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
Agencies can offer competitive pricing, but those figures usually account for office rentals, managerial salaries, and administrative costs.
Most consultants work without such overheads. Your money is directed at their know-how rather than the infrastructure behind the scenes.
PPC consultants are frequently the more cost-efficient route.
3. Resources
Winner: Agency
Thanks to their team-based structure, agencies are often ideal for handling more complex or high-volume projects.
They have the capacity to assign various specialists to different areas of your PPC simultaneously.
So, if your campaign demands a coordinated team effort, an agency could be the more suitable option.
4. Adaptability
Winner: Consultant
Because agencies juggle multiple people and projects, they often depend on pre-set processes to keep everything on track.
This structure can sometimes delay updates or changes to your campaign setup.
Consultants, on the other hand, are nimble. They tailor their approach and can pivot as your priorities shift.
In a dynamic digital space, that kind of adaptability is a real strength.
For example, if you need to shift gears halfway through a campaign, a consultant can typically act straight away, while agencies may need more time to get everyone aligned.
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
For consultants, client success isn’t just a goal – it’s essential to their continued business.
They’re not buffered by layers of management or corporate structures like agencies often are.
That personal motivation tends to drive greater attention and dedication.
Where agencies may be balancing dozens of accounts, a consultant is more likely to treat your success as their own.
7. Quality of Work
Winner: Equal
You can get excellent PPC support from both agencies and independent consultants.
Agencies often involve a range of specialists, but that sometimes means the work is distributed to junior staff for training.
Consultants tend to manage every detail themselves, resulting in a more consistent and focused execution.
Final Score
- Agency: 3
- Consultant: 5
Conclusion
Both Church 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 Church PPC consultant…read more