Pricing Models
Percentage of Ad Spend
Agency charges 10–20% of your monthly ad spend as their management fee. Scales automatically with your budget.
Best for: Growing businesses scaling ad spend — aligns agency incentives with spend performance.
Flat Monthly Retainer
Fixed monthly management fee of $500–$5,000 regardless of ad spend. Predictable but can be poor value at high spend levels.
Best for: Stable campaigns with consistent monthly budgets where a flat fee stays fair.
Hourly PPC Consulting
Expert PPC consultant at $100–$250/hr for audits, strategy sessions, or training your in-house team.
Best for: In-house teams needing technical guidance without full management outsourcing.
Performance Fee
Base fee plus a bonus tied to CPA or ROAS improvement targets. Aligns incentives around actual business outcomes.
Best for: Direct-response campaigns with clear conversion tracking and measurable goals.
Service Tiers
Starter
$500–$1,500/mo + ad spend
Single platform (Google or Meta), campaign setup and basic optimization for $2,000–$10,000/mo ad budgets.
- 1 platform managed
- Campaign setup and keyword research
- Ad copywriting and A/B testing
- Conversion tracking setup
- Monthly performance report
Growth
$1,500–$3,500/mo + ad spend
Multi-platform management with landing page optimization, remarketing, and weekly bid adjustments.
- 2–3 platforms (Google, Meta, LinkedIn)
- Full funnel campaigns (awareness to conversion)
- Landing page recommendations and testing
- Remarketing and audience segmentation
- Bi-weekly strategy calls
Enterprise
$3,500–$8,000+/mo + ad spend
Enterprise PPC management across all major platforms with programmatic, shopping, video, and full attribution modeling.
- All platforms including programmatic
- Shopping and Performance Max campaigns
- Full attribution modeling
- Custom audience strategy and data feeds
- Dedicated senior PPC manager
What Drives the Cost?
Ad Spend Level
Management fees (if percentage-based) scale with ad spend. A $50,000/mo budget generates $5,000–$10,000 in management fees alone.
Number of Platforms
Each additional platform (Google, Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok) adds $300–$800/mo to management costs due to unique campaign structures and optimization needs.
Campaign Complexity
E-commerce with 10,000 SKUs requires shopping feed management and dynamic ads; lead gen campaigns require landing page testing — both add significantly to management time.
Industry Competition
Highly competitive verticals (legal, insurance, home services) require frequent bid adjustments and strategic refinement, increasing management hours.
Conversion Tracking
Proper conversion tracking setup (GA4, enhanced conversions, CRM integration) requires initial investment but is essential for performance optimization.
Creative Production
Video and display ad creative production adds $500–$5,000/mo if the agency produces creatives in-house rather than using client-supplied assets.
Rates by Location
| Region | Rate |
|---|---|
| 🇺🇸United States | $100–$250/hr |
| 🇬🇧United Kingdom | $80–$175/hr |
| 🇵🇱Eastern Europe | $35–$80/hr |
| 🇮🇳India | $20–$55/hr |
| 🇵🇭Philippines | $15–$35/hr |
Pricing FAQ
What is a reasonable minimum PPC budget for a new campaign?
For Google Search, a minimum of $1,500–$3,000/month in ad spend is needed to gather statistically meaningful data within 30 days. Below $1,000/month, optimization cycles are too slow. For Meta/Instagram, $1,000–$2,000/month is a workable starting point.
What is a good ROAS target for PPC campaigns?
E-commerce brands typically target 3:1 to 5:1 ROAS (return on ad spend). Lead generation campaigns are measured by cost-per-lead (CPL) — a good B2B CPL varies from $20 for SMB leads to $200+ for enterprise SQLs. Set benchmarks based on your customer LTV and close rates, not industry averages.
Why do some PPC agencies charge a setup fee?
Setup fees of $500–$2,500 cover initial account audit, campaign architecture, keyword research, ad copy creation, and conversion tracking setup — work that isn't included in monthly management. They're legitimate, but ask for a detailed breakdown of what the setup deliverables include.
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