How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Performance Max Agency?
Published
Written by Christopher Krassnig, Founder & CEO of ZenoX Media. Answers every question here from the accounts ZenoX runs, not from theory.
The short answer
Performance Max management usually costs the same as full Google Ads management because PMax is the main account engine. Most agencies charge 10 to 20 percent of spend or a flat monthly fee. ZenoX charges 10 down to 6 percent with no setup fee or lock-in. We take stores spending at least 10,000 euros a month on ads.
Why PMax management is priced like account management
Performance Max is not a side campaign you bolt an expert onto. For a modern ecom account it is the core of the account, running your products across Search, Shopping, YouTube, Display, Gmail, and Maps from one campaign. So agencies price PMax management as account management, because that is what it is.
Typical pricing follows the usual ecommerce models: a percentage of ad spend, commonly 10 to 20 percent, or a flat monthly fee. Our own tiers start at 10 percent on the first 10,000 euros of monthly spend and step down to 6 percent above 150,000 euros, with no setup fee and no lock-in.
The real math at different spend levels
At 10,000 euros a month in spend, our fee is 1,000 euros. At 20,000 euros a month, the fee is 1,900 euros: 10 percent of the first 10,000 and 9 percent of the next 10,000. The rate falls as spend grows.
Our hard minimum is 10,000 euros a month in ad spend. Below that, our fee would eat the budget you need for tests. Start in our Google Ads eCom Lab on Skool, $9 a month.
What the fee must include for PMax specifically
Google already automated the bidding inside Performance Max. What it did not automate is everything the algorithm feeds on: the product feed, the conversion tracking, the campaign structure, and the negative keyword hygiene around it. That input work is what a PMax fee should buy.
So before you sign, ask one question: what will you change that Smart Bidding is not already doing? The right answer talks about feed titles, tracking accuracy, structure, and Merchant Center health. If the answer is bidding strategy, you are being sold the one part Google gives every advertiser for free.
Related questions
Keep Going
- Should I Hire an Agency Specifically for Performance Max, or Can Smart Bidding Run Itself?
- What Is a Typical Google Ads Management Fee for an Ecommerce Store?
- Is Hiring a Google Ads Agency Actually Worth It, or Should a Small Store Run It Themselves?
- How Much Should I Budget for Google Ads for a Dropshipping Store?
- Why Is My Google Ads Campaign Spending Money but Getting Almost No Conversions?
Keep reading
More from the ZenoX team.
On the call, we look at your account live. If we can grow it, we will show you how. If we cannot, we will tell you that too, and point you at someone who can.
We work with brands serious about scale. If that is you, let's talk.
