If you’re looking to hire a Google Ads freelancer or agency to manage your campaigns, it’s important to understand the pricing structure and avoid any hidden costs.
While many agencies and freelancers provide transparent pricing, it’s inevitable that there still can be additional charges that you need to be mindful of. And it’s important to discuss this early with the expert you’re looking to hire to manage your Google Ads campaigns.
In this article, I’ll shed some light on some hidden costs in Google Ads management, to ensure that you have a full understanding of the potential charges involved.
1. Setup fees
One of the hidden Google Ads management charges to be aware of relates to new campaigns. When you hire a Google Ads specialist to manage your campaigns and improve performance and ROI, they will send you a proposal and quote that’s based on existing campaigns.
And this may not include setting up new campaigns, which is something you may want to do later. Or, after they have managed the campaigns for some time, but then decide that setting up new campaigns would be better, this may be an additional cost that you’d have to factor in.
This setup fee is separate from ongoing Google Ads management charges so it’s important to clarify whether there is a fee for this and understand its purpose before committing to a management service.
The fee to set up a new campaign is a one-off fee and starts from about $300 per campaign. And this will usually have 15 ad groups per campaign and about 5 to 15 keywords per ad group.
The more campaigns you have, the higher the fee. But often you can negotiate a discount for multiple campaigns.
2. Ad spend percentage variations
Many agencies and freelancers charge a percentage of your ad spend to manage your Google Ads campaigns. This usually ranges between 10 – 25% of your monthly ad spend. So, if you want to spend $5,000 per month for example, the management fee will be $500 per month for a 10% fee.
But it’s important to clarify whether this percentage remains consistent or if it varies based on your monthly ad spend. In most cases this will remain consistent but may change if you start spending a lot more or less.
Some agencies may have tiered pricing structures where the percentage decreases as your spend increases. So, it’s important to ensure you understand the specifics of the Google Ads management charges and agree this before any work commences.
3. Additional services and add-ons
There may be additional Google Ads management charges for services and add-ons not part of a basic management service. These may include landing page design and optimization, conversion rate optimization, remarketing campaigns, A/B testing and others.
While these services can enhance the performance of your campaigns, they may come at an additional cost. So, it’s important to discuss and clarify the pricing of any additional services you require to avoid unexpected charges.
4. Third-party tool fees
Management agencies and freelancers often use third-party tools to manage Google Ads campaigns to improve performance. These including keyword research tools, competitor research tools, bidding tools and so on.
And these tools come with a price tag, which can be high if a lot of work is required. So, the agency you hire may pass on these fees to you as the client.
It’s important to inquire about third-party tools and related fees and understand their purpose and necessity. This way, you can evaluate their value and ensure that they align with your budget and campaign goals.
5. Campaign audits and consultations
Audits and consultations are additional services that are not often included in Google Ads management charges. These services go beyond the regular management services and so may have additional fees or be provided free in some cases.
A Google Ads audit will usually be done before any Google Ads management can be done. And the fees for this start from $450. These audits involve in-depth analysis and evaluation of your existing campaigns, providing recommendations for improvement.
Google Ads consultation fees vary and depend on factors like the experience of the Google Ads freelancer or agency. And these start from $30 per hour from freelancers, to over $200 per hour for the most experienced freelancers and agencies.
While these services can be valuable, they may come with some high costs, so discuss the associated fees beforehand to avoid any surprises.
6. Ad creative and graphic design fees
If you’re looking to run some ads on the Display network in Google Ads, you may need some image and banner ads to reach your audiences there. So, this will require custom ad creative, graphic design or banner design services and there may be additional fees involved.
However, most basic ad creation and optimization work is typically included in the management fees. And more complex design work, as described above may incur extra charges.
Be sure to discuss your design requirements with the agency and understand the associated costs, ensuring that they fit within your budget.
7. Contract termination fees
In some cases, management agencies may have contract termination fees if you decide to end the engagement before a specified period.
These fees are meant to compensate the agency for the time and resources invested in setting up and managing your campaigns. So, it’s important to carefully review the contract terms and understand any potential termination fees before signing an agreement.
Conclusion
Finally, it’s important to avoid hidden Google Ads management charges by having an open and transparent communication with your Google Ads expert. So, discuss all aspects of the pricing structure and inquire about any potential hidden costs.
Reach out to me to discuss your Google Ads management plans and to get a proposal and quote.
0 Comments