PPC management is usually billed one of two ways: a flat monthly fee, or a share of your monthly ad spend. That fee is separate from the ad budget itself, which goes to Google or Meta. The real question is not the fee, it is whether the management pays for itself in wasted spend recovered.
What are the common pricing models?
| Model | How it works | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of spend | A share of your monthly ad budget | Incentive to grow spend, not efficiency |
| Flat monthly fee | Fixed price by account size | Fine if scope is clear, check what is included |
| Performance-based | Fee tied to results | Verify how “results” are measured and tracked |
| Hybrid | Small flat fee plus a small share of spend | Balanced incentives, increasingly common |
What should management actually include?
- Conversion tracking that matches your CRM, built or verified first
- Weekly optimization: search terms, negative keywords, bids, budgets
- Ad copy and creative refreshes before fatigue sets in
- Landing page recommendations, because the click is only half the job
- Reporting in cost per lead and revenue, not clicks
- If a manager runs your ads but never mentions your landing pages or your tracking, you are paying for half a service.
When does professional management pay for itself?
Most accounts we audit leak 20-40% of spend on irrelevant search terms, broken tracking, or fatigued creative. Recovering that waste is the floor. The upside is what disciplined optimization builds on top.
Common questions
What is a reasonable minimum ad budget?
Enough to generate conversion data the platform can learn from, which usually means enough to produce several conversions every week. Below that, expectations should be modest and the strategy should be narrow.
Should I pay a percentage or a flat fee?
At smaller budgets, flat fees usually serve you better. At larger budgets, negotiate: the work does not double when the budget doubles.
Can I just use Google’s automated recommendations?
Some are useful. Many raise your spend. Google’s recommendations optimize for Google’s revenue as much as yours, which is exactly why accounts on autopilot leak.
Where Eynstyn Digital fits
We manage paid search, paid social, and retargeting with tracking and landing pages included, and we start every engagement by finding the waste. If you want to know what your account is leaking, an audit answers it quickly.
