You call an agency, ask about pricing, and get the answer: “It depends on the project.” But you’re not interested in philosophy — you want numbers. How much per month, for exactly what, and when does it actually make financial sense.
Below you’ll find the three fee models used by PPC agencies, indicative prices for each, and a concrete threshold below which hiring a freelancer or learning PPC yourself is the smarter move. We also include a checklist of eight questions to ask any agency before signing a contract.
Two payments, always: ad spend and agency fee
Every month, two separate payments leave your budget — and mixing them up from the start causes confusion.
Ad spend goes directly to the platform — Google, Meta, or Bing. You pay Google directly for every click, impression, or conversion. The agency never sees this money, never processes it, never touches it.
Agency fee is a separate invoice for work — strategy, optimisation, reporting, consultations. These two cash flows never merge. The invoices are always separate.
Why emphasise this? Many business owners assume they’re “sending money for ads” and the agency takes a cut. That’s not how it works. If anyone proposes that arrangement, treat it as your first warning sign — and not a minor one.
Google Ads dominates the online advertising market — its search share varies by country but typically sits between 70 and 90 %, with other platforms covering the rest. Budget and fee are always planned separately for each platform.
Three agency fee models: monthly retainer, hourly rate, percentage of ad spend
A PPC agency will offer you one of three models — or a combination. Each works differently and suits a different business size. This is also where the most common question sits: “how much does Google Ads management cost at an agency?”
| Model | Typical price | Best for | Advantages | Risks |
| Monthly retainer | 8,000–30,000 CZK/mo. | Small & mid-size businesses | Predictable costs, clear scope of work | Less direct incentive to perform |
| Hourly rate | 800–2,000 CZK/hr.* | Audits, one-off projects | You pay for work actually done | Hard to budget total costs upfront |
| % of ad spend | 15–25 % of monthly spend | Large businesses (50,000+ CZK) | Agency is motivated to perform | Conflict of interest: more spend = more agency revenue |
* The lower bound of 800 CZK/hr. typically reflects a junior freelancer; agencies usually start at 1,000–1,200 CZK/hr. The upper bound of 2,000 CZK applies to senior specialists.
Which model is right for you?
A monthly retainer is the cleanest option for most small and mid-size businesses: you know what you’re paying, and the agency knows what it’s supposed to deliver. The problem arises when the retainer doesn’t reflect the actual scope of work — you either overpay or receive less than expected. Always ask exactly what the retainer covers (see the section below).
An hourly rate makes sense for one-off audits or consultations where you can’t predict time requirements upfront. It’s not a good fit for ongoing management.
A percentage of ad spend only starts making sense above 50,000 CZK/month in ad spend. Below that level, the maths works against both sides.
What should be included in the management fee — and what is sometimes billed separately
The base retainer should cover specific deliverables. If an agency won’t tell you exactly what, keep asking — and don’t accept answers like “standard campaign management.”
Standard components of every retainer:
- Ongoing campaign optimisation (keywords, bids, targeting, ad copy)
- Monthly report with data and commentary — not just a table of numbers, but interpretation
- Consultation — at least one meeting or call per month
- Conversion tracking — setup and maintenance of result measurement
- Ad account management in your name
What may be billed separately — and that’s acceptable:
- One-time setup fee at the start of the engagement: 5,000–15,000 CZK (audit, account structure, initial campaigns)
- Ad copywriting beyond standard management scope
- Landing page creation or optimisation
- Advanced analytics projects (GA4 migration, attribution modelling)
| ⚠ Red flag: A basic monthly report listed as a paid add-on. Reporting is a fundamental deliverable — if the agency offers it as an optional extra, that’s a problem. |
| Not sure whether the agency’s proposal reflects real value?
In a free consultation, we’ll review your situation and tell you directly what the price should cover. → Contact us: [email protected] | +420 732 960 888 |
From what ad spend level does an agency make financial sense?
Direct answer: below 30,000 CZK/month in ad spend, an agency rarely pays off. That’s not false modesty — it’s maths. (This is a widely cited industry threshold — the real number depends on campaign complexity and the specific agency’s retainer.)
Example: your ad spend is 15,000 CZK and the agency retainer is 10,000 CZK. You’re paying for management more than two thirds of what goes to ads. The agency also doesn’t have enough data or room to genuinely optimise your campaigns. The result is below-average performance and frustration on both sides.
Real-world calculation for a mid-size business: ad spend 40,000 CZK + agency fee 12,000 CZK = 52,000 CZK total. If an experienced specialist delivers a CPA 20–30 % lower than your in-house management — a realistic goal, not a guarantee — the maths clearly favours the agency.
- Below 30,000 CZK ad spend: consider a freelancer (cheaper, more flexible) or a quality course for your in-house marketer.
- Above 50,000 CZK ad spend: an agency almost always pays off — complexity grows, more platforms are involved, you need a team.
Remember this number: 30,000 CZK ad spend is the approximate break-even threshold for most business segments.
5 warning signs of a poor or overpriced agency
None of these signals alone is a disaster — but each one demands a direct question. A vague answer is itself an answer.
| 1. No prices on the website, or deliberately vague ones. “Custom quotes only” isn’t automatically a problem — every project differs. But if an agency refuses to give even a rough range after the first meeting, it’s likely adjusting prices to match what it thinks you can bear. |
| 2. Guaranteed results — specific ROAS, rankings, or lead counts. Nobody can guarantee outcomes in auctions where competitors bid every day. An agency promising specific numbers either doesn’t understand PPC or is telling you what you want to hear. |
| 3. The ad account is not in your name. This is an absolute red flag. Your Google Ads or Meta Ads account must always be yours — access, data, history. If the agency runs campaigns from its own account, you lose everything when the relationship ends: data, conversion history, optimised campaign structure. |
| 4. Senior in the pitch, junior on the account. An experienced strategist presents, a newcomer manages your campaigns. Ask directly: who specifically will work on your account and how much experience do they have? |
| 5. Report = CTR and impressions, no conversions. Clicks and impressions are vanity metrics. A report that doesn’t include conversions, ROAS, or CPA tells you nothing about whether the ads are working. If the agency explains this away with technical reasons why it can’t measure conversions — that’s another problem entirely. |
8 questions to ask an agency before signing a contract
Print this checklist or copy it into your notes for the first meeting. The answers will tell you more than any presentation.
- Who specifically will manage my campaigns? (Name, role, years of experience)
- Will the ad account remain mine if I end the engagement? (The answer must be an unambiguous yes)
- What exactly does the monthly retainer cover? (You want a written list)
- What does the monthly report look like? (Ask for an anonymised sample from an existing client)
- Can I end the engagement without a notice period longer than one month? (Standard notice is 1–3 months)
- Do you hold Google Partner or Premier Partner certification? (Verify directly with the agency or through the official Google Partners directory)
- How do you measure campaign success? (Key question: they should talk about conversions, CPA, ROAS — not clicks)
- Do you have experience in my industry or a similar type of business? (Industry experience accelerates results)
A good agency answers all of these without hesitation. If you encounter evasive replies or conditional “it depends…” without explanation — take note.
| Over the years we’ve reviewed dozens of agency contracts that clients brought to their first consultation.
The most common problem wasn’t a high retainer — it was an unclear scope. Ask upfront, get answers in writing. |
How to evaluate the proposal on your desk
PPC agency management pricing is a transparent matter — if the agency wants to make it so. A retainer of 8,000–30,000 CZK, a clearly defined scope of work, your own ad account, and a monthly report with conversion data. Those are the basics no one should argue about.
The break-even point is around 30,000 CZK/month in ad spend (a rough benchmark — depends on campaign complexity). Below it, consider a freelancer or in-house training. Above it, an agency has the room to deliver measurable value.
And if you’re not sure whether the proposal you’re comparing right now delivers what it promises — that’s exactly what a free consultation is for.
| Send us an inquiry or give us a call:
[email protected] │ +420 732 960 888 We respond within 2 business hours. No commitment, no buzzword-filled presentation. |
