Google Ads Agency or Expert? | An Honest Comparison
When you look for a Google Ads agency, the real question is: who do I trust with this, and what do I get in return. I am not an agency, I am an independent expert — on this page I lay out the difference without exaggeration, because for some businesses an agency genuinely is the right answer.
The real advantage of an agency
An agency has a team. Designer, copywriter, analyst and account manager can be separate people. If you run many campaigns, a lot of creative and several markets at once, that capacity genuinely matters. Work does not stop when one person is ill, processes are institutional, billing and reporting are standardised.
If you are a large-budget, multi-channel operation advertising in several countries, take the agency model seriously. At that scale one person is not enough, and it would be dishonest not to say so.
The real disadvantage of an agency
At an agency, the person you talk to and the person touching your account are usually not the same. You meet someone senior during the sale, and your account may land with someone less experienced. This is not true of every agency, but it is a common pattern.
The second issue is where knowledge accumulates. In the agency model the account’s memory sits with the agency; when you leave, nobody usually remembers which test was run or why a keyword was paused. Third, agency fees are typically structured as a percentage of ad spend — which makes reducing spend financially unattractive for the agency.
Working with an independent expert
When you work with me, the person looking at your account and the person you talk to are the same. When I see a problem I say it with nobody in between, including when the answer is to cut budget. Scope is written, price is fixed; I do not work on a percentage of your spend.
Let me state the limit too: I take on a limited number of accounts at a time, because in this model scale is the enemy of quality. If I am at capacity I say so plainly rather than putting you in a queue.
AI changed this balance
The classic advantage of an agency was manpower: people to read reports, scan search terms, gather data. I now do most of that with AI agents — I track more than 40 Google Ads accounts this way. So the question of how one person keeps up with that many accounts has a different answer than it used to; and where I cannot keep up, I say no.
This does not mean I replaced people with machines. I make the decisions; the machine prepares the data.
Which should you choose
If your team is large, your budget is big and you need constant creative production across many markets: an agency. If you work in a single market with a clear product or service and your focus is spending the budget correctly, an independent expert is usually more efficient — in both cost and decision speed.
How do we start? First a free 20-30 minute call. We look at your situation and talk about which model suits you; if an agency is the better fit, I say that too. You can reach me from the contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are agency fees set as a percentage of spend?
It is an established habit in the industry, designed so the agency’s revenue grows with the client. The problem is that this structure financially penalises cutting unnecessary spend. I work with a fixed scope and a fixed fee.
How does moving from an agency to an independent expert work?
If the account is already yours it is simple: the agency’s access is removed and mine is added. If the account was opened inside the agency’s own structure, a transfer is needed — in the first call we always check who actually owns the account.
How much does a Google Partner badge matter?
The badge depends on a spend threshold, certifications and performance criteria; it is not meaningless, but on its own it does not guarantee good management. Instead of the badge, look at the concrete account examples shown to you and at measurement discipline.