Weighing up how to run your Google Ads? Here's an honest, no-overselling comparison of the three main options.
| Consultant | Agency | In-House | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Mid — no agency overhead | Highest — overhead, account managers, tiered service | Highest ongoing — salary, benefits, tools |
| Expertise | Deep, specialist — one person's full focus | Varies by who's actually on your account | Depends entirely on who you hire |
| Control | High — direct relationship, no hand-offs | Lower — process and account manager layers | Highest — fully in your team |
| Communication | Direct, no account manager in between | Usually via an account manager, not the specialist | Direct, but limited to one person's bandwidth |
| Flexibility | High — scale up/down, no long contracts | Lower — typically locked into contracts | Lowest — hiring/firing is slow and costly |
You want senior-level strategic thinking without agency overhead, and you're comfortable working directly with the person doing the work rather than through an account manager.
You need multiple channels covered by one team, or want the redundancy of a bigger organisation behind the account (so it's not dependent on one individual).
Google Ads is a large enough part of your business that it justifies a full-time salary, and you want the expertise to sit permanently inside your team.
Start with a free audit — no commitment, just an honest look at your account.
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