There are two costs in Google Ads: what you pay Google and what you pay the agency. Here is how to think about both.
Ask five agencies what Google Ads management costs and you will get five different answers. That is because the total has two separate parts, and agencies price the second part in different ways.
Cost one: your ad budget
This is the money Google charges for clicks. It is paid by you, directly to Google, from your own ad account. It depends on how competitive your category is, how many people search in your city and how well your campaigns are run. A good agency will estimate it before you start, using your keywords and your goal.
Cost two: the management fee
This pays for the people who plan, build, monitor and improve the campaigns. In India it is usually charged in one of three ways.
- Fixed monthly fee. Predictable, and common for small and mid-sized budgets.
- Percentage of ad spend. The fee grows as the budget grows, which can make sense for large accounts.
- Hybrid or performance-linked. A lower fixed fee plus a bonus tied to an agreed result, which only works when tracking is reliable.
What changes the price
- Number of campaigns and campaign types, such as Search, Shopping, Performance Max and YouTube.
- Number of locations, products or services being advertised.
- Whether landing pages, creative and conversion tracking need to be built.
- Reporting depth and how often you want review calls.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Will the campaigns run in an ad account that I own?
- How is conversion tracking set up, and can you show me a test conversion?
- What will I see in the monthly report, and can I log in to check the numbers myself?
- Is there a lock-in period, and what happens to my account if we stop?
- How do you handle negative keywords and search term reviews?
Red flags
Be careful of any agency that guarantees a position or a fixed number of leads, runs your ads from their own account, will not share access or charges for set-up that never gets explained.
Our approach
We begin with an audit, then share a fixed management fee in writing alongside a realistic budget range. Your ad budget goes straight to Google. Read more about our Google Ads management in Kerala or ask for an audit.