When considering PPC services for your business, one decision you will have to make on the way is choosing between a PPC agency and consultant (in fact, you most likely clicked on this article to help with that exact decision!).
While both agencies and consultants aim to drive profitable leads and revenue through paid advertising, their approach, structure, and relationship with clients differ significantly.
- PPC agencies typically consist of multiple people skilled in PPC, account managers, developers, admin staff and directors.
- PPC consultants on the other hand are just the person skilled in PPC, covering admin duties themselves.
To help you decide between the two, I’ll compare both against seven key factors that are important to businesses deciding between choosing an agency or a consultant:
- Variety of Skills
- Cost-Effectiveness
- Resources
- Adaptability
- Communication
- Personalised Service
- Quality of Work
1. Variety of Skills
Winner: Agency
Typically, PPC agencies are staffed by a mix of specialists, including PPC specialists, developers, account managers and writers.
This breadth enables them to tackle large or multifaceted campaigns that benefit from multiple perspectives.
For businesses that require an end-to-end solution, working with an agency can be highly efficient.
Still, in cases where only one or two skill sets are required, such as PPC or SEO, this approach may be more than is necessary.
2. Cost-Effectiveness
Winner: Consultant
Although agencies can offer competitive pricing, their fees often reflect the costs of running offices, employing managers, and supporting admin teams.
Consultants, on the other hand, operate with leaner setups. Your investment goes directly into their hands-on expertise, not into funding a larger operation.
For budget-conscious businesses, PPC consultants tend to offer better value.
3. Resources
Winner: Agency
Agencies are typically well-equipped to handle large-scale projects due to having access to multiple people.
They can allocate teams to work on different aspects of your PPC campaigns simultaneously.
If your business requires significant resources from multiple people at once, an agency might be the better choice.
4. Adaptability
Winner: Consultant
By design, agencies often depend on structured systems and standardised ways of working to coordinate their teams.
Although individual team members might be flexible, updates to your account setup or approach can be slower to roll out.
A consultant, in contrast, can personalise their service and shift direction rapidly when your priorities change.
That responsiveness can be a real asset in the constantly evolving digital space.
For instance, if a new opportunity arises mid-campaign, a consultant can usually respond immediately, while agencies may be delayed by processes and multiple layers of sign-off.
5. Communication
Winner: Consultant
Working with a consultant offers the comfort of a single point of contact – someone who’s with you every step of the way.
This helps avoid the confusion that can come from rotating account managers or high staff turnover in agency settings.
Consultants bring a more direct and personal communication style, as they’re the ones actually delivering the work.
That kind of consistency enhances collaboration and builds stronger rapport over time.
6. Personal Service
Winner: Consultant
PPC consultants have a personal stake in your success, as their reputation and income rely directly on the results they deliver and your satisfaction.
Unlike agencies, where responsibilities are often spread across teams and overseen by senior management, consultants are focused solely on you.
This usually results in a higher level of care and commitment.
While an agency might view you as just another account, a consultant sees your growth as a direct measure of their own performance.
7. Quality of Work
Winner: Equal
Consultants and agencies both have the ability to deliver strong PPC campaigns.
Agencies may draw on a mix of experts, but that often involves delegating tasks to more junior staff as part of their development.
Consultants, however, usually manage the full project themselves, which means your strategy benefits from a more personal, detail-oriented approach.
Final Score
- Agency: 3
- Consultant: 5
Conclusion
Both BnB PPC agencies and consultants have their strengths.
While agencies bring extensive resources and a variety of skills, consultants may offer a more cost-effective, adaptable, and personalised approach.
If you’re ready to experience the benefits of working with a BnB PPC consultant…read more