If your marketing agency is doing any of these 5 things, they're ripping you off. And I say that as someone who used to work at one of these agencies. I'm Kelsey with KaeRae Marketing. Before I started my own business, I built the Google Ads department for a marketing agency. I grew it to over 100 clients. And I left because I couldn't stomach what I was seeing. Sales tactics that made me cringe. Clients paying thousands for campaigns that were barely touched. Results that we

Quick Answer: Google Ads management for a home service company typically costs $400-$1,200/month for flat-fee specialists, or 10-20% of ad spend for percentage-based agencies. On a $2,000/month ad budget, that's $200-$400/month on the percentage model. Flat-fee pricing is generally more transparent and better aligned with your success. Expect to pay more for specialists with home service experience, and be skeptical of anyone charging under $300/month — at that price, your ac

I'm going to say something that most marketing agencies would never say: a lot of agencies that manage Google Ads for home service businesses are not doing right by their clients. Not all of them — but enough that this deserves a direct conversation. I started KaeRae Marketing in 2017 because I left an agency where I watched this happen. Business owners writing checks every month, getting reports full of charts that looked impressive, and having no idea their campaigns were u

Before you sign anything with a marketing agency, ask these questions. The answers will tell you everything you need to know. I'm Kelsey with KaeRae Marketing. I've seen so many business owners get burned by agencies because they didn't know what to ask upfront. These questions will help you separate the good agencies from the ones that just want your money. First question: Will I own my Google Ads account, my analytics, my data — or do you? This is the most important questio

Quick Answer: Before hiring a Google Ads agency, ask: Who will manage my account? Do I own the account? How do you track calls and conversions? What does reporting look like? Do you require a contract? Can you show results for similar businesses? These questions reveal whether you're talking to a legitimate partner or a bad deal waiting to happen. Hiring a Google Ads agency can feel like a leap of faith. The work is invisible, the jargon is confusing, and you've probably alre

Let me paint a picture you might recognize. You hired a marketing agency. Signed a 12-month contract. The first couple months were okay — some activity, a few check-ins. Then the calls got shorter. The reports got more confusing. The leads didn't really materialize. And when you tried to have a real conversation about it, you got a lot of jargon and a gentle reminder that you had 8 months left on your agreement. Sound familiar? If it does, you're not alone. I built KaeRae Mar

Quick Answer: A Google Ads agency builds your campaigns, manages your budget, optimizes keywords and bids, writes ad copy, and reports on results. For home service companies, they should also set up call tracking, build landing pages, and actively cut wasted spend — not just set things up and collect a monthly fee. Fair question. You're paying someone — sometimes $500, sometimes $2,000 a month — and the work feels invisible. No tangible product shows up at your door. Your pho