How to choose & hire the best SEM specialist?

Choosing an expert SEM specialist starts with verifying their ability to drive measurable growth, not just traffic. Look for someone who treats SEM as a revenue engine, not a channel to “buy clicks.” Key skills of a SEM specialsit include:

• Advanced keyword intent research and mapping

• Structuring high-performing campaigns and ad groups

• Expertise with Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, and bid strategies

• Quality Score and CTR optimization

• Strong analytical and data-interpretation skills

• Conversion tracking, GA4, GTM, and attribution modeling

• Landing page and CRO recommendations

• Competitor and auction insights analysis

• Designing and running structured A/B tests

• Managing budgets and improving ROAS/CAC

• Clear communication of complex insights

• Strategic alignment with sales, product, and business goals

Most importantly, an expert-grade SEM consultant digs into your funnel, analytics setup, keyword intents and attribution model before touching your ad account.

A strong SEM consultant must also proactively recommend experiments, landing page improvements, creative alternatives and budget redistribution based on performance resuls. Ask for proof: case studies, before-and-after metrics or ROAS improvements.

Finally, choose someone who fits your industry. Enterprise B2B, SaaS or eCommerce all require fundamentally different SEM approaches. Your consultant should deeply understand your business model, sales cycle, and LTV—and be able to align campaigns with real commercial goals, not vanity metrics.

The cost of professional search engine marketing services

The cost of SEM services includes two main components:

• Consulting Fee: This fee will include initial consultation, campaign creation, ongoing management, optimization, and reporting. The extent of the particular development project that has to be carried out will determine the fee. The fee is based on the specific services your business requires and the overall objectives of your SEM plan.
• Advertising Budget: This is the real spend encountered in ad platforms such as Google Ads and Microsoft Ads, among others. It is not part of the consulting fee and is for the direct subsidizing of the operations of the ad platforms that you use for your campaigns. This implies that advertising costs are sensitive and vary in instants, such as competition, keywords, regions, and languages, among others.

Some of my ballpark estimates for various SEM projects:

• Question-based consulting - 150 AUD per hour (excl. GST)
• Task-based consulting (SEM audits, keyword research & strategy, ad copy audit, tracking setup) - from 450 AUD (excl. GST)
• SEM/PPC coaching for in-house teams - 150 AUD per hour or from 600 AUD per month for ongoing consultations (excl. GST)
• Ongoing SEM campaign management - from 900 AUD per month (excl. GST)

All these prices are solely for my consulting efforts. In addition to consulting fees above, there may be direct costs such as advertising budgets, translation tools, copywriting and web development services.

Do you have pay-per-result or pay-for-performance pricing models?

Sometimes I offer my services as pay-per-result to specific industries or clients. In this payment model, a portion of my fees is contingent upon the performance of your campaigns. The other option is to make payments based on the number of leads you want or even the number of orders you wish to make. In this manner, there is an understanding that one pays only for the result, which is relatively easy to quantify; thus, motivation is aligned with the business goals.

To get a detailed quote tailored to your specific needs and to discuss which pricing model would work best for your business, please contact me using the form below.

Why hire a SEM consultant instead of an SEM agency?

An individual, expert-level SEM consultant can offer a significantly more customer-centric approach while also being far more flexible and cost-effective in comparison with a specialised SEM agency. Here is what I can offer as a SEM consultant:

• A wealth of experience in the SEM field. I have been working in the marketing field since 2006 when my first Google Ads campaign was launched. I’ve gained plenty of knowledge about different search engine marketing methods and tactics ever since. Additionally, I made sure to follow various guidelines from both Google’s thought leadership and the SEM community as a whole to ensure that my SEM work is at the highest possible level.
• Capability to manage extensive budgets. I have had multiple accounts reach up to $500,000 in yearly budgets after being developed from scratch.
• Fast responses and direct communication. A significant advantage of working with a single consultant is the fact that there is only one point of contact and the response times are also a lot faster than with most agencies on average.
• Complete understanding of each client’s specific requirements. I strive to find the most effective SEM strategies and approaches for each of my clients by investing time in researching their respective fields of work and industries.
• Flexibility and customizability in terms of marketing strategies. Since marketing consultants are not bound by any kind of strict procedures, we are free to use the most custom-fit unique strategies for SEM and SEO, especially when it comes to the multilingual and multiregional approach.
• Up-to-date knowledge in terms of SEM trends and technologies. My goal is to follow all of the industry’s best practices, and I also research all of the most cutting-edge trends and technologies in SEM to ensure that my marketing campaigns are always at their most efficient.
• Cost-efficiency. The lack of an agency’s overhead makes it possible for me to run pay-per-results programs and offer very competitive pricing for all of my SEM services.
• Complete accountability. All of my business affiliations are cordial and straightforward, I take complete responsibility and accountability for all marketing projects, including both the positive and the negative results.