Google Ads pricing is confusing. Ask Google and you get vague answers about auctions and Quality Score. Ask an agency and you might receive a quote without understanding what you are actually paying for. Ask a colleague and you hear everything from "it's too expensive" to "it's pure gold" — depending on whether they used it correctly or not.
The truth is that the cost of Google Ads covers three entirely separate expenses, and most businesses mix them up all the time. In this guide we break it all down: what does a click cost, what does an agency cost, what does setup cost — and when does it make sense to invest.
We are a Google Ads agency in Aarhus that has run campaigns for everything from local tradespeople to nationwide webshops. The figures below are based on our own experience with the Danish market in 2026.
1. What Does Google Ads Cost? The Three Costs
Before we talk numbers, it is important to understand that "the cost of Google Ads" actually covers three entirely separate expenses. Mixing them up makes it impossible to assess whether you are getting value for money.
Ad spend
This is the money you pay directly to Google — the budget used to show your ads and generate clicks. You only pay when someone clicks (Cost Per Click, CPC). Your daily budget determines how much Google is allowed to spend on your behalf. This money goes 100% to Google and is separate from what you pay an agency.
Agency fee
If you use an agency to manage your campaigns, you pay a monthly management fee on top of your ad spend. This is payment for the agency's time, expertise, and ongoing optimization. A good agency earns back its fee many times over by lowering your cost per conversion — but that requires them to actually know what they are doing.
Setup / onboarding
Most agencies charge a one-time fee to build your campaigns from scratch: keyword research, campaign structure, ad copy, conversion tracking, and analytics setup. This is an important investment — a poor setup will cost you far more in wasted ad spend over time.
The most important rule: Ad spend and the agency fee are two separate line items in your budget. When comparing agencies, always ask: "What does your management cost separately from my ad budget?"
2. Typical Google Ads Prices in Denmark 2026
Here is a realistic overview of what you can expect to pay in the Danish market. Keep in mind that CPC rates vary enormously across industries and keywords.
| Cost Type | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Search CPC — low competition | DKK 3–8 |
| Search CPC — high competition | DKK 10–40 |
| Google Shopping CPC | DKK 1–8 |
| Display / YouTube CPC | DKK 0.50–3 |
| Recommended minimum budget per month | DKK 5,000–8,000 |
| Agency fee per month | DKK 4,000–15,000 |
| Setup / onboarding (one-time) | DKK 5,000–15,000 |
To put the numbers in perspective: a typical Danish SME starting with Google Ads should budget DKK 8,000–15,000 per month in total (ad spend + agency), plus a one-time setup fee. That sounds like a lot — but with the right strategy you typically see a ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) of 3–8x, depending on industry.
3. What Affects Your CPC?
Google Ads is an auction system. You compete with other advertisers to show your ads, and the price is set in real time with every single search. But it is not just the highest bid that wins — Google uses an Ad Rank algorithm that combines your bid with your Quality Score.
Industry and competition level
The single most important factor for your CPC is simply how many others are bidding on the same keywords. Insurance, finance, and legal are the most expensive industries globally — a click on "car insurance" can easily cost DKK 30–50 in Denmark. A local plumber or hairdresser pays far less for local keywords like "plumber Aarhus" or "hairdresser Randers".
Quality Score
Google assigns every keyword and ad a Quality Score from 1–10 based on relevance, expected click-through rate, and landing page experience. A high Quality Score (7–10) means lower CPCs and better placement — even with a lower bid than competitors. This is where a skilled agency can save you a great deal of money: good account structure and relevant ads drive Quality Score up.
Season and time of day
CPCs rise during peak season. Black Friday, Christmas, and other popular shopping periods can double or triple the competition level. Plan your budget accordingly, and consider whether it pays off to run more aggressively during the off-season instead.
Targeting and geography
Advertising nationally means you compete with everyone. Targeting a specific city or region typically means fewer competitors and a lower CPC — but also a smaller audience. For local businesses in Aarhus, Odense, or Aalborg, geographic targeting is almost always the right strategy.
Ad format
Search Ads (text ads) are the most expensive per click because they reach people with high purchase intent. Shopping Ads are cheaper and show a product image and price directly in the search results. Display and YouTube are the cheapest but reach people higher in the funnel who are not yet actively searching.
4. Agency vs. Self-Management: What Makes More Sense?
Can't you just do it yourself? The short answer: yes, but it is rarely cheaper. Google Ads is technically complex and mistakes are expensive — a wrong bidding setup, a poor negative keyword list, or missing conversion tracking can burn through thousands of DKK in no time.
| Parameter | Agency | Self-managed |
|---|---|---|
| Initial cost | Setup fee + monthly fee | Low, but the learning curve costs |
| Time investment | Minimal — the agency handles it | 5–15 hours per month realistically |
| Expertise | Up-to-date knowledge, shared experience | Limited to your own trials |
| Optimization | Ongoing, data-driven | Reactive, infrequent |
| Tracking & data | Professional setup included | Often incomplete or error-prone |
| CSS Partner access | Save up to 20% on Shopping | Not available |
| Flexibility | Dependent on agency response time | Full control yourself |
When does an agency make sense? As a rule of thumb: if your monthly ad budget exceeds DKK 5,000, there is a good chance that a competent agency can optimize campaigns enough to cover its own fee and then some. Below DKK 3,000/month it may pay off better to learn it yourself and use Google's own learning resources.
The most important thing is not whether you use an agency — it is whether you measure correctly. Without solid conversion tracking you genuinely do not know whether your ads are making money or not.
5. CSS Partner: Save 20% on Google Shopping
Do you have a webshop and advertise on Google Shopping? CSS Partner is the most overlooked way to lower your advertising costs.
CSS (Comparison Shopping Service) is an EU-regulated system where independent price comparison services can show product ads on Google Shopping. The advantage for you as an advertiser: Google provides a discount of up to 20% on CPC rates when your Shopping ads are served through an approved CSS partner rather than directly through Google Merchant Center.
Example: You spend DKK 20,000/month on Google Shopping. With CSS Partner you pay up to DKK 4,000 less — every single month. That is equivalent to getting almost a month and a half of advertising for free each year, without reducing your visibility or ad position.
At Gezar we are an approved CSS Partner, which means our clients automatically benefit from this discount on all their Shopping campaigns. This is not a trick or a grey area — it is an official EU structure that is fully transparent to Google.
For webshops with a monthly Shopping budget of DKK 10,000 or more, CSS Partner is essentially a no-brainer. Read more about what CSS Partner is and who it is suited for.
6. POAS vs. ROAS: Optimize for Profit, Not Revenue
Most agencies and businesses optimize Google Ads toward ROAS — Return on Ad Spend. ROAS measures revenue relative to ad spend: if a campaign generates 10x revenue for every DKK spent, ROAS = 10x or 1000%.
The problem with ROAS is that it ignores your actual margins. A product you sell for DKK 500 with a purchase price of DKK 450 has a gross margin of only 10%. A ROAS of 5x (500%) sounds fantastic — but after cost of goods, shipping, and returns you may be losing money on every single sale.
POAS (Profit on Ad Spend) factors in your margins and gives you a precise picture of which campaigns and products are actually profitable — not just which ones generate revenue.
It is a more technical setup that requires your system to send margin data to Google Ads, but the result is campaigns optimized for real profit rather than empty revenue figures. We have built POAS tracking for a wide range of webshops — see our Google Ads service for more information.
7. Gezar's Google Ads Pricing
We put our prices on the table. No surprises, no hidden fees. Our management fee is separate from your ad budget — you always pay Google directly for your ad spend.
- Up to DKK 30,000 ad spend
- Search + Shopping
- Monthly reporting
- Conversion tracking
- CSS Partner discount
- Up to DKK 75,000 ad spend
- Search, Shopping & Display
- POAS tracking
- Bi-weekly optimization
- CSS Partner discount
- Priority support
- Unlimited ad spend
- All ad formats
- Advanced POAS & attribution
- Weekly optimization
- CSS Partner discount
- Dedicated account manager
All packages include access to our CSS Partner discount on Google Shopping, ongoing conversion tracking, and monthly reporting. We have no minimum contract period — we work month to month.
Not sure which package suits you? Book a free Google Ads audit — we review your current situation and recommend the right level with no obligation.
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