The short answer
Most businesses pay $1,000-$5,000 a month for PPC management from an agency, often priced at 10-20% of ad spend with a monthly minimum. Freelancers commonly charge $500-$2,000 a month. An in-house PPC manager costs a full salary plus tools. Our packages start at $1,199 a month, with the fee stepping up in fixed brackets as spend grows rather than as a percentage.
PPC management pricing models compared
| Model | How it works | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of ad spend | Usually 10-20% of monthly spend, often with a minimum fee | Accounts with steady, growing budgets | The agency earns more when you spend more, whether or not results improve |
| Flat monthly fee | A fixed fee for an agreed scope | Predictable costs; smaller accounts | Scope creep, or effort dropping once the fee is locked in |
| Tiered / bracketed | A flat fee that steps up at set spend levels | Predictability that still scales with work | Check exactly what triggers the next tier |
| Performance-based | Fee tied to leads, sales or revenue | Mature accounts with clean tracking | Needs trustworthy attribution; can encourage chasing volume over quality |
| Hourly | Billed by the hour, common with consultants | Audits, one-off projects, advice | Hard to predict monthly costs |
Agency vs freelancer vs in-house
| Option | Typical cost | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelancer | $500-$2,000/month | Affordable, direct contact | One person's time and skills; holidays and illness |
| Agency | $1,000-$5,000+/month | Team, specialists, processes, tools | Quality varies; juniors sometimes run the account |
| In-house hire | Roughly $60,000-$100,000+/year in the US (plus tools) | Full-time focus, deep business knowledge | Expensive for smaller budgets; hard to hire senior talent |
| Do it yourself | Your time | No fees | Easy to waste far more in ad spend than you'd pay a specialist |
Comparing options in more depth? See PPC agency vs in-house and PPC agency vs freelancer.
What good PPC management should include
Whatever you pay, you should know exactly what you're getting. At a minimum, a competent manager or agency should be doing all of the following, every month:
- Search term reviews and negative keywords, at least weekly for active accounts
- Bid strategy and budget management against agreed targets (CPA, ROAS or pipeline)
- Ad copy and creative testing, with results you can see
- Conversion tracking checks, including offline or CRM conversions where relevant
- Landing page recommendations based on the data
- Clear reporting that connects spend to leads, sales or revenue, plus a log of what changed
- Access to your own ad accounts at all times: they should be in your name, not the agency's
If you're paying a management fee and can't point to changes made in the account over the last month, that's a problem regardless of the price.
How our pricing works
We use tiered packages rather than a percentage of spend. Packages start at $1,199 a month, and the fee steps up in fixed brackets as your ad spend grows, so you can predict costs and we're never rewarded simply for spending more of your money.
Every package includes tracking management, regular optimisation, reporting and calls. Higher tiers add more frequent optimisation, CRO recommendations and ad testing. There's a full breakdown and a price calculator on our PPC pricing page, and the first step is always a free audit.
Red flags when comparing PPC management quotes
The agency owns your ad account
If you leave, you lose the history. Accounts should always be in your name with the agency given access.
Long lock-in contracts
Twelve-month minimums with no exit protect the agency, not you. Look for short notice periods or a trial period.
Hidden ad spend markups
Some providers bill ad spend through their own account and add a margin. Ask to see invoices from Google directly.
Reports without revenue
Clicks and impressions only. If nobody talks about leads, sales or cost per customer, ask why.