Paid Search Services: What’s Included, Costs and How to Choose

Paid search services are the work of planning, building and managing ads that show on search engines like Google and Bing when people search for what you sell. A provider handles keyword research, campaign setup, ad copy, bidding, conversion tracking and reporting, and you pay a management fee on top of the ad spend that goes to the platform.

This guide is for business owners and marketing managers comparing paid search advertising services. It covers what a good service includes on Google Ads and Microsoft Ads, how providers price the work, and a scorecard you can use on any provider, including us.

Disclosure: Hustle Marketers publishes this guide and sells paid search management. Market price ranges below come from other dated sources, and our own price is labeled as ours.

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Quick Answer: what are paid search services?

Paid search services are managed advertising programs on search engines, mainly Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising. The provider sets up tracking, chooses keywords, writes ads, manages bids and budgets, and reports on leads or sales. You pay the platform for clicks and pay the provider a fee, usually flat, a percentage of spend, or a mix.

This summary table shows the parts of a paid search service and what to expect from each.

If you are new to the topic, our guide to what PPC is and how it works covers the basics. This page focuses on buying the service.

What do paid search advertising services include?

Paid search advertising services include eight core jobs: conversion tracking, keyword research, negative keywords, campaign builds, ad copy, bidding and budgets, landing page advice, and reporting. A complete service runs these on Google Ads and Microsoft Ads. If a proposal lists only “campaign management”, ask which of the eight are in the fee.

The table below lists each component, how it differs by platform, and the proof to ask for. Proof matters because most service pages list the same words, and the work behind them varies a lot.

Two parts decide most results: tracking and negatives. Without accurate conversions, smart bidding learns from the wrong signal. Our Google Ads conversion tracking guide shows what a correct setup looks like, and our negative keywords guide covers list building.

Watch for what is not included. Common extras quoted separately are landing page builds, Shopping feed management, call tracking software and creative production. Ask for a written scope with each item marked in or out.

Which campaign types should a paid search service manage?

A paid search service should manage Search campaigns first, then Shopping and Performance Max if you sell products. Google Search campaigns now include AI Max options, and Dynamic Search Ads are being upgraded into AI Max. Microsoft Advertising offers matching Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns, so one strategy can run on both platforms.

This table shows which campaign types suit which business.

Source for the DSA change: Google Ads blog, updated 11 June 2026. For the current state of DSA setups, see our Dynamic Search Ads guide.

How much do paid search services cost?

Paid search services cost a management fee plus your ad spend. In 2026, published market ranges put management at about $500 to $5,000+ a month flat (Clicks Geek), or 10% to 20% of monthly ad spend (OuterBox), with setup fees of $500 to $5,000 at some providers. Hustle Marketers charges $600 to $800 per platform per month.

Pricing models compared

This table compares the four common pricing models for paid search marketing services, with dated sources.

These are agency-published figures, not audited surveys. Treat them as planning ranges and compare scope, not only price.

What do providers charge at different ad spend levels?

Management fees climb with ad spend because larger accounts have more campaigns, more tests and more reporting. OuterBox publishes these planning ranges, updated 13 October 2026, in its PPC management pricing guide.

Is a percentage of ad spend or a flat fee better?

A flat fee is usually better for small and mid-size budgets, because the fee does not grow just because spend grows. A percentage of spend can cost less on a small budget, but it gives the provider a reason to recommend higher budgets. Our PPC management pricing guide walks through the break-even math.

Here is an illustrative example, not a quote. Assume $4,000 a month on Google Ads and $1,000 on Microsoft Ads.

• 15% of spend: 15% of $5,000 is $750 a month, and it rises to $1,500 if spend doubles.
• Flat per platform at our rate: two platforms at $600 to $800 each is $1,200 to $1,600 a month, and it stays the same if spend doubles.
• Single platform: if Microsoft Ads is not worth managing yet, one platform at $600 to $800 is the cost.

The lesson: at small budgets, compare total cost against scope. At growing budgets, ask what happens to the fee when spend rises. To size the ad budget itself, the Google Ads budget calculator and CPC calculator help.

How much ad spend do you need?

Ad spend depends on your cost per click and how many leads you need. The 2026 LocaliQ benchmarks put the average search cost per click at $5.42 and the average cost per lead at $66.69 across industries, with legal at $9.87 per click and business services at $5.87 (LocaliQ, updated 1 Jun 2026). At $5.42 a click, $3,000 buys roughly 550 clicks before any optimization.

Should paid search services include Microsoft Ads?

Yes, for most US advertisers once Google Ads is tracking conversions well. Bing held 9.84% of US search across all devices in September 2026, ahead of Yahoo at 2.64% and DuckDuckGo at 1.75% (StatCounter). Microsoft search ads can also appear on Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia.

The network list comes from Microsoft Learn (updated June 2026). A good paid search management service treats Microsoft Ads as its own account with its own checks, not a copy of Google.

Sources: Google Import details from Microsoft Advertising, which notes that not every setting imports the same way. LinkedIn profile targeting works in Search, Dynamic Search Ads, Shopping, Audience and Performance Max campaigns (Microsoft Learn, updated 27 Jul 2026).

Ask any provider how they handle syndicated search partners. Our guide on excluding Microsoft syndicated search partners explains the checks, and our Bing Ads agency page covers Microsoft-only management.

Where do Bing paid search ads show, and what can you switch off?

Bing paid search ads show on Bing results, on syndicated partners such as Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia, inside Copilot responses, and on audience placements such as MSN and Outlook.com. You can narrow partner traffic and exclude websites, but Microsoft does not let you opt out of Copilot.

Each placement needs a different control, so a paid search service should tell you which settings it uses for each one. The table below sums up what Microsoft’s own help pages say you can and cannot change in a Search campaign.

Sources: Microsoft Learn, About ads in Copilot, ad distribution settings and the Microsoft Advertising Network (all updated 19 Jun 2026); Microsoft Advertising Support answers on Microsoft Q&A (Jan 2026, Aug 2026).

Two limits are worth knowing. The “Microsoft sites and select traffic” option still includes Bing, MSN and Outlook.com, and the select partner sites it adds are reported in aggregate, so you cannot see them domain by domain. Microsoft also says it does not yet report Copilot ads as their own metric, so judge them through overall Search results.

What results can Microsoft Ads add to a paid search program?

Microsoft Ads can add profitable sales on top of Google Ads when its feed, tracking and campaigns are managed as a separate account. In one Hustle Marketers account, an epoxy flooring brand earned US$189,561.04 in revenue from US$17,476.19 of Microsoft Ads spend between 1 March and 15 August 2026, a 10.8x return on ad spend.

The work behind that result was standard paid search management. The product catalog was connected to Microsoft’s merchant center, Shopping and Search were split by intent, and a Best Sellers Shopping campaign was built around the top products. The brand kept running Google Ads, so Microsoft Ads was an added channel, not a replacement.

Results depend on the account, the offer and the market, so treat this as one real example rather than a forecast. Read the full epoxy flooring Microsoft Ads case study, or Get Free Audit Worth $500 to have your own Microsoft Ads placements checked.

How do you evaluate a paid search management company?

Evaluate a paid search management company on ownership, tracking, transparency and who does the work, not on badges alone. Score each provider on the ten checks below. A strong provider passes at least eight and explains the rest. Any provider that guarantees the top spot fails outright, because Google’s policy bans that claim.

Use this numbered scorecard in your sales calls. Give one point for each clear yes.

1. You own the accounts. The Google Ads and Microsoft Ads accounts are in your business name, with Admin access for you.
2. Fees are separate from spend. The management fee is shown in writing and on invoices apart from platform costs, as Google’s third-party policy requires.
3. Tracking is checked first. They audit conversion actions before they change bids or budgets.
4. You see the change history. They welcome you checking the account’s change history. Our PPC management services guide explains this test.
5. A named person runs your account. You know who makes the changes and how many accounts they handle.
6. Microsoft Ads is assessed. They tell you whether Microsoft Ads fits your market and why.
7. Reports show platform cost. Reports include Google-specific cost, clicks and conversions, not only blended totals.
8. The contract lets you leave. Month to month or a short notice period, with no fee to get your account back.
9. The scope is written. Every item from the services table is marked in or out.
10. No guaranteed rankings. They give targets and ranges, never a guaranteed position or result.

This table pairs common sales-call questions with a good answer and a red flag.

Google’s third-party policy lists “guaranteeing top placement on Google” as a prohibited claim and requires agencies to give you your customer ID on request.

What does Google Partner or Microsoft Partner status mean?

Google Partner status means the company meets a 70% optimization score, $10,000 in ad spend across managed accounts over 90 days, and certification for at least half of its account strategists. Premier Partners are the top 3% of participating companies in a country (Google Ads Help). Microsoft runs Partner, Select Partner and Elite Partner tiers (Microsoft Advertising, Feb 2026).

A badge shows minimum spend and training. It does not show how well your account will be run, so use the scorecard as well.

What should you ask a paid search agency about Microsoft Ads?

Ask a paid search agency how it controls syndicated partners and audience placements, how it handles Copilot, who will own the account, and how Microsoft Ads is priced. Clear, specific answers show the agency runs Microsoft Ads as its own platform rather than a copy of your Google Ads account.

• Which ad distribution setting will you use, and how often will you review the Website URL (publisher) report?
• How will you limit spend on MSN, Outlook.com and other audience placements in Search campaigns?
• Will our search ads carry a logo for Copilot, and how will you judge Copilot traffic without separate reporting?
• Will the account be created in our name and linked to you, or under your manager account?
• Is Microsoft Ads priced as a separate platform, and what does that fee cover?

Who owns your ad account when you hire a provider?

You should own your ad account. In Google Ads, a provider usually links your account to its manager account. A client account can have one owner manager, but the client account keeps ownership of its data and can remove the provider by unlinking (Google Ads Help). Insist on your own Admin user.

Google Ads has five access levels (Google Ads Help):

• Admin: full access, including adding and removing users. Keep this for your business.
• Standard: can edit campaigns and run reports, but cannot manage users. Enough for most providers.
• Read-only: can view campaigns, billing and reports without editing.
• Email-only: receives notifications and reports only.
• Billing: manages payment methods and billing reports.

If a provider pays Google on your behalf, billing sits with their manager account. Moving to a new agency then needs a billing transfer, which the new agency has 7 days to approve (Google Ads Help). Our PPC reporting guide covers why account access matters for honest reporting.

Who owns your Microsoft Ads account when an agency manages it?

You own your Microsoft Advertising account when you create it yourself and link the agency as a direct manager. The agency then builds campaigns, sets bids and manages budgets. You can still sign in and edit the account at any time. Microsoft recommends a separate account linked to the agency over one the agency creates under its own manager account.

The reason is practical. Microsoft says an account created under an agency’s manager account cannot be unlinked from that agency. If you change providers, you would have to rebuild it. Use these four steps when you hire a paid search service for Microsoft Ads:

1. Create the account in your business name and keep the Super Admin login. Only a Super Admin can accept a link request.
2. Accept the agency’s link request within 30 days, or Microsoft declines it automatically.
3. Decide before linking whether you pay Microsoft directly or the agency becomes the bill-to customer and invoices you.
4. To end the relationship, unlink the agency under Settings, then Direct managers, either immediately or on a date you choose.

Source: Microsoft Learn, How to have an agency manage your Microsoft Advertising account (updated 19 Jun 2026). At Hustle Marketers, the client owns every ad account on Google and Microsoft alike.

What changed in paid search in 2026?

Three Google changes affect what a paid search service must manage in 2026: AI Max for Search campaigns, the Dynamic Search Ads upgrade, and ads in AI Overviews. Each widens where and when your ads can show, which makes search term reviews and negative keywords more important than they were a year ago.

Sources: Google Ads blog (updated 11 Jun 2026) and About ads and AI Overviews. Google says English ads within AI Overviews are available in 12 countries, including the US.

How long do paid search services take to work?

Paid search services start sending traffic as soon as ads are approved, but steady results take longer. Google says a bid strategy usually needs 1 to 2 conversion cycles to calibrate after a change, and longer with low conversion volume (Google Ads Help). Judge a new provider on the first full quarter, not the first week.

A realistic timeline looks like this:

1. Weeks 1 to 2: tracking audit, search term review, negative lists, structure fixes.
2. Weeks 3 to 6: new or rebuilt campaigns live, ad tests running, early cost per lead data.
3. Months 2 to 3: bid strategy settles, budget moves toward what converts, Microsoft Ads added if it fits.

Should you hire a provider or run paid search yourself?

Hire a provider when the time you would spend learning and managing paid search costs more than the fee, or when spend is high enough that mistakes are expensive. Run it yourself when budgets are very small and you can review search terms every week. The table below matches the option to the situation.

Our PPC agency vs in-house comparison runs the cost math for each option.

How we run a new paid search account

We run a new paid search account tracking first, exact match first, and negatives first. These are habits from Ishant Sharma’s Google Ads and Microsoft Ads work since 2013. They keep early spend on searches that match the offer while the account builds conversion data.

1. Verify tracking before spend scales. We confirm each primary conversion fires once and is counted correctly.
2. Start on exact match. Broad match works best once an account already has conversion data. Exact terms cost more per click, but the traffic matches the offer.
3. Build negatives at account level. We keep shared negative lists at account level so a gap in one campaign does not leak spend.
4. Open up match types later. When we move to broad match, the negative list is built upfront in phrase and exact, not after waste appears.
5. Add Microsoft Ads with checks. We import from Google, then review settings, partner traffic and LinkedIn targeting on their own.

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

Common paid search mistakes to avoid

The most common paid search mistakes are tracking the wrong conversions, running broad match without negatives, sending ads to a generic homepage, and leaving accounts on autopilot. Each one wastes budget quietly, because the platform still spends the money and reports clicks.

• Counting the wrong conversions: page views or duplicate form fires teach bidding to chase junk.
• Broad match with no negatives: ads show for jobs, free tools and unrelated searches.
• Generic landing pages: the ad promises one thing and the page talks about everything.
• Reading Quality Score as a bid lever: Google calls Quality Score a 1 to 10 diagnostic and says it is not an input in the ad auction (Google Ads Help). Improve the parts behind it: expected click-through rate, ad relevance and landing page experience.
• Set and forget: no weekly search term review once AI Max or broad match is on.

Why businesses choose Hustle Marketers for paid search

Hustle Marketers manages Google Ads and Microsoft Ads for ecommerce, local service, SaaS and agency clients. The founder, Ishant Sharma, has worked in Google Ads, Microsoft Ads and SEO since 2013, and the company was founded in 2020. Our delivery team is in Zirakpur, India, and we work with clients worldwide.

• Price: PPC management at $600 to $800 per platform per month, month to month.
• Ownership: you own the ad accounts, Search Console, GA4 and your data.
• Partner status: Google Partner, Meta Business Partner and Microsoft Advertising Partner.
• Reviews: 591+ reviews across Google, Trustpilot, Clutch, G2, DesignRush, Upwork and other platforms, and Clutch Award wins in 2023, 2024 and 2026.
• Open tools: free tools on our tools page and open-source SEO and Google Ads code on GitHub.

For managed paid search, see our PPC management services, our PPC agency page or our Google Ads agency page. If you are weighing paid search against SEO, our search engine marketing agency guide explains how the two fit.

Paid search services FAQ

Is paid search the same as PPC?

Paid search is PPC advertising on search engines. PPC (pay per click) is the payment model, where you pay when someone clicks. PPC also covers social and display ads, so paid search is the search engine part of PPC. SEM (search engine marketing) is used for paid search alone or for paid search plus SEO, depending on who you ask.

Are paid search services only for large businesses?

No. Google Ads and Microsoft Ads let you set your own daily budget, so small local businesses can run paid search. The question is whether the budget buys enough clicks to learn from. At the 2026 average of $5.42 per click, a small budget gets limited data, so narrow keywords and tight locations matter more.

What is a negative keyword?

A negative keyword stops your ads from showing for searches that contain it. For example, a paid tool might add “free” as a negative. We prefer shared negative lists at account level, so a missed term in one campaign does not waste spend.

Do paid search services include landing pages?

Most include landing page recommendations, but not always design and build. Ask whether the fee covers page copy, design, development and testing, or only advice. Landing page experience is one of the three parts of Google’s Quality Score, so the page matters as much as the ad.

What happens to my ad account if I cancel?

If the account is in your name with your own Admin access, you keep it, along with its history, when the provider leaves. You remove the provider by unlinking its manager account. If the provider owns the account or pays Google for you, agree the handover and billing transfer in writing before you sign.

Do I need a Google Premier Partner agency?

Not necessarily. Premier status ranks companies on factors such as growth, retention and annual spend across all clients. That favors larger agencies. A smaller Google Partner can serve you well if it passes the ten-point scorecard above.

How much should a small business spend on paid search?

Start from the cost per lead you can afford and the number of leads you need. If you need 20 leads at $60 each, plan around $1,200 a month in ad spend before fees, then adjust from real data. The Google Ads budget calculator runs this math for you.

Are Bing Ads and Microsoft Ads the same thing?

Yes. Bing Ads is the older name many advertisers still use for Microsoft Advertising, the platform that runs search ads on Bing and on partner sites such as Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia. A paid search service that offers “Bing Ads management” is managing your Microsoft Advertising account (Microsoft Learn).

Does adding Microsoft Ads increase the cost of paid search services?

It depends on how the provider prices its work. Hustle Marketers charges $600 to $800 per platform per month, month to month, so Microsoft Ads is a second platform fee on top of Google Ads. Your ad spend on each platform is separate from the management fee.

How do I see which websites my Microsoft Ads appeared on?

Run the Website URL (publisher) report from the Reports page in Microsoft Advertising. It shows the partner sites that served your ads, so you can add weak sites to your website exclusions. Select partner traffic under the “Microsoft sites and select traffic” option is reported in aggregate, so those sites do not appear one by one (Microsoft Learn).

Want a second opinion on your paid search account?

If you already pay for paid search services, we will review your Google Ads or Microsoft Ads account against the scorecard on this page: ownership, tracking, negatives, structure and fees. You get a written list of what we would fix first.

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How we created this guide: we read the pages ranking for paid search services in the US, checked every platform rule against Google and Microsoft documentation, and took price ranges only from dated, published sources. A person fact-checked the guide before publishing.