Google Ads Management Services: What to Expect

What does a Google Ads management service include?

A service should cover setup, daily running and reporting, and each item should appear in the proposal. Google's Ad Rank page shows why: your bid, ad and landing page quality, the match to the search, and ad assets all affect who wins an auction and what they pay. A manager works on each of those.

What should the first three months look like?

Plan for setup, then a learning period, then a decision. This is a sensible shape rather than a rule. Google says that for a new advertiser its Keyword Planner forecasts rest on historical averages for all advertisers, because it does not yet have enough data about your business, so your first weeks are the first real data you get.

Agree the test length and the success measure before you start. Without them, nobody can say whether the campaign worked.

Who should own the account?

You should. Google's help page says that when a manager account creates a client account, the manager automatically becomes its owner, and when a manager links an existing account it does not get ownership by default. The safest route is to create your own Google Ads account, put your own payment method on it, and invite the agency to manage it. Keep at least one administrator on your side. If you later end the arrangement, your account keeps its data and you can remove the manager by unlinking.

What should a report show?

It should show spend, clicks, conversions, cost per conversion and the search terms that triggered your ads, and it should reconcile with your own count of leads. If the report says 40 conversions and your phone log and inbox show 15 real enquiries, ask why. Ask also for the list of changes made that month, so you can connect results to actions.

What does management cost?

Management is a separate fee on top of ad spend. Clutch's PPC pricing guide says agency fees are separate from ad spend on the platforms, and it lists average hourly rates of USD 100 to 149 in the United States, Canada and Australia, USD 50 to 99 in the United Kingdom, Poland and Spain, USD 25 to 49 in Ukraine and Mexico, and under USD 25 in India and the Philippines. It does not give percentage or retainer ranges, so we do not either. Our guide to what to charge or pay for Google Ads management and the page on PPC management pricing show how to compare fees.

A quick test: add the fee to the ad spend. If a manager costs EUR 300 a month and you spend EUR 600 on clicks, a third of your outlay is the fee. On a small budget, that may be the wrong split.

What should you ask before you hire?

1. Whose account will it be, and who pays Google?
2. What will you track as a conversion, and how will we check it?
3. What is the monthly fee, what does it cover, and what is extra?
4. How long is the contract, and how do I leave?
5. Who actually works on my account?
6. What will the first three months involve?
7. How will you handle the landing page?
8. What would make you recommend stopping the campaign?

When do you not need a manager?

Not every business does. A simple local campaign with a small budget can be run by an owner who has a few hours a month and reads Google's guidance. A Smart campaign, Google's simplified type, handles more automatically. You do need a manager when the budget is large enough that mistakes cost real money, when you have many products or locations, or when you have no time to watch results.

What are the warning signs?

• A promise of rankings, leads or a return on spend. Nobody controls the auction.
• The agency holds the account and will not give you access.
• Reports that show impressions and clicks but not leads.
• A long contract with no exit and no review point.
• No interest in your landing page or how enquiries are handled.

To discuss a campaign, get in touch. Ask us, or anyone else, for a written scope and judge it on that. If you work in Cyprus, our page on Google Ads management in Cyprus covers the local side, and our guide to what Google Ads cost helps you set a budget first.