A Google Ads specialist you actually get to speak to.
Most businesses looking for a specialist have already had one: someone who sent polished reports while customer numbers didn't move. With us, the specialist you speak to works in your account themselves, steers on profit rather than clicks, and tells you honestly when advertising isn't the best move for you right now.
- The specialist you speak to is the specialist doing the work. No account manager passing the message to someone you never see. Whoever sits at the table also sits in your account.
- Trained at Google itself. Three-quarters of our team worked at Google's head office. We know the systems from the inside, including where they're tuned in Google's favour.
- The continuity of a team. You get one fixed point of contact, backed by four specialists. Holidays, illness or a busy spell change nothing about your campaigns.
The specialist you speak to is the specialist who worked at Google.
No account that gets handed to a junior after the intake call. The same ex-Googler who sets the strategy also works in your account themselves.
- €20M+
- ad budget managed over the past 3 years
- 20+
- countries where we've run campaigns
- 75%
- of our team worked at Google's head office
- 100+
- accounts converted to the Hagakure method
Freelancer, agency or in-house hire?
The real question behind "I'm looking for a Google Ads specialist" is usually: in what form do I bring that expertise in-house? All three routes work, they just suit different situations. This is how we see the difference, including when we're not the best choice.
A freelancer or an in-house hire
- One person, so one perspective and one agenda
- Holidays, illness or departure and your account stalls
- Often a specialist in one thing: Search or Shopping or feeds
- An in-house hire quickly costs more than the budget they manage
- On the plus side: maximum involvement and short lines
A specialist through Zazu
- One fixed point of contact, with three colleagues keeping watch
- Continuous cover, including holidays and busy periods
- Search, Shopping, Performance Max, feeds and measurement under one roof
- A fixed fee proportionate to the budget we manage
- And: the account always stays yours
What a Google Ads specialist actually does.
There's a perception that a Google Ads specialist mainly adjusts bids and adds keywords. The algorithms have largely taken over that work. What makes a specialist valuable in 2026 sits one layer deeper: deciding what those algorithms learn from, and whether they're steering towards the right things.
This is where the hours actually go.
Getting measurement right
Removing double counting, adding conversion values, distinguishing a real lead from a click on the contact page. A bid strategy running on the wrong data gets very good, very convincingly, at the wrong thing.
Choosing a structure that can learn
We build using the Hagakure method, co-developed by our founder at Google: enough data per component so the algorithms see patterns instead of noise.
Getting margin into the account
Revenue says nothing about what you keep. We give you real profit per product or service, so the budget steers towards what's left at the bottom line.
Separating brand from growth
Someone typing your name was already on their way. Those searchers don't belong in the same campaign as the people you still need to convince, or your growth budget ends up funding your brand traffic.
Weekly housekeeping
Search term maintenance, testing ad variants, shifting budget towards what's proven to work. Unspectacular, and exactly where the difference lies.
Staying honest about what isn't working
Sometimes the answer is that your landing page is the problem, or that your budget is too small for this channel. You'll hear that from us, even when it costs us the work.
How to recognise a good specialist.
Certifications say little: you can pass the Google exam in an afternoon. These five questions say more. Ask them of anyone you're considering, us included.
- Whose name will the account be in?
- Do you earn more if I spend more?
- Who does the work: you, or someone I never speak to?
- What do you steer on: clicks, revenue, or profit?
- When would you tell me I'm better off stopping?
When a specialist pays for themselves.
Below a thousand euros in media budget a month, outsourcing rarely pays off: the fee eats the return. Above that, the question gets more interesting, and from a few thousand euros the difference between a mediocre and a well-managed account is quickly worth more than the specialist costs.
By way of illustration: for a service provider with a monthly budget of €6,000, we found 22 percent of spend in the first month going to search terms that had nothing to do with what they offered. From that point, that €1,320 a month went to searches that actually brought in customers.
Your account is running, but you don't know if it's running well
Enquiries come in, but you can't say whether it could be better. We put your numbers next to what's achievable in comparable accounts.
You set it up yourself and you're stuck
The foundation is there, but scaling isn't working and you don't know where the leak is. Usually it's the measurement.
Your previous agency mostly delivered reports
Nice PDFs, rising ROAS on paper, and still no more customers. Often that includes brand traffic you'd have had anyway.
You're growing and it's becoming too much to handle yourself
Running Google Ads alongside your job costs you hours every week that you don't have, and the account shows it the moment you go a month without checking.
From first conversation to a running account.
No pitch, no quote-dance. You tell us what's going on, we look inside your account and tell you honestly where the gains are, even if the conclusion is that things are already in good shape.
- 1A thirty-minute introduction, no slides
- 2Audit of your current account and measurement
- 3Honest proposal: fee, expectations and plan
- 4Fixing measurement and building structure
- 5Ongoing optimisation and testing
- 6Quarterly review of revenue and profit
Platforms and partners for this service
- Microsoft Advertising
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Frequently asked questions.
What does a Google Ads specialist do?
A Google Ads specialist manages your ad campaigns in Google: from conversion measurement and account structure to bid strategy, the ads themselves and weekly maintenance. The focus these days is no longer on manual bidding, but on deciding what the algorithms learn from and whether they're steering towards profit rather than clicks.
What does a Google Ads specialist cost?
A freelance specialist in the Netherlands typically charges between 75 and 125 euros an hour. At an agency you usually pay a fixed monthly fee proportionate to the budget managed. With us that's a fixed amount, not a percentage of your spend, so we don't earn more when you spend more. On top of that you pay your own media budget, which goes straight to Google.
Freelancer or agency: which is better?
A freelancer gives you maximum involvement and short lines, but is one person: your account stalls when they're on holiday or ill, and no one is a specialist in everything. An agency offers continuity and several disciplines under one roof, provided you don't end up with an account manager instead of the specialist themselves. Always ask who actually does the work.
From what budget does a specialist pay off?
For search campaigns, usually from around €1,000 in media budget a month. Below that the fee eats your return and you're better off starting yourself. From a few thousand euros a month, the difference between a mediocre and a well-managed account is quickly worth more than the specialist costs.
Does my Google Ads account stay mine?
Yes, always. The account, the data and the full history are in your name. We get access, not ownership. Even if we ever part ways, you keep everything.
Are you a Google Partner, and does that mean anything?
You can get the Google certificate in an afternoon, so on its own it says little about quality. What does say something: three-quarters of our team worked at Google itself, and our founder helped develop the Hagakure method there, which we now apply in client accounts. With any provider, it's better to ask who actually does the work and what they steer on.
What clients say.
B2B SaaS“Binnen een week hadden we een nieuwe site staan. Bij ons vorige bureau mochten we keurig drie weken wachten op een eerste mockup.”
E-commerce“Slimme jongens. En verrassend leuk om mee te werken. Dat krijg je niet vaak in dit vak.”
Actually looking for a whole SEA team?
Want to outsource the whole of search engine advertising, including Microsoft Advertising, feeds and measurement? The SEA page shows what that looks like.
See our SEA approachFancy a quick chat with the specialist themselves?
Book a thirty-minute introduction call. We'll look at your account and tell you honestly where the gains are, even if the conclusion is that you don't need us.
