Run Google Ads yourself if your budget is small, your setup is simple and you have time each week to manage it. Hire a freelancer when you need senior skills on one or two channels, and an agency when you need a team for strategy, creative, tracking and several channels. Either way, keep the account in your name.
The right choice comes down to three things: your budget, your time and how complex your setup is. A management fee is a fixed cost on top of your ad spend, so it hurts most when budgets are small. Search Engine Journal's PPC column suggests that with budgets under $2,500 a month, running ads yourself or using automation tools may make more sense than paying an agency.
How do the three options compare?
| Do it yourself | Freelancer | Agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Your time | Typical US Upwork rates of $42 to $93 per hour, or a monthly fee | Often a flat $2,500 to $10,000 per month, or a base fee plus a % of spend |
| Best for | Small budgets, a few campaigns, one market | One or two channels where you need senior skills | Several channels, creative production, heavy reporting |
| Main risk | Learning on your own money | One person: holidays and capacity limits | You may not get the person who pitched to you |
The cost figures are rough market ranges. For more detail, see how much freelancers and agencies charge.
When does doing it yourself make sense?
DIY works when your account is simple and you will actually do the routine work:
- you can set up and test conversion tracking properly
- you will review search terms and results every week
- you sell in one market with a clear offer and a modest budget
Start with my guide to Google Ads for small businesses, and read through the most common Google Ads mistakes before you spend much.
What should you insist on if you hire someone?
Google's own guide for advertisers working with third parties recommends that you:
- stay informed and involved, and let your partner handle the time-consuming work
- understand the total cost, including your partner's fees
- test one partner at a time rather than splitting your budget between several
- spend some time each month measuring what you invest and what you get back
On top of that, keep the account in your company's name and give the freelancer or agency their own login. In Google Ads, the Admin access level is the one that can give account access and change other users' access levels. Keep Admin for yourself, and you keep control when you part ways.
A Google Partner badge helps, but know what it measures. Google requires an optimization score of at least 70%, $10,000 in ad spend across managed accounts over 90 days, and at least half of account strategists certified. That shows activity and training, not results for a business like yours.
After 15 years in Google Ads, my view is that a hybrid often works best for small businesses: pay an expert to build the account and tracking, run the daily work yourself, and get a review every month or quarter. If you want a second opinion on your setup, book a call.
Sources
- Google Ads Help: Advertiser guide: Working with third parties - https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/9457109
- Google Ads Help: About access levels in your Google Ads account - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9978556
- Google Ads Help: How to become a Google Partner or Premier Partner - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9702452
- Search Engine Journal: Ask A PPC: How Much Should PPC Management Cost? (April 2025) - https://www.searchenginejournal.com/how-much-should-ppc-management-cost/483503/
- Upwork: Hire the Best Google Ads Experts in the United States - https://www.upwork.com/hire/google-adwords-experts/us/