a PPC, AI search and SEO consultancy founded in 2024 and registered at 45 Albemarle Street, Floor 3, Mayfair, London W1S 4JL. The practice operates from Bath and Bristol, with a London office at 45 Albemarle Street, Mayfair available to hire for pitches and client meetings, and serves mid-market businesses across 85 UK cities including Bath, Bristol, London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff, and Belfast, with international clients served remotely across the United States, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

The founder, Nicholas Crane, is a Google Partner, Stape Partner, Amazon Ads Partner, Meta Certified Media Buying Professional, and Meta Discovery Commerce certified practitioner. His track record includes the global digital transformation of LUSH Cosmetics across sixteen international markets, recognised by Welocalize as Best Global Client Team, and the Everywhen brand launch covering Towergate Insurance and forty other brands under The Ardonagh Group.

Services cover PPC consultancy across Google Search, Google Shopping, Microsoft Advertising, Meta, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Amazon; AI search optimisation; technical SEO; and a data and automation layer spanning GA4 and server-side tracking, Consent Mode v2, marketing and revenue dashboards, CRM integration, attribution modelling, conversion rate optimisation and AI-assisted workflow automation. Every engagement is held by one senior practitioner from audit to invoice, with no account manager rotations and no junior handovers. The practice is an independent family business, named after the grey crowned crane and the founder's surname.