Google Ads Management Pricing Explained

Google Ads has two separate costs: advertising budget paid to Google and professional campaign management. A new account also requires proper setup, including research, conversion configuration and quality checks. The packages below show an implementation-led pricing structure for different account requirements.

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Google Ads campaign management packages

The amounts below are our indicative starting fees, confirmed in your proposal. They are separate from the media budget paid to Google. The final agreement confirms the account scope, campaign types, tracking responsibilities and limits.

Google Ads Starter

R3,000 once-off setup + R2,500/month management

One focused search campaign for a local service or small business.

  • Initial search-intent, keyword and competitor review.
  • Search campaign structure, targeting, initial responsive search ads and negative keywords.
  • One primary conversion action, where straightforward tracking is available.
  • Regular search-term and budget checks, ad refinement and a concise monthly report.
  • Media spend, landing-page development and advanced integrations separate.
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Google Ads Growth

R5,000 once-off setup + R4,500/month management

Businesses advertising several related services or seeking more structured optimisation.

  • Broader account architecture, intent segmentation and negative-keyword structure.
  • Several agreed campaigns and ad groups, with differentiated messaging.
  • Conversion diagnostics and agreed tracking implementation.
  • More frequent testing, search-term review, budget decisions and reporting.
  • New website builds, e-commerce feeds and advanced attribution separately scoped.
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Google Ads Advanced

Custom setup quotation + from R7,500/month management

Multi-market, e-commerce or technically complex advertising operations.

  • Account review covering campaign mix, geography and audience requirements.
  • Search, Shopping or Performance Max when relevant to the approved brief.
  • Tracking, feeds and landing-page integration assessed individually.
  • Strategic optimisation, performance analysis and agreed reporting schedule.
  • Custom development and third-party spend clearly itemised.
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Why setup and management are separate

Setup prepares the account for useful measurement and relevant delivery: the campaign structure, target locations, keyword intent, ads, landing pages, negative keywords and initial conversion configuration. It is concentrated work, so a setup fee can reasonably exceed the regular monthly fee.

Monthly management is continuous: reviewing the search terms people actually use, excluding irrelevant traffic, testing ads and landing-page relevance, adjusting budgets and analysing actions. Account performance depends on demand, auction competition, offers and what happens after a visitor clicks.

Ad spend is paid to the advertising platform. CleverClimb's management fee is not a substitute for Google's media charges; we recommend accounts and billing remain under the client's control. See Google Ads billing documentation for platform billing principles.

How a campaign is evaluated

  1. Business outcome: Choose a measurable enquiry, call, appointment or purchase objective rather than judging campaign success only by clicks.
  2. Search intent and relevance: Match relevant queries to ads and landing pages; maintain exclusions for searches that are unlikely to convert.
  3. Measurement quality: Review tag and event implementation before interpreting conversions; avoid counting unrelated actions as qualified leads.
  4. Ongoing decisions: Compare ad spend, relevant actions, lead quality and the landing-page experience; report optimisation work and findings.

Frequently asked questions

Why does setup cost more than monthly management?

Initial research, account architecture, ad creation and basic conversion configuration are concentrated tasks. Monthly fees cover ongoing performance reviews and improvements, not repeated full account creation.

Does the fee include my advertising budget?

No. The client funds Google Ads separately. We agree the appropriate ad budget and management scope before campaigns launch.

Will I own the Google Ads account?

The recommended arrangement is client-owned advertising accounts and billing, with agency access provided for agreed management.

Do you promise sales or a return on ad spend?

No. We explain what is measured and what campaign performance suggests while evaluating genuine business outcomes.

Related services and evidence

Campaigns work best with relevant destination pages. Explore Website Design for usability and landing-page planning, SEO Services for organic visibility and our selected web projects for examples of implementation work.

Plan a campaign with clear scope and costs

Tell us your services, locations, existing account details and advertising budget. We will explain setup, management and the separately funded media budget.

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