Whether you're considering professional PPC management services for the first time or evaluating your current agency relationship, this guide covers everything you need to know about how agencies work, what they cost, and how to choose the right partner—particularly if you're a B2B company with complex sales cycles and CRM integration requirements.
What Does a Google Ads Management Agency Do in 2026?
A Google Ads management agency handles your entire paid search operation: campaign strategy, keyword research, bid optimisation, ad copywriting, conversion tracking, and performance reporting. Modern agencies use AI-powered Smart Bidding and Performance Max campaigns to maximise return on ad spend. According to WordStream's 2025 benchmarks, businesses using Google Ads see an average return of £2 for every £1 spent—a figure that improves significantly with expert management.
Google Ads agencies in 2026 offer far more than basic campaign setup. The platform has grown increasingly complex, with Performance Max, Demand Gen campaigns, and AI-driven bidding requiring specialist expertise that most in-house teams struggle to maintain.
Agencies build and manage campaigns across all Google Ads formats: Search, Display, Shopping, Video (YouTube), and the increasingly dominant Performance Max. They handle ad group organisation, keyword distribution, match type selection, and campaign architecture aligned with your business goals.
Beyond initial keyword discovery using tools like Google Keyword Planner, agencies continuously analyse search terms, evaluate search intent, and—critically—manage negative keywords. Poor negative keyword management remains one of the most common issues agencies find during account audits, often responsible for 20-30% of wasted spend.
Approximately 80% of advertisers now rely on Google's automated Smart Bidding strategies, but these require careful configuration and monitoring. Agencies determine which strategy suits your goals:
| Bidding Strategy | Best For | Data Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Maximise Conversions | Lead generation, building initial data | Active conversion tracking |
| Target CPA | Scaling with stable costs | 30+ conversions per month |
| Target ROAS | Mature campaigns with profit focus | 30-50+ conversions with values |
Research shows advertisers switching from Target CPA to Target ROAS gain approximately 14% more conversion value—but only when they have sufficient conversion data to feed the algorithm.
Agencies write Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) with multiple headline and description variations, create Display ad creative, and develop video assets for YouTube campaigns. According to recent surveys, 75% of PPC professionals now use AI to assist with ad copy—but human oversight remains essential for brand voice consistency and compliance.
Perhaps the most critical agency function: ensuring your conversion tracking is accurate and complete. This includes Google Ads and GA4 integration, Google Tag Manager implementation, Enhanced Conversions configuration, and call tracking setup. Companies that properly track marketing activities are 17 times more likely to see positive ROI, according to HubSpot research.
Google's automation has fundamentally shifted what agencies do. Performance Max campaigns now automate bidding, placements, budget optimisation, and creative combinations. PMax cost share peaked at 82% of total spend in May 2024 before declining slightly—but it remains the dominant campaign type for many advertisers.
This shift means agencies now serve as "architects of strategy and signal quality" rather than manual campaign operators. The focus has moved to providing high-quality inputs: conversion goals, creative assets, audience signals, and first-party data.
If you're new to Google Ads, our guide on how to set up Google Ads for B2B success covers the foundations before you engage an agency.
Google Ads agency pricing in the UK typically follows one of three models, with hybrid approaches becoming the industry standard.
The most common model charges 10-20% of your monthly ad spend, typically on a sliding scale where higher spend means lower percentage. For example: £2,000 monthly spend might attract 15-20% fees, while £10,000+ spend typically commands 10%.
SMB-focused agencies often charge £500-£2,000 per month flat, while mid-sized or complex accounts typically see fees of £5,000-£10,000+ monthly. This model provides budget predictability but may not scale efficiently.
Most established agencies now use a base retainer (£250-£2,500/month) plus a percentage of spend (7-15%). This balances the agency's need for stable revenue with your need for aligned incentives.
For a broader view of how paid advertising fits into your marketing mix, see our guide on integrating Google Ads with inbound marketing.
A professional agency onboarding typically takes 4-6 weeks before campaigns are fully optimised. Here's what that timeline looks like:
Goal setting, access setup, paperwork, and understanding your business model and target customers.
Account audit, conversion tracking verification, and opportunity identification. Priority focus on tracking accuracy.
Custom strategy creation, KPI establishment, and campaign architecture planning.
Campaign builds and launch, followed by the Google Ads learning phase (typically 2-4 weeks).
Expect different levels of communication depending on your engagement tier:
B2B Google Ads requires fundamentally different approaches than B2C. Sales cycles average 2-6 months (enterprise deals often exceed 12 months), and the average B2B buying journey involves 211 days with 76 touchpoints. Only 2% of visitors convert on their first visit—even lower in B2B.
Google's default 90-day attribution window creates a fundamental problem: most B2B sales cycles exceed this window, meaning early touchpoints get undervalued or missed entirely. Agencies working with B2B clients must implement solutions like:
For B2B companies, the real value of a Google Ads agency often comes from CRM integration expertise. HubSpot's CRM-powered platform, for example, enables:
Companies with proper HubSpot-Google Ads integration report 15-20% revenue growth and up to 6x ROAS improvements. As a HubSpot Diamond Partner, Whitehat specialises in exactly this type of integration work.
The fundamental formulas are straightforward:
The 2025 benchmark shows businesses using Google Ads see an average return of £2 for every £1 spent. But proving this requires robust tracking and reporting infrastructure.
According to WordStream's 2025 benchmarks (analysing over 16,000 campaigns), here are the current averages:
| Metric | 2025 Average | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| Conversion Rate | 7.52% | +0.56% |
| Cost Per Lead | £70.11 | +5.13% |
| Click-Through Rate | 6.42% | +0.24% |
| Cost Per Click | £4.66 | +10% |
Note that CPCs are rising for 87% of industries—making expert management increasingly important for maintaining profitability. Learn more about PPC marketing strategies that can help counteract rising costs.
Google's Partner programme has strict requirements, making these badges meaningful indicators of expertise:
| Criteria | Google Partner | Premier Partner |
|---|---|---|
| % of Agencies | ~2.7% of certified | Top 3% in each country |
| Ad Spend Requirement | £10,000/90 days | £150,000+/90 days |
| Google Support | Standard | Dedicated representative |
| Beta Access | Limited | Early access to new features |
For more guidance on evaluating agencies, see our comprehensive guide to choosing a PPC agency.
UK agencies typically charge £500-£10,000+ per month depending on account complexity and ad spend levels. Most use hybrid models combining a base retainer (£250-£2,500) with 7-15% of ad spend. Setup fees of £500-£3,000 are common but often waived for established accounts.
For businesses spending £5,000+ monthly on Google Ads, agency management typically pays for itself through improved ROAS, reduced wasted spend, and access to expertise in Performance Max, Smart Bidding, and CRM integration. The average £2 return per £1 spent improves significantly with expert management.
Google Ads has a 2-4 week learning phase where the algorithm gathers data. Initial optimisation improvements typically appear in months 2-3, with full profitability usually emerging after 3 months. B2B campaigns with longer sales cycles may require 6+ months for accurate ROI assessment.
Yes—always. Your Google Ads account should be in your company's name with your payment method attached. You should have full admin access. If an agency refuses this arrangement, walk away. When you leave an agency, you retain the account, all historical data, and your campaigns.
Premier Partners represent the top 3% of Google-certified agencies in each country. They must manage £150,000+ in ad spend per 90 days (versus £10,000 for standard Partners) and receive dedicated Google support, early access to beta features, and additional training resources.
Professional agencies track ROAS (Return on Ad Spend), CPA (Cost Per Acquisition), conversion rates, and—for B2B—pipeline influence and revenue attribution. Data-Driven Attribution is now Google's default model, using machine learning to evaluate multi-touch conversion paths.
As a HubSpot Diamond Partner, Whitehat specialises in B2B Google Ads management with deep CRM integration expertise. We help companies like yours connect paid advertising to real pipeline outcomes—not just clicks and impressions.
Book a Free PPC AuditFounder & CEO, Whitehat SEO
Clwyd leads the world's largest HubSpot User Group (London HUG) and is a guest lecturer at UCL. With over 14 years of experience in digital marketing, he specialises in helping B2B companies connect marketing activity to revenue outcomes.