What does outsourcing Google Ads cost?

You're considering outsourcing Google Ads, also known as SEA or, under its older name, Google AdWords, and want to know what it costs. Rates vary widely: from a few hundred euros a month for a junior freelancer to thousands of euros for a large agency. What you get back for it varies at least as much.

The three pricing models

Almost all Google Ads specialists work with one of three models. The choice depends on what you need: ongoing management, a one-off job, or a defined project.

• Retainer: a fixed monthly fee for ongoing campaign management, optimisations and reporting. The most common model for serious advertisers: you know what you're paying, and the specialist knows your account and its search term landscape.
• Hourly rate: suited to audits, strategy sessions or occasional advice. Flexible, but hard to budget for when campaigns run continuously and scope stays unclear.
• Project basis: one fee for a defined assignment, such as an account setup, a new campaign structure or keyword research. No ongoing contract, but a clear end point.

Agency, freelancer, or manage Google Ads yourself?

An agency has capacity and processes, but also overhead you pay for without seeing it. Your account rotates between juniors and interns, and the account manager you speak to is rarely the person actually running your campaigns. At larger agencies, your account quickly gets lost among dozens of others.

A freelancer or boutique specialist is leaner: less overhead, direct communication. The difference lies in experience and focus. A good specialist without an agency layer responds faster and knows your account better, because there are no layers in between.

Doing it yourself is possible, but Google Ads is more complex than it looks. Keyword strategy, bidding strategies, negative keywords, quality scores and campaign types like Search, Shopping and Performance Max each require a different approach. Without experience, you burn through budget faster than you get results.

Where does the difference in Google Ads rates lie?

Two specialists with similar rates can deliver results that are worlds apart. The real difference isn't in the price, but in the approach.

Google Ads runs on an auction system where the quality score of your ad and landing page helps determine what you pay per click. A specialist who structures campaigns properly, actively maintains negative keywords and continuously tests creative, structurally lowers your cost per conversion. Someone who only adjusts bids doesn't.

Many specialists optimise for clicks or impressions. What matters is what a click or lead nets you after margin. A specialist who asks that question, and structures the account around it, delivers more than someone who only optimises CTR and CPC.

What does outsourcing Google Ads cost?

A retainer for ongoing Google Ads management typically starts around €750 per month, for accounts with a media budget up to €5,000 and one campaign type. At higher budgets or more complexity (Search and Shopping combined, Performance Max, multiple product lines or international campaigns), rates are more often between €1,200 and €2,500 per month.

What you ultimately pay depends on account size, campaign goals and how intensive the management is. Any agency that offers you a package upfront without understanding your situation is selling you a price, not a solution.

What are the setup costs for Google Ads?

Alongside the monthly retainer, there are one-off setup costs. Whether you're having a new account set up or transferring an existing one: time always goes into account structure, keyword research, campaign setup and linking conversion tracking. These costs typically run around €750, but can be higher or lower depending on the complexity of the account and existing campaigns.

Curious what Momenti specifically charges? Check the pricing structure on the pricing page for a full overview of the retainer model and what's included.