Costs and pricing
Part of Compare PPC agency management fees and media budgets before you sign
A PPC agencies cost guide only works if the sources are named
How to build a PPC agencies cost guide from citable sources: platform rate cards, sanctions records and analytics setup, plus a scoring rubric for each figure.
What to take away
- Decide whether every figure in your cost guide traces to a named source with a date, or is a labelled illustrative example.
- Platform rate cards, such as the LinkedIn advertising pricing page, give a defensible ceiling for one network only.
- Regulator pages show what non-compliance costs in enforcement terms, not what an agency charges.
- A scoring rubric keeps a cost guide honest, because each source is graded before a number is quoted.
- Budget lines with no source are examples, clearly labelled, never market data.
Why source quality decides the numbers
A cost guide fails when a reader cannot check a figure. Search managers comparing quotes want to know where a benchmark came from and when it was published. Name the platform when the source is a rate card, and label examples as examples.
This separates a guide from a guess. The PPC agencies costs and budget guide for England sets out the budget headings, so use it to decide which lines need sourcing before you write. A reader who can trace three figures will trust the whole document more.
Platform rate cards as benchmarks
LinkedIn publishes its own advertising costs and pricing, giving a citable anchor for one channel. The LinkedIn advertising pricing page is useful because it is the platform's own documentation, not a third-party estimate.
Treat it as one input. A rate card describes what the platform charges for a placement, not agency fees, management time or creative production. Record the date you checked it, because rate cards change without notice, and note which currency the page shows.
Regulator records and enforcement
The Advertising Standards Authority publishes its sanctions record, listing advertisers and others it has dealt with for non-compliance. The ASA sanctions page is a factual source for what enforcement looks like.
A sanctions listing is not a price. It supports a claim about risk and the cost of getting ad copy wrong, which belongs in a cost guide as a compliance line rather than a media line. Note the case date beside any example you draw from it.
Measurement setup as a cost line
Tracking is often quoted separately and easy to under-scope. Google's guidance on setting up ecommerce events in GA4 explains the steps a team must complete. The GA4 ecommerce events documentation supports a claim that measurement setup takes engineering time.
That matters commercially. If a client cannot attribute conversions, the agency cannot prove value, and the contract tends to be renegotiated. Budget for analytics implementation, set the build as its own proposal line, and name the person who owns it.
Scoring rubric for cost sources
| Criterion | Score 1 | Score 3 | Score 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named publisher | Anonymous or unsourced | Trade body or consultancy | Platform, regulator or government |
| Date visible | No date | Year only | Full publication date |
| Scope stated | Unclear market | National market named | Channel and period named |
| Checkable method | None given | Summary only | Full method or rate card |
| Currency and tax | Unclear | Currency only | Currency, VAT position and basis |
Aim for 20 or more before quoting a figure as a benchmark. Below that, rewrite the figure as a labelled illustrative example, such as a team paying £400 a month for management on a modest account.
Cost source scoring rubric
Score 1
- Named publisher
- Anonymous
- Date visible
- No date
- Scope stated
- Unclear market
- Checkable method
- None given
- Currency and tax
- Unclear
Score 3
- Named publisher
- Trade body
- Date visible
- Year only
- Scope stated
- National market
- Checkable method
- Summary only
- Currency and tax
- Currency only
Score 5
- Named publisher
- Platform or regulator
- Date visible
- Full date
- Scope stated
- Channel and period
- Checkable method
- Full method
- Currency and tax
- Currency and VAT
Score the source, not the number. A high-scoring source can still produce an unhelpful figure if its scope does not match your client's sector or spend level.
Keeping a source log
A source log is a single table listing every figure, its publisher, the date you checked it and the scope it covers. Fill it in as you write, not afterwards. When a client challenges a number, you can answer in one line.
Keep the log with the proposal. If a rate card changes, you will know which budget lines need revisiting, and which figures were always examples.
Turning scores into budget lines
Once each source is graded, map it to a budget heading. Media spend comes from rate cards and auction data. Management fees come from agency quotes, which you should ask for in writing, with the fee basis and the contract term stated.
Where a heading has no citable source, say so and give an example instead. The PPC agencies hidden costs guide covers the lines buyers most often miss, including audit fees and account migration time.
Common questions
Should a cost guide quote average agency fees?
Only if the figure comes from a named source with a date. An average without a stated sample is not a benchmark, and a labelled example is more honest than a number nobody can check.
How many sources does a cost guide need?
Enough to cover each budget heading at least once. Three well-chosen sources, such as a platform rate card, a regulator record and vendor documentation, beat a long list of unattributed estimates.
Does VAT belong in the figures?
State the basis every time. Agency quotes to UK businesses are usually shown excluding VAT, so label each figure as excluding VAT.
Can a rate card replace agency quotes?
No. A rate card shows what a platform charges for inventory. Agency fees cover strategy, build, management and reporting, which are separate commercial lines.
