Best AdWords Experts and Consultants to Hire in 2026

Last updated: 14 October 2026

An AdWords expert is a specialist who plans, runs and fixes Google Ads campaigns. Google renamed AdWords to Google Ads on 24 July 2018, so any AdWords expert or AdWords consultant you hire today works inside Google Ads. This guide lists 10 experts we verified on their own websites, plus costs, credentials, questions to ask and red flags.

Disclosure: Hustle Marketers publishes this page. Ishant Sharma (entry 1) is our founder, and Hustle Marketers (entry 2) and Google Ads Specialist (entry 3) are his businesses. The other seven entries are independent, and none of them paid to be listed.

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What happened to Google AdWords?

Google AdWords became Google Ads on 24 July 2018. Google announced the change on 27 June 2018 in a post by Sridhar Ramaswamy, then Senior Vice President of Ads and Commerce, on blog.google. The product, your campaigns and your account history carried over under the new name.

The rename was part of a wider brand cleanup. Google Ads Help says the account address moved from adwords.google.com to ads.google.com and that the new branding “will not impact your campaign performance, navigation, or reporting.” The table shows what changed.

Sources: Google, 27 June 2018 and Google Ads Help.

People still search for “AdWords expert” and “AdWords consultant” every day. Hiring marketplaces still use the old word too: Upwork’s hiring page for this skill sits at /hire/google-adwords-experts/. If you typed AdWords, you are in the right place. Everyone below works in Google Ads.

Who are the top Google AdWords experts?

The top Google AdWords experts to hire in 2026, on this list, are Ishant Sharma, Hustle Marketers, Google Ads Specialist, Mike Rhodes, Kirk Williams, Mark Irvine, Michelle Morgan, Chris Schaeffer, Robert Brady and Kim Herrington. We checked each one on their own website in October 2026 and confirmed they still offer Google Ads work, coaching or audits.

“Top” depends on what you need. For example, a business spending $3,000 a month on search needs a different person than a brand spending $300,000 on Shopping. The comparison table matches each expert to a best fit, and the consultant vs agency section helps you choose the type of hire first.

How did we pick these AdWords experts?

We picked these AdWords experts by checking four things on each person’s or firm’s own website in October 2026: that they still take Google Ads work, coaching or audit clients; what they publish about experience; whether they show prices or a consultation route; and who they suit. Names we could not confirm on an owned website were removed.

1. Still for hire. The website offers account management, consulting, coaching or audits today.
2. Published experience. We used start years only where the expert’s own site or bio states them.
3. Price transparency. We noted any public price, rate or free consultation.
4. Clear fit. We matched each entry to the kind of business it suits.

Earlier versions of this page also listed Frederick Vallaeys, Brad Geddes, Larry Kim, Navah Hopkins and Susie Marino. They are well-known names from the AdWords era.

In October 2026, though, their own websites described software companies (Optmyzr, Adalysis, Customers.ai), an in-house role (Navah Hopkins became Microsoft’s Ads Liaison in June 2025), or no personal consulting offer. You can learn a lot from their writing, but you cannot hire them to run your account, so they are no longer on a hiring list.

The 10 best AdWords experts and consultants to hire

These 10 AdWords experts and consultants are listed in the same order as our earlier edition, with the removed names taken out. Entries 1 to 3 are our own, as disclosed above.

1. Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma is a Google Ads, Microsoft Ads and SEO specialist who has worked in digital marketing since 2013, which places his start in the AdWords era. He founded Hustle Marketers in 2020. His personal site is ishantsharmamarketer.com and his work history is on LinkedIn.

• Hire him for: Google Ads and Microsoft Ads management, account audits, conversion tracking fixes and senior second opinions.
• Price: PPC management through Hustle Marketers is $600 to $800 per platform per month, month to month (see PPC management pricing).
• Best fit: owners and in-house teams who want a senior practitioner on the account, not a junior account manager.

2. Hustle Marketers

Hustle Marketers is a digital marketing agency founded in 2020 by Ishant Sharma, with its delivery team in Zirakpur, India, serving clients worldwide. It is a Google Partner, Meta Business Partner and Microsoft Advertising Partner. Clients own their ad accounts, Search Console, GA4 and Google Business Profile.

• Hire it for: PPC management across Google Ads, Meta Ads and Microsoft Ads, plus SEO and Google Ads conversion tracking.
• Price: $600 to $800 per platform per month, month to month with no lock-in, per our pricing page. SEO starts from $500+ a month, depending on the business (see SEO packages).
• Proof: 591+ reviews across Google, Trustpilot, Clutch, G2, DesignRush, Upwork and other platforms, and Clutch Award wins in 2023, 2024 and 2026.
• Best fit: ecommerce, local service, SaaS and agency clients who want a team behind a senior lead.

Our client work is covered by signed NDAs, so this guide shares the process we follow rather than client names or results.

3. Google Ads Specialist

Google Ads Specialist (googleadsspecialist.co) is Ishant Sharma’s Google Ads focused practice. The site covers Search, Shopping, Display, remarketing, YouTube and app campaigns, plus Google Ads audits.

• Hire it for: a Google Ads only engagement or a one-off Google Ads audit.
• Price: the site offers a free audit and publishes no separate management price list.
• Best fit: businesses where Google Ads is the main paid channel.

4. Mike Rhodes (Ads to AI)

Mike Rhodes started running AdWords campaigns in 2004, according to a 2018 Social Media Examiner profile, and later founded the agency WebSavvy. His own site now centers on Ads to AI, a membership with tools, training and community for Google Ads professionals.

• Hire him for: one-to-one coaching, agency workshops and Google Ads scripts. The site does not advertise done-for-you account management.
• Price: scripts are listed from $149 (negative keywords) to $399 (MCC PMax script) on mikerhodes.com.au.
• Best fit: agencies and in-house teams that want automation and AI workflows.

5. Kirk Williams (ZATO Marketing)

Kirk Williams founded ZATO, which his agency site describes as a team focused on Google Search, Google Shopping, Merchant Center, Performance Max, Microsoft Ads, YouTube and Demand Gen. The site calls him a Google Ads specialist, author and international speaker.

• Hire him for: managed paid search and Shopping, paid audits, or a free 60-minute consultation.
• Price: scoped flat-rate pricing. ZATO says Essentials is for brands spending under $25K a month, and full service covers $25K to $1M a month in spend.
• Best fit: ecommerce brands where Shopping and Performance Max drive revenue.

6. Mark Irvine (SearchLab)

Mark Irvine leads search at SearchLab, where his team bio lists him as Vice President of Search with more than 10 years of experience. The same bio says PPC Hero has named him a top PPC influencer every year since 2015.

• Hire him for: SearchLab’s managed paid search, paid social, display and video campaigns.
• Price: not published.
• Best fit: businesses that want an agency with a well-known search lead.

7. Michelle Morgan (Paid Media Pros)

Michelle Morgan started in PPC in 2010 and co-founded the Paid Media Pros YouTube channel with Joe Martinez, according to the Paid Media Pros about page. The channel publishes Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Meta, LinkedIn and YouTube Ads tutorials.

• Hire her for: training and courses. The site has a “Book a Call” link but does not publish a service menu.
• Price: not published.
• Best fit: marketers who want to learn multi-platform paid media from a working practitioner.

8. Chris Schaeffer

Chris Schaeffer is a Dallas PPC consultant whose own site says he started working on AdWords accounts in 2003. He also co-hosts The Paid Search Podcast, per his Clarity profile.

• Hire him for: account setup, campaign management across Search, Display, Video and Shopping, and one-to-one coaching.
• Price: chrisschaeffer.com lists $400 for a one-hour coaching session and management at $600, without stating the billing period.
• Best fit: small businesses that want a solo consultant with AdWords-era tenure.

9. Robert Brady (Righteous Marketing)

Robert Brady works as a freelance PPC consultant through Righteous Marketing, which his about page describes as his blog and consulting home. He lists Google Ads certification and a business degree from BYU.

• Hire him for: independent PPC audits and professional PPC management, both listed on righteousmarketing.com.
• Price: not published. The site does not state a start year.
• Best fit: owners who want an independent audit before changing agencies.

10. Kim Herrington (Orsanna)

Kim Herrington is Founder and Creative Director of Orsanna, an agency in Little Rock, Arkansas, founded in 2013, per the Orsanna about page. The Orsanna site shows a Google Partner badge linked to Google’s partner directory.

• Hire her for: search marketing as part of a wider digital presence, website and social package.
• Price: not published. The first consultation is free and typically lasts 45 minutes.
• Best fit: local and regional businesses that want ads, site and search handled together.

Want more names to compare? See our pages on hiring a Google Ads expert, working with a Google Ads consultant and hiring a freelance Google Ads specialist.

Quick comparison: AdWords experts side by side

The AdWords experts below differ mainly in hire type, published start year and public pricing. Use the table to shortlist two or three names, then use the questions section on a first call. “Not published” means the expert’s own site did not state it in October 2026.

Sources: each expert’s own website, linked in their entry above, checked 14 October 2026.

What does an AdWords expert or consultant do?

An AdWords expert, also called an AdWords consultant or Google Ads specialist, builds and improves Google Ads campaigns so your ad spend turns into leads or sales. The work covers research, account structure, ads, bidding, tracking and reporting. A consultant may advise only, while an expert or agency usually runs the account day to day.

1. Set up tracking first. Confirm that purchases, calls and form fills are counted once, in GA4 and Google Ads.
2. Research keywords and match types. Choose terms with real search demand and decide how tightly to match them.
3. Structure the account. Group campaigns by goal, margin or service so budgets go where profit is.
4. Write and test ads. Build responsive search ads and assets that match each search.
5. Manage bids and budgets. Pick a bid strategy that fits your conversion volume.
6. Cut waste. Review search terms and add negative keywords every week.
7. Report in plain terms. Show cost, conversions and cost per result against your targets.

AdWords optimization, a phrase some buyers still search, simply means steps 5 to 7 done well and often. If you want to see what a full review covers, our Google Ads audit checklist lists the checks we run.

AdWords consultant vs expert vs agency: which should you hire?

Choose an AdWords consultant when you need advice or an audit and can make changes yourself. A freelance AdWords expert suits you when you want one senior person running the account. Agencies fit when you need several platforms, more hours or cover for holidays and sick days. Budget, in-house skill and channel count decide it.

Pricing models as described in OuterBox’s PPC pricing guide (updated 13 October 2026).

The titles overlap more than buyers expect. “Expert,” “consultant” and “specialist” are job titles, not Google credentials. What matters is who touches the account, how often, and whether you keep ownership. Our Google Ads specialist page explains how a specialist engagement works in practice.

Which certifications should an AdWords expert have?

An AdWords expert should hold a current Google Ads certification from Google’s Skillshop, and an agency you hire should show a verifiable Google Partner badge. Google Ads certifications cover Search, Display, Video, Shopping ads and Apps. Each needs a score of 80% or more and expires after one year, per Google Ads Help.

What does Google Partner status mean?

Google Partner is a company badge earned through a manager account, so a solo freelancer usually has certifications rather than Partner status. The table lists Google’s current requirements from How to become a Google Partner or Premier Partner.

Source: Google Ads Help, How to become a Google Partner or Premier Partner.

How do you check an AdWords expert’s credentials?

• Click the badge. Google’s advertiser guide to third parties says to click a Partner badge on the company’s website to verify it.
• Ask for the Skillshop certificate. Check the date, since certifications last one year.
• Check any Google claim. Google’s guide says a real Googler can email you from an @google.com address and that @gmail.com proves nothing.
• Weigh results over badges. A badge proves spend and test scores. It does not prove the person on your account is senior.

How much does an AdWords consultant cost?

An AdWords consultant costs anywhere from $15 an hour on a freelance marketplace to $250+ an hour for an experienced PPC consultant, based on published 2026 market figures. Flat monthly management often runs $500 to $5,000 at small and mid budgets. Hustle Marketers charges $600 to $800 per platform per month.

The figures below are market figures from the named sources, not Hustle Marketers prices, except the last row.

Management fees are separate from what you pay Google for clicks. Google’s third-party policy says a partner that charges a management fee must tell customers and disclose the fee on invoices. To plan the ad spend side, try our Google Ads budget calculator and CPC calculator.

What should you ask before you hire an AdWords consultant?

Before you hire an AdWords consultant, ask who owns the account, who does the work, how tracking will be checked, what the fee covers, and how you can leave. Good consultants answer all five in writing. Google’s advertiser guide also tells you to get “an official copy of your agreement in writing.”

1. Will the account be in my name, with Admin access for me? Admin users control who has access, per Google’s access levels page.
2. Who will work on my account each week? Get a name, not a team label.
3. How will you check my conversion tracking before changing bids? Broken tracking makes every later decision wrong.
4. Which keywords and match types will you start with, and why? The answer shows how they protect a new budget.
5. What is in the fee, and what costs extra? Landing pages, creative and tracking work are often separate.
6. What will I see in reports, and how often? Google says you have the right to know at least clicks, impressions and total cost.
7. What happens if I leave? Ask for the notice period and confirm that the account, data and assets stay with you.

What does Ishant check first on a new account?

From his own accounts, Ishant Sharma starts a new search account with little conversion data on exact match. Exact terms can cost more per click, but the traffic matches what the business sells. He opens up to broad match only after the account has conversion data to guide bidding.

When broad match does go live, he builds the negative keyword list upfront in phrase and exact match, rather than waiting for waste to show up in search terms. He also prefers negative keywords applied at account level, so a gap in one campaign’s list does not leak spend.

How do you score AdWords experts side by side?

Score each AdWords expert out of 25 on five areas after your first calls. This is the simple scorecard we suggest to buyers. The weights are our own judgment, not an industry standard.

What are the red flags when hiring AdWords consulting services?

The main red flags when hiring AdWords consulting services are guaranteed top positions, an account you cannot access, hidden fees, false claims of working for Google, and long lock-ins. Google’s third-party policy bans “Guaranteeing top placement on Google” and “Claiming a false affiliation with Google.”

• Guaranteed first position. Google’s advertiser guide says, “It’s not possible to guarantee a specific ad position on Google.com search results pages.”
• No access to your own account. PPC consultant Sam Frost calls this the biggest red flag, because you cannot see where your budget goes.
• The account lives only in their manager account. In a UK Business Forums thread, a business that paid Google directly still lost access to its account history when it tried to leave an agency.
• Fees blended into ad spend. Google requires partners to report “the exact amount charged by Google, exclusive of any fees,” per its third-party policy.
• Reports that do not match the account. Ask to see the same numbers inside Google Ads.
• An expired “AdWords certified” badge as the main proof. Certifications last one year, so ask for the current one.
• A long contract before any audit. Prefer month to month, or a short first term with a clear review point.

Ownership is easy to fix early. Google’s manager account ownership page says, “A client account can only have one owner,” and that the client account “still owns its data and has the ability to remove ownership access by unlinking.” Keep Admin access yourself and you keep that control.

Does AdWords-era experience still matter?

AdWords-era experience still matters for judgment, but it is not a hiring filter on its own. People who started before 2018 learned account structure, match types, Quality Score and search term hygiene by hand. That background helps them spot when automated bidding or broad match is wasting money. Long tenure does not prove current skill with today’s campaign types.

• Still useful: reading search terms, building negative keyword lists and structuring campaigns around margin.
• Changed since AdWords: the product name and URL, certification names, and the campaign types Google now offers.
• What to test instead of years: ask how they would set up tracking, bidding and match types for your account this month.

If you would rather work with an agency than a solo expert, our Google Ads agency page explains how our team runs accounts.

What do people on Reddit say about Ishant Sharma?

When a B2B ecommerce store asked r/PPC where to find a Google Ads expert, one reply listed Ishant Sharma from Hustle Marketers among the names that keep coming up in PPC circles, and called out his work on Shopping, Performance Max and Merchant Center cleanup. The same reply gives advice worth following whoever you hire: start with a short paid audit or pilot, and only trust people who can show you real dashboards, reports or references.

On r/hiring, when a business looked for a contract Google Ads specialist to run a 35-location account, another reply recommended Ishant Sharma from Hustle Marketers. The commenter, a web developer, said a client they both work with kept praising him, which they had never seen that client do for anyone. They were also upfront that they could not speak to his results, so read it as a reference on what working with him is like, not as a performance claim.

FAQ

Is an AdWords expert the same as a Google Ads expert?

Yes. AdWords was renamed Google Ads on 24 July 2018, per Google Ads Help. An AdWords expert and a Google Ads expert do the same job in the same product. Some people keep the old title because buyers still search for it.

Can I hire an AdWords expert on Upwork?

Yes. Upwork lists Google Ads experts on its hire page and shows a typical range of $15 to $40 an hour on its cost page. Check reviews, the account access plan and who does the work, the same as any other hire.

Should my AdWords consultant own my Google Ads account?

No. Keep the account in your business’s name and hold Admin access yourself. Google’s advertiser guide says a third party agency “must set up a separate Ads account for you.” Give your consultant Standard or Admin access to do the work.

Do I need a Google Partner to run my ads?

No. A Google Partner badge shows that a company meets Google’s spend, optimization score and certification rules. Many good solo consultants are certified but are not Partners, because the badge is set at company level. Use the badge as one signal alongside reviews and how the consultant answers your questions.

Do AdWords consultants work month to month?

Many do, but terms vary. Hustle Marketers works month to month with no lock-in at $600 to $800 per platform per month. Whoever you hire, get the notice period in writing, as Google’s advertiser guide recommends for every agreement.

What is the difference between AdWords consulting and AdWords management?

AdWords consulting means advice, audits or coaching, and your team makes the changes. AdWords management means the expert or agency makes changes in the account each week and reports back. Consulting suits teams with in-house skill. Management suits owners who want the work done for them.

How we updated this guide

We rewrote this guide on 14 October 2026. We checked every entry on its own website, removed five names that no longer offer client work, corrected the founding year for Hustle Marketers to 2020, replaced unsourced price tiers with dated market figures, and added Google’s Partner and certification rules. We drafted it with AI assistance, and a person checks every claim against the linked sources before it goes live.

Ready to see what an expert would change in your account? We look for wasted spend, tracking gaps and structure issues, and you keep the findings either way.

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