I spent several years at an agency, including as Team Lead and Audit Lead, and now run AM Digital as an independent Google Ads consultant.
Both models can work very well. Both can also work very badly.
The most important factor is rarely whether the website says agency or consultant. It is who actually works on your account, how much time they have and whether they care about what the advertising does for your business.
Google Ads agency or consultant: which is the better fit?
An agency often suits you better when you need several specialisms at once.
If you need Google Ads, SEO, Meta Ads, advanced tracking, CRO, creative production and perhaps development at the same time, an established agency can be very convenient. A tracking problem? A good agency can bring in its tracking specialist. Does the SEO team need to understand how Search and landing pages connect? Put them in the same meeting.
If five different things need solving before Friday, one person’s broad expertise matters less. An agency can put several people on the work at once. That costs more, but you are also buying access to a larger organisation.
A consultant often suits you better when you already know which specialism you need.
If Google Ads is already an important channel and you mainly need someone to examine the account in depth, set the direction and do the work, a senior consultant may be a better option.
You also know who you will work with. The level of experience and way of working are clear from the start, because the person you meet before the engagement is the person working in the account after the contract is signed.
Fewer handovers often shorten the path from “we should test this” to implementation. The same person also gets to know the account, business and team over time.
Capacity is the disadvantage. If several specialist areas need addressing in parallel within a few days, an agency can assign several people at once. A consultant is still one person.
Neither model wins automatically.
A good agency beats a poor consultant. A good consultant beats a poor agency.That sounds obvious, but it is often forgotten.
Differences in the working arrangement
These are general differences. Quality still depends on the people doing the work, the time they have and how the work is organised.
What to compare
Google Ads agency
Independent consultant
Breadth
Several specialisms may be available internally
Often a narrower but deeper specialism
Direct contact
Varies between agencies and teams
Usually directly with the person doing the work
Cover during absence
Several people can provide cover
More dependent on one person
From strategy to delivery
May be shared across several roles
Often the same person throughout
Pace
Several people can work in parallel, but more handovers may take time
A short path from decision to implementation
Capacity
Can scale up with a larger team
Limited by the consultant’s time
Continuity
Can be affected by changes in teams and staff
The same person can learn the account and business over time
Cost structure
A larger organisation and more functions
Lower overheads
Best when
You need several skills or substantial capacity in parallel
You need deep expertise, continuity and direct responsibility
A good agency can be fantastic
I want to be clear about that, because I come from the agency world myself. A good agency offers something that is difficult to recreate as a sole consultant.
You sit beside people who know more than you about SEO, tracking, Meta Ads, Google Ads, data and other areas. Someone tests something interesting and shares it at the next internal presentation. A problem arises and you can raise a ticket with another specialist team.
At Precis, I saw how much can happen behind the scenes at an agency working at the forefront. New tools are built, data is analysed, people are trained and teams try to understand where the market is heading several steps ahead.
That is a real strength.
More specialists also mean more handovers. I have worked in setups where a relatively simple deliverable passed from project manager to copywriter, then designer, web team and finally the person responsible for distribution. Each person can be excellent, but every handover costs time and context. When one person can understand the business, make the decision and implement it, the path can be much shorter.
You ultimately hire people, even when you hire an agency.
I think this is the most important point to understand. Two clients can hire the same agency and have completely different experiences. One gets a fantastic team, a senior specialist who really cares, a strong Team Lead and people who keep pushing. The other gets an acceptable service that might score six out of ten.
Both can describe the same agency accurately. It depends on who is in the team, how it is led, how many clients the specialists have and what happens when people change roles, teams or jobs.
The logo on the quote does not do the work. The people do.
Ask who will actually work in your account
As an Audit Lead, I reviewed prospective clients’ Google Ads accounts before major pitches. I could examine an account in depth, find wasted spend, identify opportunities, build the presentation and present the analysis alongside the CEO.
Then the client signs. The person who impressed them during the audit and pitch may not be the person working on the account six months later. The client may get another team, another specialist or even another office.
That does not have to be a bad thing. It can work extremely well.
But ask before you sign.
Bluntly, those who make the most noise often get the most help
This does not apply to every agency or team, but it is an experience worth discussing. You need to be an engaged client. Asking questions, sharing business information and following up makes it easier to get good support.
If you pay the invoice every month and never ask what is being done, the account may drift onto autopilot. I have seen an account where the business paid a monthly fee, yet nine months of Google Ads change history showed little more than three budget changes. Change history does not capture everything done around an account, but as a client I would at least want to understand what I was paying for.
I do not want a contract to keep a client trapped
My ongoing engagements have a notice period of one calendar month. If you no longer want to work with me, I do not want to force you to stay for six or twelve months because a contract says so.
A little like a relationship: sometimes it no longer works. Sometimes you want to try something else. Sometimes you later realise you actually worked quite well together.
Whatever happens, the ending should be handled properly. My aim is to put my own stamp on the work and be proud of what I leave behind.
Who should own the Google Ads account?
You. Full stop.
The business should own its core assets:
Google Ads
Google Analytics
Google Tag Manager
Merchant Center
relevant data sources and integrations
The agency or consultant receives access to do the work. When the relationship ends, you should be able to remove access and move on. You should not have to “buy back” your own account or depend on a former provider approving a handover.
I take that principle seriously. If Google launches a beta feature requiring acceptance of specific terms, I do not simply click “accept” for the client. I show them what needs accepting and let them decide. It is their account and their business.
What does a Google Ads agency or consultant cost?
Price does not automatically indicate quality. Excellent people can charge too little, while expensive providers may deliver very little. The business model still matters.
SEK 5,000 per montharound 20 clients
to generate SEK 100,000 in revenue
SEK 15,000–30,000around 3–7 clients
for the same revenue
Twenty clients can mean twenty Google Ads accounts, businesses to understand, contacts, meetings, reports, questions and unexpected urgent tasks. A good management service can be built that way, but time per client is naturally limited.
Fewer clients create very different conditions for analysis, testing, implementation and ongoing discussion. A high price does not guarantee quality, but it affects the business model behind delivery.
Both can work. I mainly work with Google Ads, where I am assessed on measures close to the business: purchases, leads, CPA, CAC, ROAS and profitability.
If a business goes from SEK 500,000 to SEK 1,000,000 in spend, doubling spend alone should not automatically justify my fee. If ROAS and profitability are deteriorating, higher spend has hardly created more value.
When is hiring an employee better?
If the need is so large and continuous that full-time expertise starts to make more financial sense, you should certainly consider hiring. The comparison is not always one consultant versus one employee, though.
Sometimes a business needs some Google Ads, Meta Ads, tracking and analysis, plus someone who understands how they connect. Hiring three people to cover those skills is expensive if you only need 20% of each person’s time. A consultant or agency may then be more efficient.
If you need a little support across several areas, a senior consultant can be an efficient arrangement. I can understand the connections and solve many issues without passing every question on.
If you simultaneously need strong SEO, advanced tracking, Google Ads, Meta Ads, UGC, creative production, web development and substantial capacity, I am not the right person for the entire brief. AM Digital is not a subcontractor network or a full-service agency. When several specialisms must run in parallel, a good established agency is often a better choice.
AI has changed the work, but experience still matters
Much of what used to take a long time can now be done quickly. Ad copy can be generated and edited in hours. Data can be analysed faster. It is much quicker to get to grips with an adjacent field.
That is fantastic. It is also very easy to sound like an expert. AI can help me understand an SEO problem faster. That does not give me the same experience as someone who has worked with advanced SEO for ten years.
The key question increasingly shifts from “can this person produce something?” to “do they understand why it should be done, whether the result is good and what should happen next?”
A consultant is not automatically better
There are poor consultants too. Someone can build a website for SEK 1,000 using AI and sell themselves as a web developer without understanding what happens under the bonnet. Someone else can sell SEO packages without even checking page titles.
Being self-employed is no guarantee of quality.
Markus Sjökvist
Head of Performance MarketingKlarna
“Armin’s level of dedication and in-depth knowledge of the Search platforms has been crucial to our achievements. His drive to explore and understand Search has led to several innovative solutions, bringing our accounts to top-tier performance. I highly recommend Armin for his excellent technical skills and exceptional attitude.”
How my approach differs from a Google Ads agency
I do not run AM Digital as a traditional agency. When you hire me for Google Ads, I review the account, set the strategy, make changes, analyse performance and agree the next test with you.
There is no internal handover from senior strategist to junior specialist. You know who analysed the problem, recommended the strategy, implemented the change and follows up on results. That does not automatically mean higher quality, but it clarifies responsibility and reduces the risk of losing context.
Fewer clients also change the relationship. I learn about the business, the people behind it and how you make decisions. Often we can pick up the phone, discuss something and move forward without first passing through project management.
My capacity is also limited. I cannot take on unlimited clients, and I do not offer every digital marketing service.
I can solve many tracking issues myself and need to understand measurement to do good Google Ads work. For a highly advanced tracking problem, I would rather choose someone who works with tracking every day than pretend to be best at everything. If it needs solving quickly alongside several other specialisms, an agency with its own tracking specialist is often better equipped.
Google Ads is my specialism.
It is where I want to spend most of my time and where I believe my experience makes the greatest difference.
Should you choose a Google Ads agency or consultant?
Choose an agency if...
you need several specialisms at once
you want substantial organisational backup
you need a larger team that can scale up
you want several digital disciplines with one provider
you value access to internal specialist teams and tools
Choose a consultant if...
you know which specialist skills and person you need
you want to work directly with the person doing the work
you want a short path from analysis to implementation
you value continuity and clear responsibility
you want more attention from a specialist with fewer clients
you do not need a complete external marketing team
Choose the people. Look beyond the logo.
Questions to ask before choosing a Google Ads agency or consultant
These questions help you compare actual delivery, beyond the name, presentation and quote.
Who will actually work in our Google Ads account?
Ask for the name, role and experience level of the person doing the ongoing work. Also ask who sets the strategy and who implements changes.
Is the person in the sales meeting the person working on the account?
Not always. That need not be a problem, but you should know which team you will get before signing.
How many other clients is the specialist responsible for?
There is no perfect number. The answer helps you understand how much time, analysis and ongoing discussion the arrangement allows.
Who owns our accounts and data?
The business should own Google Ads, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Merchant Center and relevant data sources. The provider receives access to do the work.
What are the minimum contract term and notice period?
Terms vary. Check both the minimum term and notice period, and what happens to work in progress and access when the relationship ends.
How do you show what work is being done?
Ask for a process that lets you follow changes, tests, conclusions and the next priority. A performance report alone does not always explain the work behind it.
How do you connect Google Ads to our business?
Ask how the provider works with purchases, leads, CPA, CAC, ROAS, margins and lead quality. Platform metrics need to connect to what the business is trying to achieve.
What happens if our contact leaves?
An agency should explain how knowledge and responsibility are handed over. With an independent consultant, you need to understand the backup arrangements and partnerships available.
What do you do yourselves, and what do others do?
Ask for clear responsibilities covering strategy, account work, tracking, landing pages, creative production and reporting. This clarifies both scope and expectations.
Are Google Ads and Google AdWords the same thing?
Yes. Google AdWords was renamed Google Ads. Many people still use the old name, so searches for an AdWords agency or consultant now refer to Google Ads.
Would you like a second opinion before deciding?
You do not need to change your Google Ads agency or consultant just because something is unclear. Sometimes an independent account review and second opinion are enough.
