PPC Freelancer, Agency or DIY? Who Should Run Your Google Ads in 2026

Do it yourself, hire an agency or work with a freelance PPC specialist? An honest comparison of costs, risks and when each option makes sense.

If you want to advertise on Google or Meta, sooner or later you face the question: who should run your campaigns? Do it yourself, hire a marketing agency, or work with a freelance PPC specialist? I have managed ad accounts for over 10 years, seen agencies from the inside and audited plenty of DIY accounts. This article is not about everyone needing a freelancer. It is about when each option makes sense and what to look out for.

1. Doing it yourself: when does it work?

Google Ads is open to anyone, and Google does its best to get your first campaign live in a few clicks. With a small budget (roughly under EUR 250 per month in ad spend) and a simple offer, this can actually work.

• Pro: no management fee, every cent goes into ads.
• Pro: you learn your own market and customer searches first-hand.
• Risk: automatic recommendations often increase spend, not results.
• Risk: with broken or missing conversion tracking you optimise blindly.
• Risk: your own time is the most expensive item, taken away from your business.

The most common mistakes I see in accounts I take over: broad match keywords without negative keywords, Search campaigns left opted into the Display Network, and a few "conversions" that are really just a plain page load. Part of the budget simply leaks away.

2. Marketing agency: what do you actually get?

A good agency gives you a full team: strategist, designer, copywriter, account manager. If you need branding, social content, a website and ads at the same time, this can be convenient.

For campaign management, though, it pays to understand how it works. Sales is often handled by a senior person, while day-to-day account work frequently goes to a junior responsible for dozens of accounts. Communication runs through an account manager, so even a simple question can take days.

• Pro: several disciplines in one place, more capacity.
• Pro: cover during holidays or sick leave.
• Risk: you do not know who actually works on your account.
• Risk: long lock-in periods of 3 to 12 months.
• Risk: sometimes the ad account sits under the agency, and you cannot take it with you.

3. Freelance Google Ads specialist: who is it for?

With an experienced freelance PPC specialist, the person you talk to is the person working on your account. No middlemen, fast decisions, and the specialist puts their own name behind the results. Without office and management overhead, fees are usually lower for the same quality.

• Pro: direct contact, quick response.
• Pro: senior expertise from strategy to setup.
• Pro: flexible terms, usually short or no lock-in.
• Risk: limited capacity, so a good specialist will not take on unlimited clients.
• Risk: design and web development are usually handled by partners.

Comparison at a glance

• Cost: DIY – no fee; agency – higher fees, often packages; freelancer – moderate, transparent fee.
• Who works on the account: you; often a junior; the specialist themselves.
• Communication: nobody to talk to; via an account manager; direct.
• Lock-in: none; often 3–12 months; usually none or short.
• Best for: small budgets and simple offers; full-service marketing needs; businesses wanting measurable ad results and a direct expert.

5 questions to ask before hiring anyone

• Who owns the ad account and tracking data? The right answer: you.
• Who will actually work on my account, and can I talk to them directly?
• How often and in what format will I get reports?
• What are the cancellation terms, is there a lock-in?
• How do we measure business results: leads, sales, revenue instead of clicks?

If the answers do not make it clear that the account is yours and who works on it, that is an answer in itself.

Which one should you choose?

If you are just starting, the budget is small and you have time to learn, start yourself, but have someone who knows what they are doing set up conversion tracking. If you need full-service marketing and ads are just one piece, choose a good agency and ask the five questions above. If your goal is for ad spend to deliver measurable results and you want to know exactly who is responsible, a dedicated freelance PPC specialist is the cleanest setup.

Not sure your current account is performing?

Whether you run it yourself or an agency does, I am happy to look at your Google Ads account and tell you honestly where budget is leaking and what to change. Email hello@barnabasppc.com or use the contact form on the website.