Top Google Ads Consultants: Who to Hire, What They Charge and How to Vet Them

The top Google Ads consultants are Ishant Sharma, Chris Schaeffer, Jason Rothman, Jake Lett, Jyll Saskin Gales, Kirk Williams and Isaac Rudansky. Ishant Sharma ranks first for businesses that want one senior specialist with a published price, no lock-in and client proof they can check. Choose one by the work you need (audit, coaching or management), a published price, facts you can check on their own site, and admin access kept in your business’s name.

Disclosure: Ishant Sharma, listed first, founded Hustle Marketers, which publishes this list. Nobody paid to be listed.

Entries 2 to 7 run from solo consultants to larger teams, so that order is not a quality ranking. We checked every fact about the other consultants on their own websites on November 8, 2026.

Key Observations

• Market rates depend on where you hire. Upwork lists Google Ads experts at a median $15 to $40 an hour (Upwork), while most PPC agencies on Clutch charge $100 to $149 an hour (Clutch).
• Two consultants on this list publish an hourly price: Chris Schaeffer charges $400 for a one-hour consulting session (his site) and Jyll Saskin Gales charges US$475 for a one-hour coaching call (her site).
• Google says you have a right to know the clicks, impressions and total cost of your ads (Google advertiser guide), and any fee on top must be disclosed in writing (Google transparency requirements).
• A Google Ads client account can only have one owner. If a consultant’s manager account creates your account, that manager becomes the owner, so create it yourself (Google Ads Help).
• Google Partner is a company badge. Certifications belong to individuals, need a score of 80% or more and last one year (Google Ads Help).

In this guide

• The top Google Ads consultants
• Why choose Ishant Sharma
• How we chose them
• What consultants charge
• Consultant vs agency vs freelancer
• Where to find a consultant and how to hire
• How to vet a consultant
• Account ownership and access
• What consulting includes
• The first 30 days
• Measuring ROI and ROAS
• What changed in 2026
• FAQs

The table compares the seven Google Ads consultants on the facts each one publishes. Tap a name to jump to the full entry.

Who are the top Google Ads consultants?

The top Google Ads consultants, by facts they publish themselves, are Ishant Sharma, then Chris Schaeffer, Jason Rothman, Jake Lett, Jyll Saskin Gales, Kirk Williams and Isaac Rudansky. Ishant Sharma’s entry is the longest because it is the only one where we can show account methods, data and client proof first hand. Each entry covers who they are, where they work from, what they offer, who they suit, the price if published and how to engage.

1. Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma is a Google Ads consultant based in Zirakpur, India, who has worked in digital marketing since 2013 and founded Hustle Marketers in 2020. His clients are ecommerce brands, local service businesses, B2B companies and agencies, and Upwork rates him Top Rated Plus.

Ishant Sharma is our first pick for a business that wants one senior specialist responsible for its account, at a published monthly price, with no lock-in and the ad accounts kept in the business’s own name. Because he founded the company that publishes this page, every fact below links to a place you can check it.

Ishant Sharma at a glance

Why choose Ishant Sharma as your Google Ads consultant?

Choose Ishant Sharma for seven reasons you can check before you sign anything:

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 with no lock-in. Management costs $600 to $800 per platform per month, month to month (service details). Compare that with the market ranges in our cost section.
3. You keep your account. You own the ad accounts and pay Google directly, which is what Google recommends in our ownership section.
4. Client proof you can watch and read. There are 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.
5. He publishes his own account data. His PPC statistics and his Zenodo paper give medians from real accounts, so you can compare your numbers before you hire anyone.
6. Three ad platforms in one place. Hustle Marketers is a Google Partner, Meta Business Partner and Microsoft Advertising Partner, so Google Ads, Microsoft Ads and Meta Ads can run under one plan.
7. No promised numbers. He never promises a ROAS, CPA or cost per lead figure. Anyone who does is showing one of the red flags covered below.

How does Ishant Sharma run a Google Ads 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.

Two accounts show the method in practice. For a US heating and air conditioning company whose Google Ads his team runs as the white label partner of another agency, the account runs Search split into brand, repair and non-branded campaigns, plus Performance Max and Local Services Ads. Both agencies work in the same account, so the teams keep one shared, dated change log and agree who owns which campaigns. Nobody changes bids or budgets without the other side knowing.

For a B2B manufacturer his team works with under NDA, Google Ads runs a top-of-funnel Search campaign and a custom Performance Max campaign. The paid campaigns show which search terms turn into real inquiries, and those terms then decide which SEO pages to build while the ads keep running. The client said which buyer types it does not serve, and those went into the negatives. Agencies that want this kind of partner can read about our white label PPC service.

What results has Ishant Sharma’s team published?

Ishant Sharma’s team has published case studies with results such as 5.41x ROAS in a cake brand’s first 30 days and 9x ROAS on an ecommerce store’s top campaigns (all case studies). Each figure below is stated in the linked case study.

These are single accounts, not averages. Ask any consultant for a case study in your own industry, and check how much of the result came from brand search, as our ROAS check explains. See all of our case studies.

What account data does Ishant Sharma publish?

Ishant Sharma publishes benchmark data from the accounts his team manages, with the sample, dates and method stated:

• Across 44 US businesses, the median Google Search cost per click was $3.18 from September 11, 2025 to September 10, 2026: $1.63 in ecommerce and $9.72 in home services and construction (PPC statistics).
• Search partners delivered 3.0% of clicks inside Google Search campaigns, at a 3.33% click-through rate against 11.17% on Google Search itself (PPC statistics).
• In 22 accounts from October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026, median ecommerce ROAS was 16.44x on brand Search and 3.09x on non-brand Search (Sharma, 2026). The paper says these figures describe that portfolio, not the wider market.

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. Our section on where to find a consultant explains what Upwork badges do and do not prove.

What does Ishant Sharma charge?

Ishant Sharma’s Google Ads management, delivered through Hustle Marketers, costs $600 to $800 per platform per month, month to month with no lock-in. Ad spend is paid to Google separately and you own the ad accounts. You can start with a free audit worth $500 before agreeing to monthly management. For comparison, Clutch lists most PPC agencies at $100 to $149 an hour, and two consultants below publish one-hour prices of $400 and US$475.

Who should hire Ishant Sharma, and who should look elsewhere?

How do you hire Ishant Sharma?

1. Request the free audit worth $500, or read about the Google Ads consultant service. You can also reach him through his personal site.
2. Invite him as a user from your own Google Ads account rather than sharing a password, as set out in how to give access.
3. Check his Upwork reviews, the client videos and his profile.
4. Ask him: what would you test in my account in the first 30 days, and who on the team works in my account each week?

2. Chris Schaeffer

Chris Schaeffer is a freelance Google Ads consultant and manager. His site says he started working on AdWords accounts in 2003. He sets up new accounts, manages Search, Display, Video and Shopping campaigns, and offers one-to-one coaching.

• Based in: Dallas, Texas, according to his site’s page title.
• Published price: consulting sessions cost $400 for one hour. Management is listed at $600, and the page does not state the billing period (chrisschaeffer.com).
• Terms: no contracts, cancel anytime, and you keep full control of your account.
• Best for: small businesses that want one person and a published price.
• How to engage: book a session or a 15-minute call on chrisschaeffer.com.
• Ask him: is the $600 management fee monthly, and what does it include?

3. Jason Rothman (Rothman PPC)

Jason Rothman runs Rothman PPC and says he has specialized in Google Ads since 2014. He builds Search and Performance Max campaigns, tracks calls and form submissions, and reviews lead quality, because not every call or form fill is a real lead.

• Based in: not stated on his site. He says he works with businesses across the United States and internationally.
• Terms: month-to-month management.
• Published price: not published.
• Best for: law firms, medical and dental practices and home service companies. His site names legal work, especially personal injury and bankruptcy, as a main specialty.
• How to engage: contact him through rothmanppc.com.
• Ask him: how do you separate qualified leads from spam calls and form fills?

4. Jake Lett (Bootstrap Creative)

Jake Lett founded Bootstrap Creative and manages its Google Ads accounts himself. His service page says he has run Google Ads for industrial B2B manufacturers for more than ten years. The work includes tracking that separates real requests for quote from other form fills, and offline conversion imports where the CRM allows.

• Based in: Clinton Township, Michigan.
• Published price: a flat monthly fee based on scope, not a percentage of ad spend. No dollar figure is published (Bootstrap Creative).
• Ownership: his FAQ says the account, the conversion tracking and the landing pages belong to the client.
• Best for: industrial B2B manufacturers such as metal fabrication, OEM suppliers and injection molding firms.
• How to engage: request a free consult on his Google Ads management page.
• Ask him: which form fills will you count as conversions?

5. Jyll Saskin Gales

Jyll Saskin Gales is a Google Ads coach who says she worked at Google for 6 years. She offers one-to-one coaching, custom team workshops and account audits, plus the courses Inside Google Ads and Google Ads for Beginners. She does not manage accounts: “I don’t run an agency or manage campaigns.”

• Based in: not stated on her site.
• Published price: US$475 for a one-hour coaching call, with 10% off when you buy 5 or more hours (jyll.ca).
• Best for: in-house marketers, freelancers and agencies that run their own accounts and want expert review.
• How to engage: book on her Google Ads coaching page. On November 8, 2026, the page listed November 2026 as her earliest availability for new clients.
• Ask her: what should we prepare before the call?

6. Kirk Williams (ZATO)

Kirk Williams owns ZATO, a paid search agency with six employees. He has worked in digital marketing since 2009 and wrote the books Ponderings of a PPC Professional and Stop the Scale. His site says PPC Hero (now PPCSurvey) has named him one of the Top 25 Most Influential PPCers ten years in a row.

• Based in: Billings, Montana.
• What ZATO offers: Google Ads management with an ecommerce focus, on month-to-month contracts.
• Published price: not published.
• Best for: ecommerce brands that want a small specialist team.
• How to engage: request a free consultation on zatomarketing.com.
• Ask him: who on the team would run my account day to day?

7. Isaac Rudansky (AdVenture Media)

Isaac Rudansky founded AdVenture Media in 2012, and Patrick Gilbert is its CEO. The agency runs paid search, paid social and creative for brands including Forbes, AMC Networks and Hanes. Isaac’s Udemy Google Ads course has taught thousands of students (AdVenture instructor page).

• Based in: offices in Woodmere, New York, Philadelphia and Fort Lauderdale.
• What AdVenture offers: Google Ads, Meta advertising, creative, CRO testing, and consulting and training.
• Terms: its FAQ says month to month, cancel anytime. No price is published.
• A result it publishes: AdVenture’s own case study reports a 302% year-over-year increase in paid subscriptions for AMC Networks’ Sundance Now. That work covered several channels, including Google Ads, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, and the page gives no dates.
• Best for: larger brands that want an agency team rather than one consultant.
• How to engage: use the Get a Proposal form on adventuremedia.ai.
• Ask them: who will manage my account day to day, and how senior are they?

Looking for people to learn from rather than hire? Our list of 12 Google Ads experts to learn from covers practitioners and thought leaders. Our AdWords experts and consultants list covers people who started in the AdWords era.

How did we choose these Google Ads consultants?

We chose Google Ads consultants who offer audits, coaching or management to businesses today, and whose claims we could check on their own website on November 8, 2026. We left out results that the consultant does not publish, and nobody paid to appear. Ishant Sharma is listed first. He founded Hustle Marketers, which publishes this page, and his entry is the only one where we can show account methods, data and client proof first hand.

1. They offer Google Ads work to businesses now, not only courses or software.
2. Every fact on this page appears on their own website or official profile.
3. They state an engagement model: audit, coaching, management or a mix.
4. A published price counts in their favor, but it is not required.
5. We include a result only when the consultant publishes it, and we name the source.

We removed three names from the earlier version of this page because we could not confirm a current consulting offer or the results we had listed. Comparing agencies instead? Use our 12-point Google Ads agency scorecard.

How much do Google Ads consultants charge?

Google Ads consultants charge by the hour, by the month or by the project, and you pay ad spend to Google separately. Market ranges run from a median $15 to $40 an hour for Google Ads experts on Upwork to $100 to $149 an hour at most PPC agencies listed on Clutch, according to each site’s own pricing page.

The Upwork and Clutch figures are market ranges, not our prices. Clutch bases its figures on verified client reviews of PPC agencies. Upwork calls its figures median hourly rates and does not explain the method.

Among the consultants on our list, Chris Schaeffer charges $400 for a one-hour session and Jyll Saskin Gales charges US$475 for a one-hour coaching call. The others quote after a call. For PPC consultant rates beyond Google Ads, see our guide to PPC consultant rates.

Hourly, retainer, percentage of spend or flat fee: which pricing model fits?

Pick the pricing model that matches the job. Hourly or per-session pricing suits audits and coaching. A monthly flat fee suits ongoing management. A percentage of ad spend is common at agencies, but the fee then grows with your budget even when the work does not.

Whatever the model, Google requires third parties to disclose any fee on top of Google costs in writing before your first purchase and on every invoice (Google transparency requirements). Our PPC management pricing guide compares the models in more depth.

What will you pay for clicks on top of the consultant’s fee?

Your click costs come on top of any fee. Across 44 US businesses Hustle Marketers manages, our PPC statistics show a median Google Search cost per click of $3.18 from September 11, 2025 to September 10, 2026. It was $1.63 in ecommerce and $9.72 in home services and construction.

Among 30 US businesses we managed in both periods, Google Search CPC rose in 19 and fell in 11, comparing September 2024 to September 2025 with the following 12 months. That was a median 17% rise, from $2.27 to $3.04 a click (method notes). These figures cover Google Search only, from our own accounts. So compare consultants on the fee plus the click cost you expect, not the fee alone.

Google Ads consultant vs agency vs freelancer: which should you hire?

Hire a Google Ads consultant for senior judgment on one focused account, an agency when you need a team across channels and creative, and a freelancer for defined tasks at a lower hourly rate. Whichever you choose, create the ad account in your business’s name and invite them, so ownership stays with you.

For a deeper comparison, read PPC consultant vs PPC agency, our agency vs in-house cost math, and our guide to hiring a freelance Google Ads specialist.

When do you not need a Google Ads consultant?

You may not need a Google Ads consultant yet if the basics behind the ads are not ready. A consultant cannot fix an offer nobody wants, and paying a fee too early wastes money you could spend on the page or the tracking.

• The offer or landing page is not ready, so clicks have nowhere useful to go.
• Conversion tracking is missing and nobody can set it up first.
• Spend is so small that any monthly fee would take most of the budget.
• You need a one-off setup, which a project fee or one coaching session can cover.
• Someone in-house has the time and only wants a second opinion. A coaching call, or a self-check with our Google Ads audit checklist, may be enough.

Is Google’s free Google Ads Expert the same as a consultant?

No. Google’s Google Ads Experts help new advertisers launch, while a consultant audits and runs a live account over time. Google offers new US advertisers a one-to-one call or chat within the first 30 days of signing up. For questions about an active campaign, Google sends you to its Help Center (Google Ads Experts page).

Google’s Canadian page describes this help as offered at no cost (Google Canada). Use the call to launch, then hire help once the account has data to judge.

Where can you find Google Ads consultants?

You can find Google Ads consultants on freelance marketplaces such as Upwork, in review directories such as Clutch, through Google Partner badges and the Google Ads Help Community, on consultants’ own websites, and through referrals. Each channel lets you check different facts, so confirm the important ones in at least two places before you hire.

Hiring on Upwork? Read our list of red flags when hiring on Upwork before you send an offer.

How do you hire a Google Ads consultant?

Hire a Google Ads consultant in seven steps, from a written brief to Standard access. The order matters, because a candidate should prove their judgment on a Read-only audit before they can change anything.

1. Write down the job: audit, coaching or management, your monthly spend and your main goal, such as leads or sales.
2. Shortlist three consultants whose offer fits that job, using the comparison table above.
3. Check credentials at the source. Certifications are personal, Partner badges belong to companies, and Upwork badges have published rules.
4. Ask the questions in the questions table and note how specific each answer is.
5. Give your top choice Read-only access for an audit, so they can review the account without changing it.
6. Agree the scope, fees, reporting and notice period in writing. Google tells advertisers to get an official copy of the agreement (Google advertiser guide).
7. Switch the consultant to Standard access to start work, and keep Admin with your business.

Is it safe to hire a Google Ads consultant from another country?

Yes, if the account stays in your name and the scope is in writing. Check the time zone overlap for calls and urgent fixes. Pay ad spend from your own payment method and give Standard access, not Admin.

Hustle Marketers’ delivery team is in Zirakpur, India and works with clients worldwide. Our clients own their ad accounts and pay ad spend to the platform directly, so the account stays with them if the work ends.

How do you vet a Google Ads consultant before hiring?

To vet a Google Ads consultant, check each credential at Google’s own source, ask for a recorded walkthrough of an account they run, and test their answers on tracking and reporting. Then confirm they follow Google’s third-party rules. Reliable consultants put fees in writing, share cost data and never ask for your password.

What do Google Partner badges and Google Ads certifications prove?

A Google Ads certification proves an individual passed a Google test in the past year. The Google Partner badge proves a company met Google’s spend, optimization and certification rules. Neither proves the person on your account has run one like yours, and Google says you may only call yourself certified if you passed the test personally.

Hustle Marketers is a Google Partner, Meta Business Partner and Microsoft Advertising Partner, not a Premier Partner. Check any badge yourself: Google says a certified company’s badge links to its Google profile page (Google advertiser guide). Claiming Partner status without authorization breaks Google’s policy on false claims (Google Ads policy).

What does Google say you are entitled to when someone else runs your ads?

Google’s rules for third parties give you eight protections when a consultant or agency runs your ads. Use them as a checklist before you sign. A consultant who resists any of them is telling you how the relationship will go.

1. You have a right to know the clicks, impressions and total cost of your Google ads (Google advertiser guide).
2. Nobody can guarantee top placement in Google Ads. Google lists that promise as a false claim (Google Ads policy).
3. A @gmail.com address does not prove a link to Google. Google staff email from @google.com addresses (Google advertiser guide).
4. Google will never send an unsolicited message asking for your password (Google Ads Help).
5. Any fee on top of Google costs must be disclosed in writing before your first purchase and on all invoices (Google transparency requirements).
6. Reports must show cost as the exact amount Google charged, without the third party’s fee, and you can ask for your Customer ID (Google transparency requirements).
7. A third party must use a separate account for each advertiser it manages (Google third-party policy).
8. You should get an official copy of the agreement in writing (Google advertiser guide).

Google can act against third parties that break these rules. It can limit or suspend Google Partners eligibility and suspend accounts, including manager accounts (Google enforcement page).

What questions should you ask a Google Ads consultant before hiring?

Ask questions that a consultant can only answer well with real account experience: who does the work, how they check tracking, and how they report. The table shows what a good answer sounds like and which answer should end the conversation.

The buyer question comes from our own work. A B2B manufacturer we work with under NDA wants high-quality leads, not volume, and narrowed the scope to exclude buyer types it does not serve. The lesson: tell your consultant which buyers you do not want, so they can build negatives for them.

What red flags mean you should walk away?

Walk away from a Google Ads consultant who promises results Google says nobody can promise, or who wants control of an account your business pays for. These seven red flags each break one of Google’s third-party rules or put your account at risk.

• Guarantees a top ad position, or a ROAS, CPA or cost per lead figure.
• Asks for your Google password instead of sending a user invite.
• Wants to run your ads from their own Google Ads account.
• Will not show cost, clicks and impressions.
• Puts no fees in writing, or leaves them off invoices.
• Asks for a long lock-in with no exit terms.
• Claims to be “from Google” using a @gmail.com address.

We hold ourselves to the same list. Hustle Marketers never promises a ROAS, CPA or cost per lead figure.

Who should own your Google Ads account when you hire a consultant?

Your business should own the Google Ads account and keep Admin access. Google allows only one owner per client account, and if a consultant’s manager account creates the account, that manager becomes the owner automatically. So create the account yourself, add your own payment method, then invite the consultant as a user.

Google adds two safeguards. Client account users can always unlink a manager that owns the account, and the client account still owns its data (Google Ads Help). The payments profile holds the name of the person or company legally responsible for it, so keep that profile in your business’s name (Google Ads Help).

How do you give a Google Ads consultant access?

Give a Google Ads consultant access by inviting their email address from your account’s Access and security page. Choose Read-only for an audit and Standard to manage campaigns. Standard users can edit campaigns, but only Admin users can give access, change access levels or unlink manager accounts (Google Ads Help).

1. Sign in to your Google Ads account as an Admin.
2. Open the Admin menu and select Access and security.
3. Click the plus button.
4. Enter the consultant’s email address.
5. Choose the access level: Read-only for an audit, Standard for management.
6. Click Send invitation. The consultant needs a Google Account to accept (Google Ads Help).

Some accounts need an extra approval. With multi-party approval, adding or removing a user needs a second Admin to approve, and Admins have 20 days to do it (Google Ads Help). Google also recommends more than one Admin, so access never depends on one person (Google Ads Help).

How do you remove a consultant’s access?

Remove a Google Ads consultant’s access from the same Access and security page, then unlink any manager account they connected. Do both on the day the work ends. Because the account and its data stay with you, nothing needs to move when the consultant leaves.

1. Open the Admin menu, then Access and security.
2. Find the consultant and click Remove access in the Actions column.
3. For an invitation they never accepted, click Revoke instead (Google Ads Help).
4. If they linked a manager account, unlink it. Only Admin users can unlink managers (Google Ads Help).
5. If they paid for your ads through their own billing, move billing to your payments profile with Change who pays (Google Ads Help).

How do you check what a consultant changed in your account?

Check what a Google Ads consultant changed in Change history. It lists changes to the account, campaigns and ad groups over the past 2 years, with the email of the user who made each one. Automated changes can show as Google Ads system (Google Ads Help).

One account shows why this matters: a US heating and air conditioning company whose Google Ads we run as the white label partner of another agency. The partner agency also has access to the ad account and makes changes in it, so every change is coordinated between both teams. The lesson: keep one shared, dated change log, agree who owns which campaigns, and make sure nobody changes bids or budgets without the other side knowing.

A reviewer on the client side checks changes closely and sends detailed written critiques. We answer point by point with account data. The lesson for any buyer: every change should have a reason the consultant can show in the account, such as search terms, call recordings or conversion data.

What does Google Ads consulting include?

Google Ads consulting covers an account audit, conversion tracking checks, campaign structure and bidding, ads and landing page advice, testing and reporting. A Google Ads consultant may do the work, coach your team to do it, or check the work your team does, so ask for the scope in writing before you compare prices.

• Audit: account structure, budgets, bidding, search terms, negative keywords, assets and landing pages.
• Tracking: primary conversion actions, conversion values and duplicates, because Smart Bidding learns from them.
• Structure and bidding: campaigns grouped by goal and margin, with bid strategies that match the data you have.
• Ads and landing pages: new headlines and assets, plus notes on where the page loses buyers.
• Testing: controlled experiments, for example a new bid strategy or AI Max for Search.
• Reporting: a monthly report in your metric, such as cost per lead or ROAS, with the changes made and next steps.

Which engagement model should you choose: audit, coaching, co-managed or full management?

Choose the engagement model by how much work you want to keep in-house. A team with a capable marketer may only need an audit or coaching. If your team has time but less experience, co-management may suit you. Busy owners usually need full management.

Testing matters more as Google adds automation. Google says advertisers who turn on AI Max for Search typically see 14% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA or ROAS (Google Ads and Commerce Blog, May 2025). That is an average, so a good consultant tests it against your own baseline first.

What should a Google Ads consultant do in the first 30 days?

In the first 30 days, a Google Ads consultant should audit the account, check the tracking, record a baseline and ship the first safe fixes. By day 30 you should also have a written plan for the next 90 days. If all you get is a login request and a generic report, treat that as a warning sign.

Ishant Sharma’s own sequence for the first weeks, from exact match first to bid targets after about 30 stable days, is set out in his entry above.

That sequence is his practice, not a Google rule, and other consultants work differently. Ask any candidate to explain their own sequence and why. Google says the Learning status never lasts more than 7 days, and suggests judging Smart Bidding over 2 conversion cycles or 2 weeks, whichever is longer (Google Ads Help).

How do you measure the ROI of a Google Ads consultant?

Measure a Google Ads consultant’s ROI by comparing the extra gross profit the account produces with their fee. Consultant ROI equals incremental gross profit minus the fee, divided by the fee. Count only profit you would not have had anyway, and treat any extra ad spend as a cost.

These are worked examples, not client results. Measure over at least one full conversion cycle, and compare with the same months last year where seasonality matters. Agree the formula before work starts, so nobody argues about it later.

How do you check the ROAS a Google Ads consultant quotes?

Ask the consultant to split any ROAS figure by campaign type, especially brand and non-brand Search. Brand campaigns reach people who already searched for your name, so their ROAS usually runs much higher, and a blended figure can make an average account look strong.

Our paper Google Ads Performance Benchmarks by Campaign Type (Sharma, 2026) shows the gap. It covers 22 accounts we manage (14 ecommerce, 8 lead generation) from October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026. These figures describe one agency’s accounts, not the market.

Brand Search returned more than five times the ROAS of non-brand Search in that sample. In the 8 lead generation accounts, non-brand Search took a median 49.2% of spend and converted at a median 6.17% (Google Ads benchmarks by campaign type).

So when a consultant shows a case study, ask what share came from brand terms, then ask for non-brand ROAS or CPA on its own. Our guides to ROAS vs ROI and break-even ROAS explain why a high ROAS is not the same as profit.

What changed in Google Ads in 2026 that your consultant should know?

Six Google Ads changes since March 2025 rewrote parts of a consultant’s job: Enhanced CPC ended, Target CPA and Target ROAS got new labels, budget-limited bidding changed, Display began moving into Demand Gen, Local Services Ads began moving into Performance Max, and Google rewrote its learning guidance. A good consultant can explain each one.

Each change has its own guide: Google Ads bidding strategies for the first three, Demand Gen campaigns for the Display move and the Local Services Ads guide for pay-per-lead. For newer changes, see Google Ads updates this month.

Frequently asked questions about Google Ads consultants

Who is the best Google Ads consultant?

On this list, Ishant Sharma ranks first. He has worked in digital marketing since 2013, publishes his price of $600 to $800 per platform per month with no lock-in, is Top Rated Plus on Upwork and has 21 client testimonial videos. He founded Hustle Marketers, which publishes this page. For coaching only, Jyll Saskin Gales is a better fit.

Who is Ishant Sharma?

Ishant Sharma is a Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Meta Ads and SEO specialist based in Zirakpur, India. He has worked in digital marketing since 2013 and founded Hustle Marketers in 2020. The agency is a Google Partner, Meta Business Partner and Microsoft Advertising Partner, with 591+ client reviews and Clutch Award wins in 2023, 2024 and 2026.

What is a Google Ads consultant?

A Google Ads consultant is an independent specialist or small firm that audits, runs or coaches a Google Ads account for a business. The work covers tracking, campaign structure, bidding, ads, landing page advice and reporting. Some consultants manage the account themselves, while others only advise your team or check its work.

Is a Google Ads consultant worth it?

A Google Ads consultant is worth it when the extra gross profit they produce is larger than their fee. Work it out as incremental gross profit minus the fee, divided by the fee, over at least one conversion cycle. If spend is small or tracking is missing, fix those first, because no consultant can make the numbers work without them.

Do I need to pay a Google Ads consultant a monthly fee?

Not always. Ongoing management usually comes with a monthly fee, but audits and coaching are often paid by the hour or as a one-off project. Your ad spend goes to Google separately in every model. Google requires any fee on top of ad costs to be disclosed in writing and on every invoice.

How long before a Google Ads consultant shows results?

Expect a baseline by week 2 and a first read on results after one or two conversion cycles. Google suggests judging Smart Bidding over 2 conversion cycles or 2 weeks, whichever is longer, and says the Learning status never lasts more than 7 days. Be wary of anyone who promises a result by a set date.

Can a Google Ads consultant guarantee the top ad position?

No. Google lists guaranteeing top placement in Google Ads or organic search results as a false claim in its policies. Ad position depends on each auction, so no consultant controls it. Treat any guarantee of position, ROAS, CPA or cost per lead as a reason to keep looking.

Should a consultant run my ads from their own Google Ads account?

No. Google’s third-party policy says a third party should use a separate account for each advertiser it manages. Your ads should run from an account your business owns, with your payment method and your Admin access. The consultant joins that account as a user or links their manager account to it.

Can a Google Ads consultant review the agency we already use?

Yes. Give the consultant Read-only access, which lets them view campaigns and run reports without changing anything. Ask for a written list of issues, ranked by impact, and share it with your agency. Read-only users cannot edit campaigns, change access or link manager accounts, so the review cannot disrupt the current work.

What does a Google Ads consultation cover?

A Google Ads consultation is usually a call where the consultant reviews your goals, spend and account setup, then suggests next steps. On a paid coaching call, such as Jyll Saskin Gales offers, you can share your screen and work on the live account. ZATO and Bootstrap Creative offer a free first consultation.

Do I need a Google Ads consultant near me?

No. Google Ads work happens through account access, shared screens and reports, so location matters less than skill and time zone overlap. Look for experience in your industry and direct access to the person doing the work. Australian readers can see our guides to hiring in Melbourne and Perth.

Is a Google AdWords consultant the same as a Google Ads consultant?

Yes. Google AdWords was renamed Google Ads, so an AdWords consultant and a Google Ads consultant do the same job. Many buyers still search for the old name. Our list of AdWords experts and consultants covers people who started on the platform in the AdWords era.

What is the difference between a Google Ads consultant and a Google Ads specialist?

The titles overlap. A Google Ads consultant usually advises on strategy and may or may not run the account. A Google Ads specialist usually does the hands-on work: building campaigns, managing bids and fixing tracking. Ask either one which tasks they will do each week, and see our Google Ads specialist page for that role.

Which Google Ads consultant should you choose?

Choose the Google Ads consultant whose offer matches the job: coaching if your team runs the account, a solo consultant for focused management, a small team for ecommerce or B2B depth, or an agency for multi-channel work. Then check their facts at the source, put the fees in writing and keep your account in your own name.

If you want Ishant Sharma to look at your account, see our Google Ads consultant service or request the audit below. Related guides: Google Ads experts to learn from, hiring a freelance Google Ads specialist, PPC consultant vs PPC agency and the 12-point agency scorecard.