Best AdWords Experts and Consultants to Hire: Rates and Red Flags

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 eight experts, starting with our pick, Ishant Sharma, and seven more we verified on their own websites, plus costs, credentials, questions to ask and red flags.

Disclosure: Ishant Sharma, listed first, founded Hustle Marketers, which publishes this page. Nobody 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.

How long did the AdWords name last?

The AdWords name lasted about 17 years and 9 months, from its launch in October 2000 to the switch to Google Ads on 24 July 2018. The Google Ads name has now been in use for about 8 years and 3 months, so anyone who genuinely started as an AdWords consultant before the rename has spent more than eight years in the product under its new name too.

How we counted: October 2000 to July 2018 is 213 months (17 years and 9 months), and July 2018 to October 2026 is 99 months (8 years and 3 months).

Who are the top Google AdWords experts?

The top Google AdWords experts to hire, on this list, are Ishant Sharma, Mike Rhodes, Kirk Williams, Mark Irvine, Michelle Morgan, Chris Schaeffer, Robert Brady and Kim Herrington. Ishant Sharma is our pick and founded Hustle Marketers, which publishes this page. We checked each of the other seven 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. Ishant Sharma, listed first, is our own pick rather than the result of this check, so every fact in his entry links to a place you can verify it.

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 best AdWords experts and consultants to hire

Ishant Sharma, our pick, is listed first. The seven AdWords experts and consultants after him are listed in the same order as our earlier edition.

1. Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma is a Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Meta Ads and SEO specialist based in Zirakpur, India, who has worked in digital marketing since 2013 and founded Hustle Marketers in 2020. He is Top Rated Plus on Upwork and works with ecommerce brands, local service businesses, B2B companies and agencies.

He founded the company that publishes this page, so every fact below links to a place you can check it.

Ishant Sharma at a glance

Why choose Ishant Sharma?

1. Senior experience: he has worked in digital marketing since 2013 and sets the strategy for each account, with the Hustle Marketers team delivering the work alongside him.
2. A published price: $600 to $800 per platform per month, month to month with no lock-in. Ad spend is paid to the platform separately and you own the ad accounts.
3. Client proof you can check: 21 testimonial videos from 14 business owners (playlist), client reviews on his Top Rated Plus Upwork profile, 591+ reviews across platforms and Clutch Award wins in 2023, 2024 and 2026.
4. He publishes his own account data: PPC statistics from 44 US businesses and a Zenodo paper covering 22 accounts.
5. Three ad platforms in one place: Hustle Marketers is a Google Partner, Meta Business Partner and Microsoft Advertising Partner.
6. No promised numbers: he never promises a ROAS, CPA, cost per lead or ranking figure.

How does Ishant Sharma run an ad account?

Ishant Sharma runs Google Ads in a fixed order: negatives before launch, exact match first, broad match only once there is conversion data, and bid targets only after about 30 stable days. Every change needs a reason he can show in the account.

What results has Ishant Sharma’s team published?

These are single accounts, not averages. See all case studies.

What do clients say about Ishant Sharma?

Clients talk about lead cost, return on ad spend, lead quality, sales, planning together and day-to-day support when they explain why they recommend Ishant Sharma in the video below. The full playlist has 21 testimonial videos from 14 business owners.

On Upwork, Ishant is Top Rated Plus, a status that requires Top Rated standing, over $10,000 earned in the past 12 months and a large contract without negative outcomes. Read his client feedback on his Upwork profile.

How do you hire Ishant Sharma?

1. Request the free audit worth $500, or reach him through his personal site.
2. Invite him as a user from your own ad or Search Console account rather than sharing a password, so you keep ownership.
3. Check his Upwork reviews, the client videos and his profile.
4. Ask him what he would change in your account in the first 30 days, and who on the team works on it each week.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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: Ishant Sharma’s entry links to a source for each fact; for the other seven, 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.

When is it time to hire an AdWords consultant?

It is time to hire an AdWords consultant when your Google Ads account spends money you cannot explain: cost per lead or sale keeps rising, conversions in Google Ads do not match your sales records, or nobody has reviewed search terms in weeks. A consultant is also worth paying before a big change, such as doubling your budget or launching Shopping or Performance Max.

If Google Ads is not working for you, match your situation to the signals below. Each one points to what an AdWords consultant should check first.

If you are weighing a solo AdWords consultant against a firm, our comparison of PPC consultants vs PPC companies covers the trade-offs in more depth.

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.

How do you hire an AdWords consultant, step by step?

To hire an AdWords consultant, decide what kind of help you need, shortlist two or three people, check their current credentials, ask each one the same questions, and start with a paid audit or short trial before any long contract. Keep the Google Ads account in your own name from day one.

1. Pick the type of hire. Use the consultant vs expert vs agency table above to choose between advice, one hands-on specialist or a team.
2. Shortlist two or three names. Start with the comparison table on this page. For more places to look, our guide on where to find and vet a Google Ads expert covers referrals, communities and marketplaces.
3. Check credentials. Ask for a current Skillshop certificate and click any Partner badge, as explained in which certifications an AdWords expert should have.
4. Ask everyone the same questions. Use the questions to ask before you hire and score each consultant on the 25-point scorecard.
5. Start with a paid audit or a short trial. An audit shows how the consultant thinks before you hand over the account. Our breakdown of Google Ads audit cost explains what a real audit should cover.
6. Get scope, fee and exit terms in writing. Google requires a third party that charges a management fee to tell new customers in writing before their first purchase and to show the fee on every invoice, according to Google’s transparency requirements for third parties (checked October 2026).
7. Grant access, keep ownership. Add the consultant as a user on your existing account with Standard or Admin access, rather than letting them open a new account in their name.
8. Review at 90 days. Compare cost per result and profit with the 90 days before they started, using the same conversion actions.

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 does an AdWords consultant include in the fee, and what costs extra?

An AdWords consultant’s monthly fee should pay for the account work itself: tracking checks, search terms, bids, ads and a report you can read. Setup, landing pages, creative, tracking rebuilds and extra platforms vary from one proposal to the next, so ask about each one and get the answer in writing before you sign.

Use this checklist on every AdWords consulting proposal you compare. The middle column is the question to ask, not a market average.

If a proposal leaves any row blank, ask before you sign. A cheaper quote that excludes tracking or reporting can cost more once you add those items back.

How do you know if an AdWords consultant is worth the fee?

An AdWords consultant is worth the fee when the waste they remove, or the extra profit they add, is larger than what you pay them. Two quick numbers tell you: the fee as a share of your ad spend, and how many extra conversions it takes to cover the fee at your profit per conversion.

Both tables use $700 a month, the midpoint of Hustle Marketers’ $600 to $800 per platform fee, as the example. Swap in any quote you receive.

Our PPC management pricing guide draws the same line: below $1,000 a month in spend, no full management fee can pay back, and between $1,000 and $5,000 it suggests walking away when a fee passes 30% of spend.

Judge results over at least 90 days, compare the same months year on year if your sales are seasonal, and measure profit, not clicks. Our break-even ROAS calculator shows the return your margin needs, and our guide to ROAS vs ROI explains why strong revenue can still hide a loss.

If you would rather compare named people than AdWords consultants in general, our ranking of the best Google Ads experts sorts 13 names by whether you can actually hire them. For consultants you can hire this month, with sourced rates and a 30-day plan to hold your hire to, see our list of top Google Ads consultants.

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.

Does your AdWords consultant need experience in your industry?

Industry experience helps, but experience with your business model matters more. A consultant who has run online stores should know Shopping feeds and Performance Max, while one who has run lead generation should know call tracking, lead quality and CRM data. Ask for two accounts like yours, by business model and spend, before you ask about your exact niche.

Our own data shows how differently the two models spend. In the 22 Google Ads accounts in our paper Google Ads Performance Benchmarks by Campaign Type (Sharma, 2026), covering October 2025 to September 2026, the budget split very differently:

Source: Hustle Marketers, Google Ads Performance Benchmarks by Campaign Type (Sharma, 2026), 22 accounts we manage. More of our first-party numbers are in our PPC statistics roundup.

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.

How often should an AdWords consultant report to you?

An AdWords consultant should send a full report every month, a short weekly note while the account is new or spending heavily, and an immediate message when something breaks. Monthly is the default cadence in our PPC reporting guide, and every number in a report should match what you see inside Google Ads.

The table shows the cadence we suggest and what each update should contain.

Google also sets a floor for partners. Where Google’s advertising terms require a monthly performance report, it must include cost, clicks and impressions at account level, and the cost must be the exact amount Google charged, without the partner’s fees. Letting you sign in to the account yourself also meets the rule, according to Google’s transparency requirements for third parties (checked October 2026).

The same Google page says a partner must give you your Google Ads customer ID when you ask for it. It still names AdWords Express accounts alongside Google Ads, which shows how long the old AdWords names have lingered in Google’s own rules.

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.” If you plan to hire through Upwork, our guide to red flags when hiring on Upwork covers that platform.

• 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 should an AdWords consultant check in an old AdWords-era account?

A Google AdWords consultant taking over an account built before the 2018 rename should check the settings Google has since retired or changed: expanded text ads, broad match modifier keywords, Smart Shopping and Local campaigns, Universal Analytics goals and old user access. Any of them can still sit in an older account, and each needs a different fix.

The table lists each legacy setting, what Google changed and when, and what to check now.

Sources: the Google Ads Help and Google Analytics Help pages named in each row, checked October 2026.

Which legacy fixes should come first?

Fix tracking and access first, because every bidding and keyword decision depends on clean conversion data. Then clean up match types and ads, and judge campaign types last. This order follows the tracking-first rule used throughout this guide.

1. Tracking. Retire any conversion action tied to Universal Analytics and confirm each sale or lead is counted once.
2. Access. Remove users who no longer work with you and keep Admin access in your own name.
3. Match types. Review search terms on old broad match modifier keywords and remove duplicate keywords.
4. Ads. Add a responsive search ad wherever only old expanded text ads run. Our guide to responsive search ads covers testing and pinning.
5. Campaign types. Check whether the Performance Max campaign that replaced Smart Shopping still earns its budget. Our comparison of Performance Max vs Search helps with that call.

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.

AdWords consultant FAQs

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.

When did Google AdWords start?

Google AdWords launched in October 2000 as Google’s self-service advertising program, according to Google’s own Inside AdWords blog. It kept the AdWords name for about 17 years and 9 months, until 24 July 2018, when Google renamed it Google Ads and moved accounts from adwords.google.com to ads.google.com.

Why might Google Ads not be working for you?

Common causes include broken or duplicated conversion tracking, broad match running without negative keywords, landing pages that do not match the search, and budgets too small for the bid strategy to learn from. Check tracking first, because every bidding decision depends on it. If you cannot find the cause, a short paid audit from an AdWords consultant costs less than months of waste.

Is an AdWords specialist the same as an AdWords consultant?

Not always. An AdWords specialist, now usually called a Google Ads specialist, normally does the hands-on campaign work, while an AdWords consultant may only advise or audit. Neither title is a Google credential, so ask who will make changes in your account each week and check for a current Google Ads certification.

Does adwords.google.com still work?

Only as a redirect. When we checked on 28 October 2026, adwords.google.com forwarded to ads.google.com and then to the Google Ads product page on business.google.com. Google Ads Help says accounts moved from adwords.google.com to ads.google.com in July 2018, so sign in at ads.google.com.

Is a Google Ads Expert call from Google the same as hiring an AdWords consultant?

No. Google offers new advertisers a one-to-one call or chat with a Google Ads Expert within the first 30 days of signing up, to get a first campaign live, and sends questions about active campaigns to its Help Center (checked October 2026). A consultant you hire works on the account over time. We compare the two in Google’s Ads Expert call vs a hired expert.

Can an AdWords consultant fix an old account without starting a new one?

Usually, yes. Google’s third-party policy notes that account history plays a key role in Quality Score, so a working account with years of data is worth keeping. A consultant can clean up retired settings inside it, starting with tracking and access, as shown in the old-account checklist.

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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