If you’re a small to medium-sized business that’s looking to hire a Google Ads freelancer, then you’re making one of the most important decisions for your business.
The truth is, hiring a Google Ads freelancer can be challenging, and it should not be taken lightly. It can cost time and money if you pick the wrong person. And it can be disastrous if you consistently pick the wrong freelancers to work on your campaigns.
So, what you need is a specialist that works on Google Ads campaigns daily and has years of experience working with small and medium-sized businesses.
In this article I’ll be sharing some insights to help you hire the best Google Ads freelancer for your business. And you’ll have a better understanding of what charges to expect and what to look out for. And my hope is that you’ll avoid mistakes that many other businesses have made in this area in the past.
What to Look for When You Want to Hire A Google Ads Freelancer
Experience
One of the first things to check before you hire a Google Ads freelancer, is their experience. Who have they worked with and are they businesses in your industry?
However, it’s not always necessary to hire someone that has experience in your industry. What’s more important is that they can conduct effective research and setup and manage your campaigns effectively. So, they should have a lot of experience using Google Ads.
Credentials
Check if they have achieved Google Partner status. You’re likely to be more successful if you pick a freelancer that is now a Google partner.
This shows a commitment to achieving the highest standards in digital marketing. And they’ll be able to implement the things they’ve mastered as a partner.
Case Studies
In line with checking the experience of the freelancer, checking case studies is very helpful. Not only do you see who they’ve worked with in the past, but also what successes they have had.
You’ll find the case studies on their website, and they could have a separate page for this. Check these carefully to see what performance results they got.
Reviews
Do they have reviews on a review platforms like Trustpilot, Feefo or Google? Check for this on their website or do a Google search to see if anything comes up. These sites usually rank high on Google so you should be able to see their reviews quickly, if they have them.
These are independent review platforms, and these often present an accurate picture of how good the Google Ads freelancer you want to hire is. But fake reviews are possible too, so you should assess this carefully and make your judgement based on other facts too.
What Does A Google Ads Freelancer Do?
Before you hire a Google Ads freelancer, you need to be aware of all the services they provide. Even if it’s just one service you require now, later you may need other Google services to make your advertising effective.
For example, if you sign up for an audit, you’re likely to need a service to implement the findings. And you can find out what that includes and possible costs.
Google Ads Audit
A Google Ads audit is one of the first services you’re likely to hire a Google Ads freelancer for.
The audit covers key areas of your account and campaign for things like ads, keywords, bid strategy, location targeting, search terms and so on.
The costs of a Google Ads audit will range from $450 for a small account to over $1,000 for a large account with many campaigns.
The audit could take a few hours to a few days to complete. This will depend on the number of campaigns and size of your account.
Google Ads Research
This service includes researching your keywords, products, services, and competitors. This helps you to find the right keywords to bid on, the best way to promote your products or services and gain deep insights into what your competitors are doing.
The cost of research is about $1,000 on average. But for some advertisers, the research will be basic and will cost less or may be free.
Google Ads Strategy
Creating a strategy is an important Google Ads activity. This helps you to set specific and measurable goals and then have a detailed plan on how you’ll reach your target market.
When you hire a Google Ads freelancer for your business, they’ll help you to create an effective strategy. And this is usually part of the research or happens just after. The keyword and competitor research is an important part of this.
They’ll share their findings from the research and also advise how the strategy they create will help to reach your target market.
Some things included in the Google Ads strategy are:
– who the target market is
– which campaign type to setup
– what budgets to set in your campaigns
– which keyword types to use and which to avoid
– when or if you should have a remarketing campaign
– which metrics to track and report on
– when the ads should run and in which locations
– who your competitors are and what they are doing and spending
– how much competitors are spending on ads
– why the present strategy is chosen and why not another.
The campaign type is key. For example, if you’re an ecommerce business, then it’s usually best to start with a Shopping campaign. And then later you can test out a Search campaign.
The cost of the Google Ads strategy creation is usually included in the price of the research. But if it’s separate and very detailed, then the fee for this can average $500, one-off.
Google Ads Setup
If you need new campaigns, then the Google Ads freelancer will make suggestions on how they can be set up. This will include setting up the campaign types you require like Search, Shopping, Display, Remarketing, Performance Max and others.
This work includes:
– creating a new campaign with all settings
– setting up tightly-themed ad groups
– conducting keyword research
– adding targeted responsive search ads
– researching negative keywords to add
– and much more
The fee to set up a new campaign depends on a few factors like the type of campaign, how many ads and keywords to be added and so on. This starts from about $450 for a basic campaign to about $800 for a bigger campaign. And it’s a one-off charge.
If you hire a Google Ads freelancer to create more than one campaign, then they’re likely to offer you a discount for multiple campaigns.
Google Ads Management
Google Ads management is a core service offered by Google Ads freelancers. This includes working on campaigns to improve their performance. Some of the work included in the management includes:
– campaign & ad group optimization
– ongoing keyword research
– negative keyword research
– conversion rate optimization
– ad testing
– landing page review
– quality score improvements
– reducing cost per click (CPC) rates
– Google Analytics reporting & optimization
Google Ads management fees vary and this will depend on things such as budgets, size of account and more. And this will range from $500 per month to about $1500 per month, but can be more for larger accounts.
Google Ads Training
You should consider hiring a Google Ads freelancer for training. Whether that’s for one person or a team, training will help you learn Google Ads effectively so you can setup and manage your own campaigns.
The training will be tailored to your campaigns and can cover areas that are relevant to your business.
The cost of training depends on what you need to learn and will vary. But this can be between $100 to $150 per hour and that will be about $450 to $700 for half-day training.
What Does It Cost to Hire A Google Ads Freelancer?
To hire a good Google Ads freelancer, you’ll need to think of the costs to do so. Freelancer rates vary widely and that could be as low as $25 per hour to about $300 per hour.
One of the main factors to this is the freelancer’s level of experience.
Before you hire a Google Ads freelancer, know that paying a low rate can be very costly. The best freelancers charge accordingly, because they are sought after, because they provide the best service.
Many businesses think they can get round this by hiring an offshore Google Ads freelancer. That’s a big mistake. Quite often, an offshore freelancer will have little local experience and very little Google Ads expertise. And some of the best freelancers also charge much higher rates, so this won’t solve it.
Pros and Cons of Hiring A Google Ads Freelancer for Your Small Business
Pros:
1. Cost
Cost is one of the main reasons why advertisers choose to work with freelancers.
Google Ads freelancer rates are usually much lower than agency rates. And that’s mainly because freelancers don’t have overheads like office space and business rates, that agencies usually must pay.
So, they’re able to charge lower rates and offer similar and often better-quality work. And this creates a trusting relationship between the business and freelancer and there are never any hidden costs.
2. Expertize
To hire a good Google Ads freelancer, you need to first ensure that they are an expert in this pay per click (PPC) platform. There are of course other PPC platforms like Microsoft Ads and others, but Google Ads is the leader, and you should find one with experience there.
So, they should have experience setting up and managing campaigns. And this should be for campaign types that are important to you – whether it’s Search, Shopping, Display, or other types.
Get some information from them for work they have done. And check out any case studies or reviews they may have for Google Ads.
3. Partnership
A freelancer becomes part of your business. They aren’t like an agency which from time to time will change the person handling your account. And they will often have many other ones to manage it.
Instead, you’ll work closely with a freelancer and have weekly or monthly meetings to discuss the strategy of your campaigns.
So, a freelancer is more accessible and responds quicker to emergencies and anything that needs changing.
They really become like a business partner and can also provide you free insights about reaching your markets and updating your website.
4. Flexibility
Another benefit you get when you hire a Google Ads freelancer, is flexibility. You’re able to work with someone that can work outside normal hours including weekends, that’s more suitable for you.
Freelancers are also flexible in their pricing, and you can easily reduce or increase the amount of assistance you need from them. With an agency on the other hand, you’ll likely have to sign a 6- or 12-month contract. And you’re tied in regardless of the performance of the ads and there is less flexibility.
5. Quick decisions
Linked to flexibility is another benefit that helps you to implement actions quickly. This is quick decision making to take advantage of opportunities in your industry. The freelancer will help you with this.
So, they’ll be able to quickly update ads to take advantage of opportunities that will help improve your ads. This can include seasonal changes, public holidays, new keyword opportunities and so on.
Unfortunately, with many agencies, some of these updates can take weeks to implement. And opportunities are lost in the process. But this is less of a problem with a Google Ads freelancer.
Cons:
1. Availability
Sometimes it can be a challenge to get hold of your freelancer. They will have periods when they are busy because they have taken on more projects, which can happen if they don’t have a steady stream of enquiries and customers.
So, check what their work schedule is like and how many clients they work with on average.
Also, working with a freelancer in a very different time zone, like 6 hours ahead of yours for example. This can be a challenge because they will be offline a lot of times when you’re working and online. So, check this too.
2. Communication
Many freelancers communicate via email, which is fine. But there are times when you need to have a phone chat and it’s not always easy to get hold of a freelancer, because they will have other commitments.
With an agency, it’s always easier to call and speak to someone during working hours even if it’s someone who is not managing your campaigns.
But the benefit with working with a freelancer is that they are more flexible and are available in the evenings and weekends.
Steps To Hire a Google Ads Freelancer
1. Search
One of the best ways to find a Google Ads freelancer is to conduct an online search. Google will provide you with different options and you can review each of the results to find the best one for you.
You’ll see both paid and free listings. And both options will have their pros and cons. One of the benefits of clicking a paid listing is that you’re likely to find someone that is doing it well for themselves and appearing high in the ad results which may be important for your campaigns.
If they are able to achieve high positions for paid or free organic listings, then it’s likely they know what they are doing and that is something you should consider.
2. Contact
Next, reach out to the Google Ads freelancers you’ve found, by email, contact form or phone call. They should be easily reachable because if they are not at this stage, then you’re likely to have problems later as you work with them.
So, think carefully before hiring an offshore Google Ads freelancer, especially if they’re in a different time zone. They are likely to be harder to contact or they may delay especially in an emergency.
And how quickly they respond is important too. Ideally, this should be within 24 hours and sometimes within a few hours if it’s during working hours.
3. Review
Following the initial discussion, the next step would be to review your campaigns to see how they can be improved.
If you’re already running ads, this stage of the hiring process is crucial. This review looks at the campaigns to find opportunities to improve the ads and increase sales or leads.
To carry out the review, you’ll need to grant access to the Google Ads freelancer. So, you can add them to your account and grant read-only access. Or they can request access to your account using your 10-digit Customer ID number.
4. Proposal
Next, is the proposal and quote stage. The Google Ads freelancer will assess all their findings during the review and will have questions for you regarding your goals and target audiences.
Then they will work on a Google Ads proposal that covers strategy, goals, campaign types, budgets, metrics, KPIs and more.
They will also include their fees for each of the services they provide. And they will recommend the budget you should start with and when to increase it as performance improves.
5. Discussion
After receiving the proposal from the Google Ads freelancer, you are likely to have questions about it.
This could be questions about the fees, timescales, or payment terms. You can make a list of these and email them across or setup an online meeting to discuss them.
It’s important to be clear what you’re getting from their services. This will reduce conflict later as you’re working together on your campaigns. For example, it’s important to know how many campaigns are included and what they will charge to set up additional campaigns later.
6. Sign off
If all is clear on your side and all questions have been answered, then it’s time to decide. It’s ok to take some time to go over the proposal again with your team and all decision makers, to make sure everyone fully understands.
And it’s always a good idea to let the freelancer know how long you’re likely to take to decide. This helps them to plan their work schedule effectively.
If you’re happy and would like to hire the Google Ads freelancer, then let them know immediately so they can start preparing. This will also help to prevent them taking on other clients which could prevent them working with you, or cause delays as they complete other projects.
And if you decide to hire another Google Ads freelancer, then it’s a good idea to notify them as soon as possible too.
7. Get started
If all looks good and you’re ready to go ahead, then accept the proposal and contact the freelancer to get started. They may ask you for more details that will help with the campaign set up and management.
So, it’s important that you provide as much info as possible. And this includes customer insights, previous campaign performance, industry trends, seasonality and much more.
The work will now begin, and you’ll get regular updates on the performance, from the Google Ads freelancer you’ve hired.
Conclusion
Hopefully this article has helped you to learn how to hire a good Google Ads freelancer for your business. And I hope the links to the other pages have been helpful in your quest to finding the right person.
Ready to hire a Google Ads freelancer? I’d be happy to discuss your requirements and send you a proposal and quote for my Google Ads services. Contact me today to discuss.
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