Most articles about PPC management cost are written by UK and US agencies, so they compare themselves with each other. Very few mention a third option that a growing number of small and mid-sized businesses use: hiring a capable agency in Eastern Europe. We are a marketing agency in Romania that runs Google Ads for businesses at home and abroad, so this is our honest view of when outsourcing makes sense and how to do it without getting burned.
How do agencies charge for Google Ads management?
Whether you hire in London, Austin or Bucharest, you will meet the same three pricing models. The ad spend itself goes straight to Google; the agency charges for managing it.
| Model | How it works | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of ad spend | The fee scales with your monthly budget | An incentive to raise spend rather than improve results |
| Flat monthly fee | A fixed fee for an agreed scope | Scope creep, or too few hours behind the fee |
| Hybrid | A base fee plus a percentage above a spend threshold | Make sure the threshold and scope are written down |
Performance-only deals (paying per lead or per sale) exist, but they are rare and usually only work when tracking is airtight and the agency has control over the landing page.
Why is PPC management cheaper in Romania?
The difference comes from cost of living, not from a different kind of work. A PPC specialist in Romania uses the same Google Ads interface, the same Google Ads Editor, the same Google Analytics 4 and Tag Manager setup and the same certification programme as a specialist in Manchester. Salaries, office rent and agency overheads are simply lower, so the management fee for the same scope is lower too.
What should not be lower: the hours that go into your account, the seniority of the person running it and the quality of the reporting. If an offer looks cheap because it covers a few minutes of work a month, the price difference is not arbitrage, it is a warning sign.
What does a full PPC management scope include?
Compare offers line by line against this list. A serious agency, wherever it is based, should cover all of it.
- Audit and strategy: a review of the existing account, competitors and landing pages before any change.
- Conversion tracking: calls, forms, purchases and qualified leads tracked properly in GA4 and Google Ads, ideally with offline conversions imported from your CRM.
- Account structure: campaigns split by service, market and intent, not one campaign for everything.
- Keyword research and negatives: in your market's language, with a negative keyword list that keeps out job seekers, students and bargain hunters.
- Ad copy and assets: written natively for each market, with sitelinks, callouts and images.
- Bidding: the right bid strategy for your data volume, with Performance Max used where it fits and kept away from where it does not.
- Landing page feedback: concrete changes that lift conversion rate, not just "the page could be better".
- Reporting: monthly reports tied to leads, sales and cost per acquisition, plus a short call.
What do international clients actually get by outsourcing?
- EU base and GDPR. Romania is an EU member state, so your data stays under the same rules as in Germany or France. For UK clients, contracts and data processing agreements work much as they do with any EU supplier.
- Overlapping hours. Romania runs on Eastern European Time, two hours ahead of London all year round and usually seven ahead of New York. That gives a full shared working day with the UK and continental Europe and a solid morning overlap with the US East Coast.
- Language skills. English is widely spoken in the Romanian tech and marketing sector. Many teams also work in German, French, Italian or Spanish. Ask who writes the ads for your market, though: native-level copy matters.
- A combined team. Agencies here often bundle PPC with web design, SEO and video under one roof, which helps when the real problem is the landing page, not the bid.
When is a local UK or US agency the better choice?
Outsourcing is not always the right move. Stay local if you need regular in-person workshops, if your industry is heavily regulated and needs a specialist who knows local advertising law in depth (finance, legal, healthcare), or if the work depends on deep cultural nuance in copy that a non-native team cannot match. For most lead-generation and ecommerce accounts, none of these apply.
How do you vet a Google Ads agency in Romania?
- Ask for real results with names. Not "we increased ROAS by X%" but which business, which campaign, and whether you can speak to them.
- Check who will run your account. Get the name and experience of the specialist, not just the sales lead.
- Insist on ownership. The Google Ads account, GA4 property and Tag Manager container must be created under your business, with the agency added as a user. Never let an agency run ads from its own account.
- Ask for a sample report. It should show leads, cost per lead and what was changed, not a page of impressions.
- Ask how they handle tracking. If the answer is vague, the bidding will be blind.
- Agree a notice period. A short notice period and a clean handover clause protect you if it does not work out.
- Start with an audit. A paid or free audit of your current account shows how they think before you commit to a retainer.
What should you check in your own account first?
Before talking to any agency, spend half an hour in your account. Is conversion tracking recording real leads or just page views? Are search terms full of irrelevant queries? Are all your ads sending traffic to the homepage? Is location targeting set to "presence" rather than "presence or interest"? Each of these is common and each one wastes budget silently. If you find two or more, your account needs restructuring, not just new ads.
How do we work with clients outside Romania?
We start with an account and landing page audit, agree the scope in writing, set up or repair tracking, then rebuild the campaign structure around your most profitable services and markets. Reporting is monthly, in English, tied to leads and sales. Because we also build websites and produce video, we can fix the landing page or the creative when that is where the problem is. If organic search matters to you too, read our guide to hiring an SEO agency in Romania, and for the website side, outsourcing web design to Eastern Europe.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to outsource Google Ads management to Romania?
Yes, as long as the Google Ads account, analytics and tracking stay under your ownership and the agency is added as a user. Romania is in the EU, so data handling follows GDPR, and contracts work like those with any EU supplier.
Why are Romanian PPC agencies cheaper than UK or US agencies?
Salaries, office costs and overheads are lower in Romania. The tools, platforms and certifications are the same, so the same scope of work can be delivered for a lower management fee.
How do Google Ads agencies charge for management?
Usually as a percentage of ad spend, a flat monthly fee or a hybrid of the two. The ad spend itself is paid directly to Google. Compare offers by written scope and hours, not just by fee.
Can a Romanian agency write ads in English or German?
Many can, but ask who writes the copy for your market. For competitive markets, ads and landing pages should be written or reviewed by a native-level speaker.
What time zone do Romanian agencies work in?
Eastern European Time, two hours ahead of the UK and seven ahead of US Eastern Time. That gives a full shared working day with the UK and Europe and a morning overlap with the US East Coast.
How should I start working with a new PPC agency?
Start with an audit of your current account and landing pages, agree the scope and reporting in writing, and make sure tracking is fixed before scaling budget.
Want a second opinion on your Google Ads account?
Send us access or a screenshot of your account. We will tell you where budget is leaking and what we would change first.
Call: +40 758 80 20 20 Google Ads services