Start
$590$990/month
- Ad spend
- up to $3,000
- New creatives
- on Google + Meta plans4 a month
How much Google Ads management costs
The short answer
Running Google Ads through an agency costs two things: the ad spend, which you pay to Google, and a fee for the people who run the account. Agencies set that fee in one of four ways: a percentage of your ad spend, a fixed monthly fee, an hourly rate, or a share of results. Most also charge for the setup.
Our fee is fixed and set by your monthly ad spend. In the US it starts at $590 a month for Google Ads only, with ad spend up to $3,000, and reaches $1,140 for ad spend up to $25,000. In the UK it starts at £490, in Europe at €490. Activation, which covers the account setup and the tracking, is $500 once.
The four ways agencies charge
A percentage of ad spend
The fee is a share of what you spend on Google each month. It is simple, and it grows with the work as accounts get bigger. It also means the agency earns more when you spend more, whether or not the extra spend pays off. Ask whether there is a minimum fee, and whether the percentage drops as spend rises.
A fixed monthly fee
You pay the same amount every month for an agreed scope, often in bands of ad spend. You know the cost in advance, and the agency has no reason to push your budget up. The risk is the opposite one: a fee that stays flat while the account grows can mean the work stops growing with it. Check what moves you to the next band and when.
An hourly rate
Common with freelancers and consultants, and fair for one-off jobs such as an audit or a rebuild. For an account that needs a weekly read, hours are hard to plan, and the cheapest month is the one in which nobody looked.
Paid on results
The agency takes a share of sales or a price per lead. It sounds like the safest deal, but it only works when both sides count results the same way. Settle first which leads count, how a sale is matched to an ad, and what happens to the fee when the tracking breaks.
What the fee should cover
Whatever the model, compare quotes on what they include. For Google Ads, ask about each of these:
- Conversion tracking, set up or checked before the budget is spent: Smart Bidding learns from the conversions it sees.
- Search terms, read every week, with negatives added, so broad match and Performance Max do not drift.
- Bidding and budget moved on measured sales or accepted leads, not on clicks.
- The product feed, if you sell online: Shopping and Performance Max depend on it.
- New ads and creatives: how many, how often, and whether video is extra.
- A report and a call: how often, and who is on the call.
- Ownership: the Google Ads account, GA4 and the tracking container should be in your name, with access you can revoke.
- Terms: the setup fee, the minimum period and the notice to leave.
Our prices in the US, the UK and Europe
Three plans, set by the monthly ad spend you agree with us, counted across every platform we run. Each plan has two prices: Google Ads only, or Google and Meta together. Every plan includes the same service: management, a weekly read of the account, a monthly report and one call a month. Plans with Google and Meta also include 4, 6 or 8 new creatives a month.
| Plan | Monthly ad spend | US $ | UK £ | EU € |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | up to 3,000 | $590 · $990 | £490 · £890 | €490 · €890 |
| Growth | 3,000–10,000 | $790 · $1,290 | £690 · £1,190 | €790 · €1,290 |
| Scale | 10,000–25,000 | $1,140 · $1,940 | £1,040 · £1,640 | €1,140 · €1,940 |
| Custom | over 25,000 | from $1,490 | from £1,490 | from €1,490 |
In each cell, the first fee is for Google Ads only, the second for Google and Meta together. Fees are fixed in each market's currency, not converted: ad spend is counted in the same currency. Activation, once: $500 / £500 / €500. Europe prices include VAT where applicable.
Ad spend is not part of the fee: you pay it straight to Google. The minimum period is three months, then month to month. The agreed spend is reviewed every three months on the actual average, never backdated. The full grid, by market, is on the plans page.
A fixed fee, as a percentage
We do not charge a percentage, but you can turn our fee into one to compare it with a quote that does. At the top of each plan:
| Plan | Ad spend | Fee | Fee ÷ ad spend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | $3,000 | $590 | 19.7% |
| Growth | $10,000 | $790 | 7.9% |
| Scale | $25,000 | $1,140 | 4.6% |
Inside a plan, the fee does not move when spend does: at $5,000 a month the Growth fee is still $790, which is 15.8% of that spend.
What the first month costs
Take a US account on Google Ads only, with $5,000 a month of ad spend. That is the Growth plan:
- Month one: $5,000 to Google, plus $790 fee, plus $500 activation = $6,290.
- From month two: $5,000 to Google plus $790 fee = $5,790.
Activation is not charged if you bought our tracking setup in the last six months. If you bought the account audit and sign a plan within 30 days, the audit price comes off the activation.
Before you sign with anyone
- Ask who will read your account each week, by name, and whether that person makes the changes.
- Ask how they count a conversion, and what they check it against: your orders or your CRM.
- Ask what you keep if you leave: the account, the data and the tracking should already be yours.
What the ads themselves cost, industry by industry, is in how much Google Ads costs.
See which plan fits your account
Answer five questions (market, ad spend, platforms, site, and your name and email), then book 20 minutes with Matteo in the same page. You will know the plan and the fee before you commit to anything.
from $590 a month, Google Ads only
Book a 20-minute callFAQ · Management cost
Questions about Google Ads management fees.
How much does Google Ads management cost?
It depends on how the agency charges. Ours is a fixed monthly fee set by your ad spend: from $590 a month for Google Ads only with ad spend up to $3,000, to $1,140 with ad spend up to $25,000, plus $500 activation once.
Do you charge a percentage of ad spend?
No. The fee is fixed for each plan and does not change when your spend moves inside it. The plan is set by the ad spend we agree, reviewed every three months on the actual average.
Is the ad spend included in the fee?
No. You pay Google directly for the ads, on your own account. The fee pays for the management.
Is there a minimum contract?
Three months, then month to month.
Can I start with Google Ads only?
Yes. Every plan has a Google-only price, from $590 a month; you can add Meta later at the Google + Meta price.
What if I spend more than 25,000 a month?
Above that we build a custom plan on your account, from $1,490 a month.
Who owns the Google Ads account?
You do. Google Ads, GA4, Merchant Center and the tracking container stay in your name; we work through access you can revoke.
Plans · the US
Activation $500 oncetracking includedOne monthly fee, set by your ad spend
Growth
$790$1,290/month
- Ad spend
- $3,000 – 10,000
- New creatives
- on Google + Meta plans6 a month
Scale
$1,140$1,940/month
- Ad spend
- $10,000 – 25,000
- New creatives
- on Google + Meta plans8 a month
In every plan
- Management of campaigns, creatives and budget
- A monthly report: what changed, what we decided, what we did
- One call a month, in your time zone
- Accounts in your name: our access you can revoke
About the authorMatteo BraghettaFounder · Google Ads and tracking
Matteo Braghetta founded MB Adv and runs its Google Ads accounts. He takes the first call with every new client, reads the accounts every week and writes the agency’s guides.
The other half of his job is measurement: GA4, Consent Mode and server-side tracking, so the platforms learn from real sales.
MB Adv is a Google Partner agency managing about $4.4M a year in ad spend for clients in the US, the UK and Europe.