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PPC ad management
Posted by on November 25, 2025 at 5:53 pmI'm trying to decide on whether it's time to switch over to having my PPC ads managed by a firm vs continuing to do it myself. Have some responsibilities personally and professionally and have to make a few changes. So if our small company spends 18k to 25 k ( varies seasonally) monthly on Google and Bing ads is it reasonable to think I could get that done for $2k a month or less? We primarily run shopping campaign and a few PMX. Talking to a few different companies that seem qualified and have good references (and don't require signing a contract- which I will not do) . What do you think?
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1 Reply
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If the campaigns are mature and working, you’ll get people biting your hand off for that much.
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It is not set and forget. So make sure keep in touch with expert as google ads is changing so fast now
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I am a little curious. You are looking to hire an agency yet will not sign a contract. Why?
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At that spend level, $2k/month seems reasonable. You might have a hard time finding a company that won’t want at least a 3-6 month commitment, but there are agencies and freelancers out there that do month to month.
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Yes, that’s reasonable. For example, our lowest retainer is $2k/month for paid search with a minimum spend requirement of $10k/month per channel to get actionable data.
However, we take onboarding very seriously and it’s an in-depth process. We want to know your business inside and out to be a true strategic growth partner. We require 90 day contracts that then switch to month to month simply because there is a ton of upfront work and it can take time to make big changes and allow the data to reach statistical significance.
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RIP your DMs.
$2k is definitely reasonable, but like others are saying, most agencies will want a contract. Many will also try to sell you on new builds with development fees in a new MCC that you will not be the owner of.
If your campaigns are already running well, make sure you don’t let that happen, not just to save the money on fees, but also to avoid the risks of starting over. You might be better off with finding a freelancer you trust to pass the torch to, so to speak.
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For two platforms with that combined ad spend you might find somebody for $2K/month but that’s on the low end… $3K+ range would be more typical for a small agency.
But it’ll depend on complexity and that ad spend range you provided is pretty wide.
The best way to approach this is to speak with different agencies, shortlist down to one or maybe two and ask them to perform an audit of your Google Ads account. See what they find and if they believe (and you believe) they can yield more performance. Most will do this for free on spec.
Often times an agency can pay for their management fees several times over in reduced waste and/or higher returns.
Feel free to check out what my agency offers and reach out to me by PM or through our request a consult form on the website. We specialize in Google Ads and Microsoft Ads and work with many online stores.
We are month to month.
[https://www.tenthousandfootview.com/](https://www.tenthousandfootview.com/)
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Between campaign management and having someone spend time on optimizing your shopping feed, which can be a lot of work if you have thousands of SKUs vs just having 100. Finding someone great for under $2K per month is going to be tough or they just compete on price to win your business.
Like any professional service, you do get what you pay for in the end. Unless you are dealing with a freelancer, most agencies are going to want a 3+ month commitment on your end and signing a contract to that agreement. You can not expect an agency to give it their all without a client agreeing to show up as well.
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$2k seems reasonable. That’s usually a minimum for most small agencies or consultants. 15% or so of spend is common. I would steer clear of agencies that look like they can do it all (websites, ads, social, video, etc) all at lower than average rates. The ones pitching PPC starting at $599 p/mth. Find a smaller firm that specializes in paid media and pay them a good rate / %. You’ll get way more value.
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What does your company do or what industry is it in?
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2k is way too much if you have have the campaigns already set and running.
I spend about 20k a month also
I pay someone $400 to just watch the account and keep up with current events and updates from google. -
I find it on the cheaper end, if you’re expecting high skill at least.
It’s helpful to remember that the retainer model is based on lawyers who allot hours of labor, whether they’re entirely used or not, as a way to lock in an on-demand service. You also typically know who the retainer is on, whether that’s an associate, a junior, or even a partner.
In PPC, a highly experienced individual is going to be at $100/hr minimum, so 20 hours per month on an account that spends $600+ per day is not a whole lot. The going rate for people who know what they’re doing is usually $150 to $250 per hour. I’m sure you can do the math on what that gets you.
Most agencies will put a $30/hr junior on the job, give them 10 accounts to manage, and that’s why they charge what they pitch you. It’s also why so many folks get burned or want to DIY instead. If the junior loses too many clients, they get fired. If they don’t, they’re retained until they smarten up an realize what they’re worth.
Cheap, competent, and fast. Pick two.
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Following
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Managing $18k–$25k/month in PPC yourself is doable, but it can get overwhelming fast, especially with shopping campaigns and PMX. $2k/month is realistic if the firm is focused on management only, not ad spend but quality really matters.
If you want, I can share a quick checklist to pick a PPC partner that actually improves ROI without locking you into a contract.
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You can also look for a freelancer if agencies get too expensive, but overall yes, at that spend you’d benefit from someone specialized.
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