Google Ads consultation
A Google Ads consultation: one working session on your account, with written notes, before or instead of a retainer
Not every account needs an audit or a retainer. Sometimes a business needs a senior person to look at the account for an hour, answer the three questions that have been going around for months, and write down what to do next. That is the consultation, and it is the smallest way to work with me.
When a consultation is the right size
- A decision is pending. Whether to move to Performance Max, whether to take the agency's proposal, whether the budget increase is justified, whether to bid on the brand. A second opinion from someone with no retainer to win.
- An in-house marketer wants a senior check. You run the account yourself and want an experienced pair of eyes on the structure, the tracking and the search terms before the next quarter.
- Something broke. Conversions stopped recording, the account was suspended, spend doubled overnight, and you need the cause and the fix without a six-week engagement.
- You are choosing a vendor. You have two agency proposals and want them read by someone who runs accounts, with the questions to ask each one.
How the consultation works
- Before the call. You send the form with the spend band, the platforms and the questions. If the account is live, read-only access to Google Ads and GA4 so the hour is spent on answers rather than on screen-sharing.
- The session. A video call of about an hour, in a US morning or early afternoon, working through the account and your questions in order of money at stake. Recorded if you want it.
- Written notes within two working days. What was found, what to do, in what order, and what to measure to know it worked. Written so your team or your agency can act on it.
- Credited if it grows. If the consultation becomes a full audit or management within 60 days, the consultation fee is credited against it.
Consultation, audit or management
| Consultation | Audit | Management | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | One working session plus notes | A full written review of every platform in scope | Running the account month to month |
| Time | About an hour, notes within two working days | 5 to 7 working days | Ongoing, 30 days' notice either way |
| Best for | A decision, a second opinion, a broken thing, an in-house check | Knowing everything that is wrong and what it costs | Having the senior person do the work |
| Price | Fixed, quoted from the form | Fixed, set from spend, campaigns and platforms | Flat monthly fee, set from scope |
| Credited against | An audit or management within 60 days | The first month of management |
How each is priced, with market ranges, is on pricing.
What a consultation is not
It is not a sales call dressed as advice: the fee is the same whether or not you go on to work with me, and most consultations end with the notes. It is not a free audit; those are discussed on the audit page, with the reasons they are a poor idea. And it is not Google Ads training from the ground up; it assumes someone on your side runs or oversees the account already.
Questions people ask before hiring
How much does a Google Ads consultation cost?
A fixed fee quoted by email from the form within one working day, in US dollars, pounds or euros. It is credited against an audit or the first month of management if either follows within 60 days. See pricing for how everything is priced.
Can we book more than one session?
Yes. Some in-house teams book a session each month or each quarter as a standing review; that is agreed in writing after the first one, with the same notes each time.
Do you need access to our account for a consultation?
It helps: read-only access to Google Ads and GA4 beforehand means the hour goes on answers. Without access, the session works from your screen share and your questions, and the notes say what to check.
Which platforms can the consultation cover?
Google Ads (Search, Shopping, Performance Max, YouTube, Demand Gen), Microsoft Advertising, Meta Ads and LinkedIn Ads, plus GA4, Tag Manager and landing pages.
What time zones work for the call?
I work from Curitiba, Brazil, one to four hours ahead of US time zones, so a US morning or early afternoon works for both of us. UK and Irish businesses have the same session on ppcconsultancy.uk, quoted in pounds.
Related services
Tell me about the account
Spend band, site and what is not working. You get a straight answer on whether I can help, what I would do first and a price range. No proposal deck, no sales follow-up sequence.