A Google Ads agency or freelancer in the UK typically charges somewhere between £300 and £1,500 a month to manage a small business account, on top of what you pay Google for clicks. Entry-level flat fees from freelancers and small agencies start at around £300 to £500 a month, established agencies commonly charge £800 to £1,500, and agencies that charge a percentage usually take 10% to 20% of your ad spend, often with a minimum fee. Some add a one-off setup fee of a few hundred pounds up to around £1,500. My own PPC Starter plan is £299 plus VAT a month, covering ad spend up to £750 a month paid directly to Google, with no minimum contract.
I run a small agency in London and manage Google Ads for small businesses and tradespeople, after 16 years running a plumbers' merchants. I'm a Google Ads certified specialist in Search, Performance Max and Shopping. In this guide I'll set out how UK agencies price their work, what you should get for the fee, the red flags to watch for, and exactly what I charge. It's part of my small business guide to Google Ads.
Two separate costs: ad spend and the management fee
Before comparing quotes, be clear that there are two different things you're paying for:
- Ad spend. The money Google charges for clicks on your ads. This should go to Google in full. My guide to how much Google Ads cost in the UK covers click prices by trade and a realistic budget.
- The management fee. What you pay the agency or freelancer to build, run and improve the account. That's what this guide is about.
Google itself requires this separation to be clear. Its third-party policy says that if an agency charges a management fee separate from the cost of Google Ads, it must tell customers, in writing before the first sale, and show the fee on invoices. When an agency reports Google costs to you, it must report "the exact amount charged by Google, exclusive of any fees".
How UK agencies charge: the main pricing models
In September 2026 I went through published pricing pages and pricing guides from UK Google Ads agencies, consultants and freelancers. I'm not naming them, but here's what the market looks like. These are ranges I found published, not a survey of every provider, so treat them as a guide.
| Pricing model | What UK providers typically charge | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat monthly fee | From around £300 to £500 a month at the entry level. Around £800 to £1,500 for established agencies. Some fixed at about £1,000. | Predictable costs. Fee doesn't rise just because you spend more. | Check what's included and whether there's a spend cap per tier. |
| Percentage of ad spend | Commonly 10% to 20% of monthly spend, sometimes higher. Often with a minimum monthly fee. | Can look cheaper on small budgets, if there's no high minimum. | The agency earns more when you spend more, whether or not it works. |
| Hybrid (base fee plus a percentage) | A base retainer plus a smaller percentage above a spend threshold. | Larger or growing accounts. | Make sure the threshold and percentage are written down. |
| Hourly or day rate | Roughly £50 to £150 an hour, depending on experience. | One-off audits, setup or occasional reviews. | Unpredictable for ongoing management. |
| One-off setup fee | Nothing (built into the monthly fee) up to around £1,500. | Covers building the account and tracking properly. | A setup fee bundled with a long lock-in. |
Who you're hiring matters as much as the model. Freelancers and small specialist agencies usually sit at the lower end, and you'll typically deal with the person doing the work. Larger agencies charge more, and bring a team, but at the smaller end of their client list it's worth asking who will actually look after your account day to day.
Flat fee or percentage: which works out cheaper?
It depends on your spend. Here's an honest comparison using a 15% fee, the middle of the common range, against a flat fee. The flat fees shown are my own tiers, which I explain further down.
| Monthly ad spend | 15% of spend | SoNick flat fee (+VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| £750 | £112.50 | £299 |
| £2,000 | £300 | £499 |
| £4,000 | £600 | £699 |
| £6,000 | £900 | Quoted to suit the account |
On paper, a pure percentage looks cheaper at small budgets. In practice, many percentage-based agencies set a minimum monthly fee, which often wipes out that difference. The bigger issue is incentive. With a percentage, the agency's income goes up when your spend goes up, which isn't the same thing as your leads going up. With a flat fee, the fee stays the same whether you spend more or not, so the only reason to recommend more budget is that it's working.
What I charge, in full
I'd rather you knew my prices up front than had to book a call to find out. All prices are plus VAT, and your ad spend is paid directly to Google, not through me.
| Package | Monthly fee (+VAT) | Covers ad spend up to |
|---|---|---|
| PPC Starter | £299 | £750 a month |
| PPC Growth | £499 | £2,000 a month |
| PPC Market Leader | £699 | £4,000 a month |
- No percentage of your ad spend. The fee is set by the package, not by how much you spend.
- No minimum contract. If it isn't working for you, you can leave.
- 10% off when you take SEO and PPC together. The discount applies to the combined monthly total. See my SEO and PPC packages for how it works.
- You deal with me. I'm a small agency, so there's no account manager in between. You speak to the person running your ads.
Here's what the PPC Starter plan costs in a typical month, with the full £750 of ad spend used, so there are no surprises:
The 2% UK Digital Services Tax fee is added by Google, not by me. Google's page on jurisdiction-specific surcharges explains it. You'd pay it whoever manages your account.
Is £750 a month of ad spend enough? For a tightly targeted local Search campaign focused on one or two profitable services, it can be. My realistic minimum is £10 a day, and I start new Search campaigns on a lower budget and scale up once I can see which searches bring enquiries. For urgent trades in busy areas, where clicks can cost £15 or more, you'll usually need more. Whether it's worth it at all comes down to your job values, which I cover in are Google Ads worth it for a small business.
What the fee should include
Headline prices mean little until you know what they buy. Whoever you use, I'd expect a monthly fee to cover:
- Conversion tracking that works. Calls, forms and emails tracked properly, so you know what a lead costs. Without it, the rest is guesswork.
- Regular search terms reviews and negative keywords. This is where most wasted money is found. I review search terms daily in the early weeks, with the aim of driving unwanted paid clicks towards zero.
- Ad copy and assets written for your business. Not left to Google's automatic suggestions.
- Sensible targeting. Locations, schedules and keywords set around where and when you actually want work.
- Someone checking the account regularly. I send a report across all the accounts I manage every Monday, so underspending or weak impressions get picked up within the week.
- Reporting in leads, not jargon. Who got in touch, by source and type, what you spent and your cost per lead.
- Judgement on Google's suggestions. Knowing which recommendations to accept and which to dismiss. My guide to Google Ads recommendations explains why this matters.
With my packages, the fee covers strategy, the build, ongoing optimisation and reporting. If you already have an account, I start with a free audit to find wasted spend before anything changes.
Red flags when choosing a Google Ads agency
Most agencies are honest. But these are the things that should make you stop and ask more questions.
1. You don't own the account
The Google Ads account should be in your business's name, with billing to your card or invoice, and you should have Admin access. Google's help page on access levels sets out what each level can do. Your agency can then manage it through their own manager account. I manage all my clients' accounts through one manager account, but the accounts belong to the clients.
If the agency owns the account, leaving can mean starting again from scratch, losing your history and data. At the very least, Google's third-party policy says an agency must give you your Google Ads customer ID when you ask for it.
2. Hidden markup on ad spend
Some providers bill you one figure for "advertising" and pay Google less, keeping the difference. Ask directly: "Does every pound of my ad budget go to Google?" If you pay Google directly, with your own billing in your own account, you can see exactly what Google charged. That's the simplest protection there is.
3. Long contracts before they've proved anything
Contract terms I found in the UK market range from rolling monthly agreements, through three-month trial periods, to 12-month terms. A 12-month tie-in from day one puts all the risk on you. A short notice period is reasonable. Being locked in for a year when you can't see what you're getting isn't.
4. Reports full of clicks and impressions, but no leads
If the monthly report talks about impressions, click-through rate and optimisation score but never tells you how many enquiries came in and what they cost, ask why. Google's third-party policy sets a minimum for cost reporting. Your business needs more than that.
5. Guarantees about top positions or unlimited clicks
Google's third-party policy lists "guaranteeing top placement on Google", "claiming that ads will appear in Google Search at all times" and "offering unlimited clicks" as examples of false or misleading claims. If you hear any of those, walk away.
6. Pressure selling and cold calls
The same policy names "repeatedly cold-calling potential customers" and "putting undue pressure on an advertiser to sign up or stay with your agency" as prohibited. A good agency doesn't need to hassle you.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Is the account in my name, and will I have Admin access?
- Do I pay Google directly? If not, does every pound of ad spend go to Google?
- Is the fee flat or a percentage? Is there a minimum or a setup fee?
- What's the minimum term and notice period?
- Who will actually work on my account, and can I speak to them?
- How will you track calls and forms, and will you report cost per lead?
- How often will you check the search terms and add negative keywords?
If an agency is vague on any of these, that tells you something. If you want to check an agency's work yourself, or an account you've inherited, my Google Ads audit checklist walks you through it.
Should you pay an agency at all?
Not always. If your spend is small, your services are simple and you have a few hours a week, running it yourself can make sense, as long as you avoid Google's broad defaults and check your search terms. The case for help grows as spend grows, because the cost of mistakes grows with it.
A simple test: if a management fee of £299 a month helped you avoid even a modest amount of wasted spend and won you one or two extra jobs, would it pay for itself? For many trades, one job does. If your job values are small and your budget tiny, it may not, and I'd tell you that. And if you're weighing up paid ads against building free rankings, read Google Ads vs SEO first.
FAQ
How much does PPC management cost in the UK?
For a small business, typically £300 to £1,500 a month in management fees, plus your ad spend. Entry-level flat fees start at around £300 to £500. Percentage-based agencies commonly charge 10% to 20% of spend, often with a minimum fee. Setup fees range from nothing to around £1,500.
Is a flat fee or a percentage of spend better?
A flat fee gives you predictable costs and doesn't reward the agency for spending more of your money. A percentage can look cheaper on very small budgets, but check for a minimum fee. For most small businesses, a flat fee with a clear spend cap per tier is simpler.
Should I pay a setup fee for Google Ads?
A setup fee can be fair if it covers proper keyword research, account structure and conversion tracking. Be wary of a setup fee combined with a long contract, or a "setup" that's just Google's automated campaign builder. Some providers, including me, build the account as part of the monthly fee.
Who should own my Google Ads account?
You should. The account should be in your business's name, with your own billing and Admin access for you. The agency can manage it through their manager account. That way, if you ever change provider, you keep all your history and data.
How much is SoNick Marketing's Google Ads management?
PPC Starter is £299 plus VAT a month and covers ad spend up to £750 a month, paid directly to Google. There's no percentage of spend and no minimum contract, and you get 10% off if you take SEO as well.
Paying for management and not sure it's worth it?
If you're running your own ads and they're not paying, or you're paying an agency and can't tell what you're getting, I'm happy to take a look. I'll tell you honestly what I'd change, and whether I think management would pay for itself in your case.
You can see full details of my Google Ads management packages, browse my other PPC services, or get in touch for a straight answer.
