PPC freelance rates are often hidden from advertisers looking to hire a Google Ads freelancer to set up or improve their Google Ads campaigns.
There are many reasons why freelancers don’t show their rates. And that’s mainly because it depends on the requirements and what level of service is required. Every business that’s running or looking to run pay per click (PPC) ads in Google Ads is different, and their requirements will differ too.
So, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all pricing for PPC work.
However, I’ve put together this pricing guide to help you know what to expect as you look for PPC freelance rates. At the end of it you’ll be clearer about what charges and fees you’ll likely pay for services like setting up a campaign, campaign management and what PPC freelance hourly rates to expect.
So, here are 11 factors that determine PPC freelance rates:
1. What Is The PPC Freelance Hourly Rate?
Google Ads freelancer fees are sometimes determined by the hourly rate. Although some freelancers don’t state their hourly rate, their decision on what they charge depends on how many hours they will commit each month and that gives an idea of what they charge per hour.
However, the hourly rates start from only $25 for the least experienced to about $300 per hour for the most experienced. Cheaper freelancers can be found on freelance websites like Upwork, Guru and People Per Hour.
Many businesses hire Google Ads freelancers that are cheaper, but often the results are very poor. Or they never get good return on ad spend from their campaigns.
Although the most experienced ones charge higher, up to $300 per hour, they offer the best services that can transform your ads. And this helps to scale your campaigns upwards and continue growing your account.
2. What Is Your Google Ads Budget?
Your advertising budget in Google Ads can be a good indicator of what you’re likely to pay a freelancer to manage your campaigns.
Many freelancer fees are based on a percentage of your advertising budget. This is usually between 10-25% of your monthly budget.
So, if you have a monthly advertising budget of $2000 for example, then management charges will be between $200 to $500 per month. However, many freelancers will have a minimum amount they charge, and this is usually about $500 per month, on average. So, if you have an advertising budget of $700 per month for example, you’ll be charged the minimum of about $500 per month.
Bear in mind that sometimes you’ll spend less or more than your monthly budget. However, this will not usually change the Google Ads freelancer fees that you would be charged.
This usually only changes when you change the budget limit at the account or campaign level in your account.
3. Which Google Ads Service Are You Looking For?
Google Ads freelancer fees are also dependent on the type of service you’re looking for. This could be to set up new campaigns, to manage existing campaigns or audit the campaigns or training and research and creating a strategy. So, there are many services that you can hire a Google Ads freelancer for.
The fees to set up a new campaign start from $450 to $1000 per campaign. This includes doing keyword research and setting up the campaign and all its features.
The cost of management varies too and starts from about $500 to about $1500 per month. And can cost more at times, for big accounts with many campaigns and that are spending a lot each month.
Some work included in the management is:
– 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
4. What Google Ads Campaign Type Do You Want?
The type of campaign you want created or managed will determine the PPC freelancer rates you’ll pay. Some campaign types are harder to set up and manage than others.
A Shopping campaign for example requires a lot of upfront work than a Search campaign. To set up a Shopping campaign you’ll have to create a Google Merchant Center account and then create a product feed, and this can take days to complete. But a Search campaign can be set up within a day or two and approved quickly.
The fees to set up a Shopping campaign depend mainly on how many products you want to promote. If they are in the hundreds or thousands this could take a while to optimize the data feed. And this part of the work will cost from about $1000 including setting up all Merchant Center features. There may be research costs too which will cost about the same. The actual campaign set up in Google Ads will cost from $500 – and it will be a one-off fee. And management will be from $500 per month
For Search, the set up will be quicker. This will include research into keywords, your industry and competitors and will cost about $1000. But the actual amount will depend on the amount of work to be done like the number of campaigns to be set up.
And the Google Ads management costs will start from $500 to about $1500 per month. But this can be more and will depend on various factors like number of campaigns, hourly rate and so on.
5. Do You Require Google Ads Training?
Some Google Ads freelancers offer training services and courses too. This training equips you with skills to set up and run your own pay per click (PPC) campaigns in Google Ads.
This can be one-to-one or group training and will often take place online. And it can be for one hour or several hours and sometimes over several days.
For half day training, which covers basic to advanced training, you can expect to pay between $450 to $700, at an hourly rate between $100 to $200 per hour.
The amount you’ll pay will depend on factors such as:
– your level of Google Ads experience
– what you want to learn
– how many training hours you require and how often
– whether it’s in-person or online training
– if it’s one person or group training you require
6. What Experience Does The Google Ads Freelancer Have?
Experience is a big factor in PPC freelance rates. The most experienced freelancers will often charge higher rates. And new freelancers with less experience will charge less and you can easily compare these rates on freelance websites.
You can check the experience of the freelancer by looking at reviews, case studies, testimonials and so on. And if they have a website, you can check this easily.
As mentioned earlier, the most experienced freelancers will charge up to $300 per hour.
7. Will You Require A Remarketing Campaign?
Remarketing, also known as retargeting, is a feature that allows you to reach people who’ve been on your website before but did not convert. So, the solution is to set up a remarketing campaign to bring them back to your website so they can purchase or contact you or complete any other important action for your business.
The cost of a remarketing campaign set up varies, but because it is a one-off cost, it will not differ widely from other campaign types.
The cost of remarketing set up will be between $450 and $1000. This will depend on the complexity of the campaign but you’re unlikely to pay more than this.
Remarketing is important for most businesses, so you should consider setting one up.
8. Is A Service Contract Required?
Most freelancers do not require a contract, unlike most Google Ads agencies. So, you won’t have to sign a contract and therefore you’re not tied into lengthy agreements that can be expensive.
With a contract, you’re tied into an agreement of either 3, 6 or 12 months or more and that can drive up PPC freelance rates.
Without a contract, you’re free to move on quickly if things are not working out. So, you’re likely to pay less for the Google Ads services from a freelancer.
9. Are They On A Freelance Website Or Do They Have Their Own Website?
There are many freelance websites where you can find Google Ads freelancers at affordable rates. These include sites like Upwork, Guru and People Per Hour. And you’ll find hundreds of freelancers there.
The PPC freelance rates will start from about $30 to about $180 per hour. The lower rates will mainly be from freelancers that are based abroad in South Asia and the higher rates will be for US based freelancers.
The level of experience will differ too and this will be reflected in their fees. And the most experienced will charge the most – around $180 per hour.
The important thing is to find the best freelancer for your business and not the cheapest. Often, the cheaper ones have less experience and will offer a basic service that lacks true insight into your business. And they’ll often be harder to reach because they are based abroad.
Another option is to search for a freelancer on Google. Here you’ll find some of the leading freelancers who have taken the time to build their own websites, to showcase their experience and skills to potential clients.
These are the best PPC freelancers you’ll find and they will often charge higher hourly rates – up to $300 per hour.
And these freelancers will have many years of experience and will offer a full-service strategy which includes competitor, industry and keyword research. And they’ll setup highly targeted ads that they will manage for you, to bring in the best results.
10. Performance Based Pricing
A less common way to charge is through a performance-based model. Very few freelancers use this pricing model because it can be quite complicated to set up. And one of the challenges to using this is conversion tracking that is not working correctly.
However, there are many ways to carry out this pricing and not just through conversions. It can be based on impressions and clicks, although this is far less common than sales, leads or enquiries.
An example of a performance remuneration is paying a freelancer $20 for every registration on a website from a Google ad click. Or paying a percentage of sales, like 10% of sales each month. This is like affiliate marketing where a publisher earns a commission for every sale or lead, they drive to a merchant.
The great thing about performance-based pricing is that you only pay when you get sales or leads. However, you may struggle to find a freelancer that will agree to this model especially if you don’t have a good history of effective conversion tracking in your account.
A hybrid model is better at times. This includes paying a lower monthly retainer for management and then a generous performance reward for any sales or leads.
11. What Are The Average PPC Freelance Rates?
Taking all this into consideration, I’ll now give you an idea of what you’re like to pay for a full-time freelancer.
For PPC freelance hourly rates, the average is $80 per hour. So, if you get a proposal and quote this is the likely hourly rate that you can expect. And if the work requires 10 hours of monthly management for example, then you’re likely to pay at least $800 per month. And this is quite similar for other services like audits, setup, and training.
For campaign set up the average will depend on the campaign type. But for Search, the most popular campaign type, you’re likely to pay an average of about $700 to create a new campaign.
For PPC management, the average rates will be about $900 per month. But as mentioned, this will depend on several factors like your budget, the freelancer’s experience, the size of your account and so on. The best thing is to request a quote and provide as much info as possible.
Conclusion
So, these are the PPC freelance rates you can expect to pay when you hire a PPC expert. Of course, this will vary from one freelancer to another, and some will be much lower or much higher, but this will help you to choose the right one for your business.
I’m a PPC freelancer and I’ve worked with thousands of businesses for over 15 years. Contact me for a proposal and quote and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
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