Last updated: September 2026 · Written by Andrew Gorton, freelance PPC specialist
Quick answer: how much is PPC management?
In the UK, PPC management for a small or medium business typically costs between £300 and £1,500 a month with a freelancer or small agency, or around 10–20% of monthly ad spend with agencies that charge a percentage. That fee is on top of your ad spend, which you pay directly to Google or Microsoft.
My own PPC management starts from £400 + VAT a month as a fixed monthly fee, not a percentage of your spend. The exact fee depends on your ad budget, which platforms we run (Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Shopping, Performance Max) and how much tracking and reporting you need. I’ll confirm it after a free review of your account.
Every engagement starts with an initial three-month term, then moves to a one-month rolling contract. You own your ad accounts and data. See the pricing page for what’s included.
The main PPC pricing models
1. Flat monthly fee
A fixed fee each month, usually tiered by ad spend or complexity. It’s predictable and doesn’t reward the manager for spending more of your money. This is the model I use.
2. Percentage of ad spend
Common with agencies. A typical figure is 10–20% of spend, often with a minimum fee. It scales with the account but can create an incentive to push budgets up rather than improve efficiency.
3. Hybrid (base fee + percentage)
A minimum monthly fee plus a smaller percentage above a spend threshold. It’s often used for larger ecommerce accounts.
4. Performance-based
Payment per lead or sale, or a bonus for hitting targets. It sounds attractive, but it only works when tracking is reliable and both sides agree what counts as a qualified lead.
5. Hourly or project-based
Used for one-off work such as account builds, audits or tracking fixes. UK freelance day rates vary widely with experience.
Freelancer vs agency vs in-house: what you get for the money
- Freelancer: lower overheads, so you usually get senior expertise for less. You speak directly to the person doing the work. The trade-off is one person’s capacity. See PPC freelancer vs PPC agency.
- Agency: a wider team and more services under one roof. Fees are higher, and smaller accounts are often handled by junior account managers.
- In-house: full-time focus on your business, but you carry a salary, training and tools. Most businesses only justify it at larger ad budgets.
What affects the cost of PPC management?
- Ad spend and account size: more campaigns, products and keywords mean more work.
- Number of platforms: Google Ads only, or Google plus Microsoft Ads, Shopping and Performance Max.
- Tracking complexity: basic form tracking is simple. CRM offline conversion imports, call tracking and enhanced conversions take more set-up.
- Industry: regulated sectors like finance and legal need more care with policies and ad copy.
- Reporting and meetings: weekly calls and custom dashboards add time.
- State of the account: a messy account needs rebuilding before it can be optimised.
How much should you spend on Google Ads itself?
Your ad budget should be worked out from your cost per click and how many leads or sales you need, not picked as a round number. A simple way to estimate it:
- Find the typical cost per click for your main keywords (Google’s Keyword Planner gives a guide).
- Estimate your landing page conversion rate.
- Multiply out to reach the number of leads you want.
Example: if clicks cost £3 and 1 in 20 visitors enquires (5%), each lead costs about £60. Thirty leads a month would need roughly £1,800 of ad spend. If each job is worth £1,000, that is likely to be very profitable. If each job is worth £80, it isn’t.
As a rule of thumb, a budget too small to buy enough clicks to learn from, often a few hundred pounds a month in competitive sectors, makes management fees hard to justify. I’ll tell you honestly if that’s the case.
Hidden costs to ask about
- Set-up fees: ask whether there’s a one-off build or onboarding charge.
- Long contracts: 12-month lock-ins with no break clause.
- Account ownership: make sure the Google Ads account is in your name, not the agency’s.
- Media mark-ups: some providers bill ad spend through themselves with a hidden margin.
- Extra charges for landing pages, tracking fixes or additional platforms.
Is PPC management worth the cost?
Good management should pay for itself through less wasted spend and more, better-quality leads. In most audits I carry out, a noticeable share of budget is going on irrelevant search terms, poor settings or broken tracking. Fixing that alone often covers the fee. If you’re unsure, start with a free PPC audit to see what’s being wasted before committing to anything.