Google Ads DIY or Outsource? Honest Advice

It's a question many entrepreneurs ask themselves: "Can't I just do Google Ads myself?" The short answer: yes, you can. But the better question is: should you do it yourself? In this article, we give honest advice, even if that means you don't need us.

Doing Google Ads Yourself: The Advantages

Let's start with the benefits of managing your Google Ads yourself:

1. Saving on Management Fees

The most obvious advantage: you don't pay an agency. All your budget goes directly to Google. For businesses with a small budget, this can make a significant difference.

2. Nobody Knows Your Business Better Than You

You know exactly:

• Which products or services are most profitable
• How your customers talk and search
• Which USPs truly make the difference
• When seasonal peaks occur

This knowledge is irreplaceable and gives you an edge when writing ads and choosing keywords.

3. Direct Control

You can react immediately to changes:

• A product is sold out? Pause the ad instantly
• A competitor launches a promotion? Adjust your bids
• A new product? Advertise within minutes

4. You Learn Digital Marketing

By doing it yourself, you develop useful knowledge about online marketing. This knowledge also helps you evaluate agencies if you later decide to outsource.

Doing Google Ads Yourself: The Disadvantages

Now the flip side. And this is where we need to be honest:

1. The Learning Curve Is Steep

Google Ads is more complex than it appears. The platform changes continuously and requires knowledge of:

• Bidding strategies (Manual CPC, Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize Conversions)
• Match types (Broad, Phrase, Exact)
• Negative keywords
• Ad extensions
• Conversion tracking
• Attribution models
• Audience targeting
• Remarketing
• A/B testing

Without this knowledge, you risk wasting money on clicks that never convert.

2. Time Investment

Effective Google Ads management takes at least 5-10 hours per week. This includes:

• Keyword research and optimisation
• Writing and testing ad copy
• Adjusting bids
• Analysing search terms reports
• Adding negative keywords
• Optimising landing pages
• Reporting and analysis

As an entrepreneur, your time is worth a lot. Those hours might be better spent on your core business.

3. Missed Optimisations

Professional Google Ads managers spot patterns that beginners miss:

• Search terms wasting money that need to be blocked immediately
• Bid adjustments based on device, location, time of day, and day of week
• Ad scheduling to only advertise when your target audience is active
• Audience layering to refine your targeting
• Cross-campaign cannibalisation where your campaigns compete against each other

4. Costly Mistakes

The most common DIY mistakes cost serious money:

• Using broad match keywords without negative keywords, so you pay for irrelevant clicks
• Having no conversion tracking, which means you're optimising blind
• Putting all products in one campaign with no control over budget per product group
• Following default Google Ads suggestions, since Google's suggestions are aimed at more spending, not necessarily better results
• Sending traffic to your homepage instead of a relevant landing page

When Can You Do Google Ads Yourself Just Fine?

There are scenarios where doing it yourself is a smart choice:

You Have a Small, Local Business

If you're a bakery in Antwerp and want to advertise on "bakery Antwerp", then your campaign is relatively simple. Limited number of keywords, clear target audience, local targeting.

Your Budget Is Very Limited

With a budget of less than a few hundred euros per month, it's harder to justify the management costs of an agency. In that case, it's smarter to learn yourself and properly apply the basics.

You Have Simple Campaigns

If you only offer one service to one target audience in one region, then you can get started perfectly well with a basic Search campaign.

You Have the Time and Interest

If you're willing to truly invest in learning the platform — take courses, read blogs, and make time weekly for optimisation — then it can absolutely pay off.

When Is Outsourcing the Better Choice?

You Want to Scale

As soon as you're running more than a few campaigns, it gets more complex. Scaling without expertise often leads to rising costs and declining results.

You Have an E-commerce Webshop

Shopping campaigns, Performance Max, feed management, dynamic remarketing: e-commerce advertising is a specialism in itself.

You're in a Competitive Market

In sectors with high CPCs and aggressive competitors, you need advanced strategies to stay profitable. Think bidding strategies, audience segmentation, and advanced A/B tests.

You Don't Have Time

If Google Ads has to be done "on the side", it'll never be done well. Half-hearted work delivers half-hearted results, or worse, losses.

You're Not Seeing Results

If you've been managing it yourself for a while but results are lacking, it's time for a fresh perspective. Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees.

What Should You Look for When Choosing an Agency?

If you decide to outsource, don't choose the first agency you come across. Pay attention to these things:

Green Flags ✓

• Google Partner status as proof of expertise and results
• Transparent reporting with monthly reports and clear KPIs
• Access to your own account, because your account belongs to you, not the agency
• Proactive communication where they come with proposals, not just reports
• Focus on ROI, talking about results instead of clicks
• Clear expectations and honesty about what's realistic

Red Flags ✗

• No access to your Google Ads account is a major alarm signal
• Long contracts without performance guarantees, since flexibility is important
• Focus on vanity metrics, only talking about clicks and impressions
• One-size-fits-all approach, because every business is different
• No conversion tracking, raising the question of how they're measuring success
• Blindly following all Google suggestions, since Google's recommendations serve Google's interests, not necessarily yours

The Middle Ground: Starting with Advice

There's also a middle solution. You can start with a one-time audit or setup by a professional, and then handle the day-to-day management yourself. This way, you benefit from expert knowledge during setup while saving on ongoing costs.

Our Honest Recommendation

At Saerens Advertising, we believe in honest advice. Sometimes that means saying: "You can do this perfectly well yourself." We'd rather help businesses that truly benefit from professional management than try to bring everyone on board.

Unsure whether outsourcing is worth it for you? Get in touch for a no-obligation conversation. We'll look at your situation together and give honest advice, even if that advice is to do it yourself.