Running Google Ads yourself vs hiring a manager

Run Google Ads yourself if you can set up conversion tracking and will read your search terms every week. Hire a manager when that work keeps slipping, or when nobody in the office can tell which ads produce quotes. Either way, the account should belong to your agency, with you holding admin access.

Key facts

• Google requires a third party to use a separate Google Ads account for each advertiser it manages (Google third-party policy).
• A manager that charges a separate fee must tell new customers in writing before the first purchase and show the fee on every invoice (Google transparency requirements).
• Only users with admin access can unlink a manager account from yours (Google Ads Help).
• Smart Bidding depends on conversion tracking that is set up correctly (Google Ads Help).

What work does a Google Ads account need?

It needs four jobs done well: tracking, bidding, search term cleanup and the ads with their landing page. Google documents each one, so you can learn them. The question is whether someone in your office will keep doing them.

Step 1: Get conversion tracking right before anything else

Tracking comes first because bidding learns from it. Google lets you count phone calls from ads, calls to the number on your website and actions on your site. It also lets you upload sales from your own records later (Google Ads Help).

Mark only real inquiries as primary conversions. If page views count as conversions, Smart Bidding will chase page views. The conversion tracking guide shows the setup for an agency.

Step 2: Pick a bid strategy and leave it alone

Choose one strategy and judge it on enough data. Maximize Conversions spends the budget to get as many conversions as it can. Target cost per acquisition (CPA) aims at a cost per conversion you set. Manual cost per click (CPC) lets you set the bids yourself.

Google says the learning status after a new strategy never lasts more than 7 days. It suggests judging results over two conversion cycles or two weeks, whichever is longer (Google Ads Help). Changing the strategy every few days restarts that clock.

Step 3: Read the search terms and add negatives

The search terms report shows the searches that triggered your ads. Some low-volume searches are left out for privacy (Google Ads Help). Expect jobs, claims numbers and carrier logins in an insurance account. Block them with negative keywords.

Negative keywords don't match close variants, so Google says to add plurals and synonyms yourself. The negative keywords guide lists what agencies usually exclude.

What should stay in your agency's name?

The Google Ads account, its billing and its admin access should stay with you. A manager links to it from a manager account, and its users then work inside your account. Admins on your side can end that link at any time (Google Ads Help).

Google recommends more than one admin per account, so access isn't lost when one person leaves. Keep the conversion tags, the call tracking numbers and the landing page in accounts you control too. That way a change of manager costs you a login, not your history.

Check this before you hire anyone: Make sure an owner of your agency is listed as an admin under Access and security. Only admins can add users or unlink a manager (Google Ads Help).

How is Google Ads management priced?

Managers charge a flat monthly fee, a share of ad spend, or a mix. Our fee is 10% of total monthly ad spend, with ad spend paid to Google separately. It is month-to-month with no minimum: you sign an agreement to pay each month's fee at month end, and you can stop after any month. The management fees guide shows how to compare other quotes.

Google sets rules for any manager's billing. Reports of cost must show the amount Google charged, without the manager's fee mixed in. You can also sign in to your own account to see cost and results (Google transparency requirements).

Our Google Ads management covers setup, keywords, call tracking and a campaign landing page, in an account your agency owns.

When is running the ads yourself reasonable?

Doing it yourself is reasonable when most of these are true:

1. Someone has steady time each week. Search terms change with the season, so the review can't wait for a slow month.
2. Tracking already works. Calls and forms show as conversions you trust.
3. The campaign is small. One area and one or two product lines are easier to watch than five.
4. You will learn from Google's own guides. The help pages above cover every step in this article.

Hiring makes more sense when calls can't be traced to ads, when the account has sat untouched for weeks, or when the time costs you more than the fee. Put a value on your own hours and compare. The break-even worksheet helps you see what the ads must sell either way.

What should you ask a manager before signing?

Ask for the agreement in writing, and ask who owns the account. Google's advertiser guide says to get a written copy of the agreement. It also says no one can guarantee a top position on Google (Google advertiser guide). Walk away from anyone who promises one.

If you want a second opinion on your account before deciding, book a Google Ads strategy call and we will go through it with you.