How Much Does It Cost to Have an Agency Run Your Google or Meta Ads?
The difference between what the agency charges and what you pay Google or Meta, the most common pricing models, and our published monthly plans.
In this article
When you ask what it costs to “run Google Ads” with an agency, you're really asking about two different things: what you pay Google or Meta for clicks, and what you pay the agency to build, track and improve the campaigns. Mixing them up is the number one reason businesses feel that “ads don't work.”
The two costs you need to separate
| Ad spend | Agency management |
|---|---|
| Paid directly to Google or Meta with your card. | Paid to the agency for its work. |
| Buys clicks, calls or messages. | Buys strategy, ads, targeting, tracking and optimization. |
| You set the amount and can pause it. | Usually a flat monthly fee or a percentage of spend. |
How agencies charge
- Flat monthly fee: you know exactly what you pay, regardless of spend within a range.
- Percentage of spend: the agency takes a share of your ad budget; it grows as you scale.
- Pay per result or per lead: attractive on paper, but it needs very clear rules on what counts as a lead.
- Setup fee: some agencies charge separately for the initial account and tracking setup.
What it costs with us
We work on a flat monthly fee. Ad spend is separate and you pay it directly to Google or Meta:
$590/mo
Starter · 1 channel · up to $1,000 spend
$1,290/mo
Growth · Google + Meta · up to $5,000
$2,490/mo
Scale · multichannel · no cap
- Starter: one channel (Google or Meta), a monthly report and email support.
- Growth: Google and Meta, landing pages included, biweekly reports and a monthly strategy call.
- Scale: multichannel ads and visibility, premium creatives, weekly reports and a dedicated account manager.
So how much should you spend on ads?
It depends on your average ticket, your margin and how many customers you need each month. For a local business, $500 to $1,500 a month in ad spend is usually a reasonable starting point to begin measuring. We walk through it step by step in our Google Ads budget guide.
Key takeaways
- Separate ad spend from the management fee.
- Insist that the ad account is in your business's name.
- Ask what management includes: ads, landing pages, tracking and reports.
- Our plans: $590, $1,290 and $2,490 a month, with ad spend separate.
Compare the plans or book a call to review your case.
See monthly plans →Want to apply this to your business?
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