The short answer
Most Google Ads agencies charge a share of your ad spend, commonly 10% to 20%, or a flat monthly retainer of about $750 to $5,000 or more. Many also charge a setup fee of $500 to $5,000 or more and ask for a contract of three to twelve months.
For a smaller online store, the minimum retainer usually decides the price, not the percentage. At $1,000 a month of ad spend, 15% would be $150, but a $750 minimum means you pay $750.
How agencies charge
| Fee | Typical range | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of ad spend | 10% to 20% of spend | The monthly minimum, which often decides the price |
| Flat retainer | About $750 to $5,000 or more a month | How much work is included each month |
| Setup or onboarding | Often $500 to $5,000 or more | Whether it is refunded if you leave early |
| Minimum term | 3 to 12 months | The notice period |
| Results-based | A share of revenue or a bonus on targets | How results are measured and who controls the tracking |
Work out what you would really pay
Compare agencies on the same number: the total you pay in a year, divided by the ad spend they manage in that year.
- Take your monthly Google Ads spend, for example $3,000.
- Multiply it by the agency's percentage. At 15% that is $450.
- Compare that with the minimum retainer and use the larger of the two. With a $750 minimum, you pay $750.
- Add the setup fee spread over the contract. A $1,500 setup fee over a 12-month contract adds $125 a month.
- Divide the monthly total by your spend. Here $875 on $3,000 of spend is an effective rate of about 29%.
What the fee usually covers
Agencies differ a lot, so get the list in writing. A typical retainer covers:
- Account setup and campaign structure for Shopping, Search and Performance Max.
- Ongoing changes to budgets, bids, targets and negative keywords.
- A monthly report and a call.
- Often charged as extras: Google Merchant Center feed work, ad creative and video, landing pages, and other ad channels.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Who owns the Google Ads account? It should be yours, with you as an admin. Google lets you give an agency its own access level, so you never share a password.
- How often does someone make changes, and how many accounts does that person look after?
- Is Google Merchant Center included, or only campaigns?
- What is the notice period, and what happens to the campaigns if you leave?
- Are they a Google Partner? The badge shows they meet Google's requirements; it is not a promise of results.
Agency, software or doing it yourself
An agency makes most sense when you want people to own strategy, creative and several ad channels. If what you mainly need is the daily Google Ads and Google Merchant Center work done well, software can do that for less, and doing it yourself costs only your time.
How UltraROAS.ai does this for you
UltraROAS.ai is software, not an agency. It does the daily optimization work an agency charges a retainer for, across Google Shopping, Search, Performance Max and Google Merchant Center, for 5% of the Google Ads spend it manages. No setup fee, no retainer and no contract, and the account stays yours.