Adwords consultant fees are billed in many different ways, but the most common is to bill them as a percentage of each client’s overall budget for Google Adwords advertising.  In some cases, if you are hiring a single consultant rather than a consulting firm, you might pay by the hour instead or depending on what you have agreed upon but an hourly rate is the most common.  Your AdWords consultant will look at your account and discuss with you what needs to be worked on to get your account operating optimally, whether you are seeking routine maintenance after the initial consulting, and if any special work outside of your AdWords account is needed (such as landing page optimization).  From there, your consultant will estimate the total number of hours he anticipates the project will take and give you a quote on the AdWords consultant fees. This is among the first steps if you have hired an AdWords consultant.

 

How do you pick the right consultant?

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If the consultant you are interested in hiring does not want to bill you separately for your AdWords consultant fees, beware.  Some consultants prefer to take over your AdWords account and then send you a bill for one overall price which includes your budget plus the consultant fees, but this is referred to as opaque and keeps you in the dark about how much you are actually paying your consultant for their services.  A reputable AdWords consultant should be willing to bill you separately for their work on your account, with a breakdown of what services were performed, similar to how a lawyer bills time.  This is called transparent billing and it is strongly recommended that you hire someone who discloses their fees in this manner.  In this way, matters are clear and you will know what it is you are paying and where your investment is going. In this scenario, you will pay a Google AdWords invoice as well as your consultant fees each month.

 

Let’s talk costs

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So how much can you expect to pay in fees?  Well, most consultants charge anywhere from $100 to $200 an hour for their services.  This also depends on their experience and level of expertise. This may surprise you as it might seem high, but again, these experts provide highly specialized services that are no different from what you might pay an attorney or a business consultant.  It takes years of experience and hard work to become an expert user of Google AdWords, and only a person with this kind of background should you consider to consult with you about your campaign.  That is why it is important to do your research first so that you can be sure that you are only paying for the best. Also, try to find a good consultant who lives near you, especially if your business is a brick and mortar store and you are looking to gain more local business.  You want a consultant who knows the culture in your area, not someone from Poland who may charge a bit less but completely lacks the ability to properly choose effective keywords for an English-speaking audience.

 

Author Bio:

Aaron Opfell is an author, speaker, and CEO of SearcherMagnet, a rapidly growing Internet Ad agency. Google Adwords & Google Analytics certified, Aaron has over 8 years experience in Online Marketing & Advertising across Search Engine Optimization, PPC, Email Marketing, Display/Banner Advertising, Affiliate Marketing and more.