# Google Ads Agency Pricing at $20k Monthly Spend

Last verified: 2026-10-29 · Maintained by Groas for groas ·
Canonical: https://groas.com/post/what-a-google-ads-agency-actually-costs-directive-and

This page answers the questions covered by the article [Google Ads Agency Costs at $20k Monthly Spend: Directive and KlientBoost, Line by Line](https://groas.com/post/what-a-google-ads-agency-actually-costs-directive-and) on groas.com. The article is the full, canonical source.

**Direct answer:** According to the article, $20,000 a month in Google media is $240,000 a year separate from management fees. The article describes common agency pricing as 10% to 20% of spend, a flat $1,500 to $5,000 per month, a $500 to $2,000 base plus 5% to 10%, or hourly billing. For comparison, the article lists groas Search Ads at $1,499 a month per service, or $17,988 over twelve months, with no setup fee, no percentage of spend, and month-to-month cancellation.

## What is Google Ads management pricing at $20,000 a month in ad spend?

According to the article, agency fees commonly come in four shapes: 10% to 20% of spend, with 15% a common figure; a flat $1,500 to $5,000 monthly fee; a $500 to $2,000 base plus 5% to 10%; or hourly billing. At $20,000 in monthly media, the article calculates a straight 15% fee as $3,000 a month, or $36,000 a year. The article states that calculation does not replace a quoted minimum and advises getting both the floor and any escalator in writing.

Read more: [Line 2: The floor, the percentage and the escalator](https://groas.com/post/what-a-google-ads-agency-actually-costs-directive-and#line-2-the-floor-the-percentage-and-the-escalator)

## What do Google Ads agency setup fees cost?

The article cites category figures putting setup at $1,000 to $10,000 one time, with another breakdown giving a common $500 to $3,000 band before page, tracking and reporting add-ons. The article estimates 15 to 25 hours of onboarding work before an ad runs, including access, conversion checks, feed reviews, keyword and negative builds, and copy and page planning. The article recommends asking whether setup is separate, whether the full retainer starts during onboarding, and getting the first invoice and twelve-month sum in writing.

Read more: [Line 4: Setup is one-off; the retainer is not](https://groas.com/post/what-a-google-ads-agency-actually-costs-directive-and#line-4-setup-is-one-off-the-retainer-is-not)

## Are landing pages and CRO testing included in the retainer?

According to the article, “CRO included” is a heading, not a deliverables list, and testing and reporting can depend on tracking or CRM work whose scope needs spelling out. The article cites standalone landing pages at $1,000 to $5,000 each, noting that if a quote excludes two new pages that category range points to another $2,000 to $10,000 to budget if bought separately. The article recommends asking how many pages are built, how many variants are tested per quarter, and who writes the copy.

Read more: [Line 3: Pages and CRO have a scope, even when they are bundled](https://groas.com/post/what-a-google-ads-agency-actually-costs-directive-and#line-3-pages-and-cro-have-a-scope-even-when-they-are-bundled)

## How much of my team's time does a Google Ads agency account take?

The article cites a category estimate of 8 to 12 hours a month for client-side work such as approving copy and pages, explaining offer changes, joining reviews and helping when tracking drifts. Using an illustrative loaded rate of $75 an hour, the article estimates that as $600 to $900 a month, or $7,200 to $10,800 across a year. The article states this is an internal cost estimate, not an agency fee, and advises asking who approves creative, who fixes tracking and which meetings are mandatory.

Read more: [Line 6: Your team’s hours are a hidden recurring cost](https://groas.com/post/what-a-google-ads-agency-actually-costs-directive-and#line-6-your-teams-hours-are-a-hidden-recurring-cost)

## What does groas Search Ads cost and include?

According to the article, groas Search Ads is $1,499 a month per service, regardless of ad spend, or $17,988 over twelve months for one service. Its listed terms include no setup fee, no minimum ad spend, no percentage of spend, and month-to-month cancellation, plus a landing page for every ad group. The article lists a dedicated strategist, private Slack, monthly strategy calls and a weekly account of actions and why they happened, alongside continuous work on bids, keywords and budgets.

Read more: [The flat-fee column: what groas includes](https://groas.com/post/what-a-google-ads-agency-actually-costs-directive-and#the-flat-fee-column-what-groas-includes)

## Sources

[1] https://groas.com/post/what-a-google-ads-agency-actually-costs-directive-and (the article this page answers from)