Should I run Google Ads myself or hire an agency?

What running it yourself actually involves

Creating a campaign takes an afternoon. Running it well is the ongoing part, and it is where most do-it-yourself accounts drift. A self-managed account for a local service business needs these jobs done on a schedule.

• Weekly: read the search terms report and add negative keywords for searches that will never become customers.
• Weekly: confirm calls and forms are still being counted, and listen to what callers actually wanted.
• Weekly: check budget pacing and ad status, including any disapprovals.
• Monthly: compare cost with booked jobs by service, move budget toward what pays, and test new ad text.
• As needed: update hours, call assets and seasonal services.

Why some owners do it well themselves

Nobody knows your jobs, margins and customers better than you. Google's tools are built with small advertisers in mind: Keyword Planner estimates searches and costs before you spend, Google offers free personalized support from its Google Ads experts, and the help center documents every setting. With a compact service area, a few services and a taste for numbers, self-management can work well.

Google's guide for advertisers says it doesn't take much time to learn the basics, and recommends that owners stay informed and involved even when a partner runs the account. Learning the basics pays off whichever way you go.

Defaults that cost do-it-yourselfers money

Google's default settings lean toward reach, which isn't always what a local business needs. Know these before you launch.

• Keywords default to broad match, which can show ads on related searches that don't contain your words. Google says using Smart Bidding with broad match is critical.
• Location targeting defaults to people in, regularly in, or interested in your areas. The Presence option limits ads to people actually in or regularly in them.
• Campaigns show ads all day unless you set an ad schedule.
• Turning on call reporting creates a default Calls from ads conversion, but calls from your website and booked jobs need their own setup.

When hiring help makes sense

Hiring is a time and risk decision more than a skill one. These are the usual signs it is worth paying someone.

• Your hours are worth more on jobs, estimates or crews than inside an ad account.
• Your budget is large enough that a month of wasted clicks costs more than a management fee.
• You run several services or areas that need separate campaigns, budgets and landing pages.
• Tracking is missing or broken, and you can't connect ad spend to booked jobs.
• You tried it yourself and results stalled, or the account has become hard to read.

How to stay in control either way

Whoever runs the account, it should belong to you. Google requires agencies to use a separate account for each advertiser and to give you its customer ID on request. Keep an admin login of your own; Google Ads access levels let you give helpers standard or read-only access instead. Change history shows who changed what over the past 2 years, so the work is never invisible.

Some owners take a middle path: hire management but review the account monthly, or run it themselves with an outside check now and then. If you want to talk through which fits your business, the strategy call with Nick is free and takes 30 minutes. If we manage it, the fee is flat, the account stays in your name, and the initial commitment is 6 months, then month to month.

Keep reading

• How much does a Google Ads agency charge?
• How can I tell if my marketing agency is doing a good job?
• Why are my Google Ads not getting calls?
• Google Ads management from Modern Apex