Google Ads management is usually priced one of three ways: a flat monthly fee (commonly a few hundred to a few thousand dollars), a percentage of your ad spend (often 10 to 20 percent), or doing it yourself with your own time. That management cost is separate from the ad budget you pay Google directly. The model you pick matters more than the number, because one of them quietly works against you.
Two costs, not one
There is the money that goes to Google for the clicks, and there is the money that goes to whoever manages the account. People blur these together and end up unable to tell what they are paying for. Keep them separate in your head: the ad budget is fuel, the management fee is the driver.
The three pricing models, plainly
- Flat monthly fee. You pay a set amount for the work, regardless of budget. Predictable, and the fee does not rise just because you spend more.
- Percentage of ad spend. The manager takes a cut of what you spend, often 10 to 20 percent. Common, and the one to look at hardest (below).
- Do it yourself. No fee, but it is not free. It costs your time, and the learning curve is exactly where most of the expensive mistakes happen.
The hidden conflict in percentage-of-spend
When your manager earns a percentage of your spend, their income goes up when your budget goes up. So the incentive built into the arrangement is to push you to spend more, not to make each dollar work harder. Most people in the industry are honest, but you should never have to rely on someone resisting their own pay structure. A flat fee, or a 0 percent markup, removes the conflict entirely: the manager earns the same whether you spend more or less, so their only job is to make the spend work.
How I price it, and why
I do not put a number on this page, because a real number depends on your account, your budget, and your market, and anyone who quotes you a guaranteed price or result before looking at your data is guessing. What I will tell you is the principle: I take 0 percent markup on your ad spend. Your budget goes straight to Google and Meta, and what I charge does not climb just because your budget does. I have no reason to tell you to spend more than you should.
The one question to ask any manager
"Does what you charge me go up if I spend more?" If the answer is yes, you know the incentive you are working against. If the answer is no, their interests and yours point the same way, which is the whole point.
All writing · Related: How to tell if your Google Ads are set up badly · What conversion tracking is, and why most accounts get it wrong