maitiq guide
Which pricing models do Google Ads agencies use?
maitiq · Published
Google Ads agencies bill their management through six basic forms: fixed price or retainer, a percentage of the media budget, an hourly or daily rate, a project price, performance-based remuneration and hybrids of these. These models only become comparable when you calculate them with the same scope of services and the same figures.
Why does the scope of services come before the price formula?
Because two fees of the same amount can cover completely different services. Before every price comparison, therefore, record: accounts, markets, languages, campaign types, tracking responsibility, search query review, budget control, creative work, reporting, review cadence, response rules and offboarding. What is not described remains unknown and does not count as free of charge.
The price formula answers how an invoice grows. The scope of services answers what you are paying for. Compare both before deciding. The broad cost structure and the available evidence on Swiss fees are covered by the guide to Google Ads agency costs; the following comparison deals with the models themselves.
Fixed price or monthly retainer
You pay a fixed amount per period for a defined scope.
Fee over the contract term (CHF) = monthly retainer (CHF/month) × contract months; an annual fee applies only if the contract months refer to the year under review.
A budget increase at Google does not change this calculation. The service description therefore carries all the weight: a weak contract mentions only “ongoing optimisation”, a good one names checks, cadence, results, response times and explicitly excluded work.
Percentage of the media budget
The fee grows with the budget paid to Google.
Fee (CHF/year) = eligible media budget (CHF/year) × rate (%)
The calculation base, exceptions, minimum fee, tiers, cap, credits and seasonal fluctuations all have to be defined. The link can make sense when budget and operational complexity really grow together – but a large account in a stable structure may need less work than a small, multilingual one with complex tracking. maitiq therefore quotes per account. The fee is not tied to the media budget – maitiq does not earn more when your advertising spend rises. The full reconciliation is in the guide to the percentage of ad spend.
Hourly or daily rate
You pay for documented working time.
Fee (CHF/period) = billable hours (h) × rate (CHF/h)
This suits consulting, training, migration and limited specialist work. For ongoing operations, prioritisation and a cost ceiling are needed. Clarify which roles are billed at which rate, how billable time is rounded, whether internal coordination counts and what happens when the cost ceiling is reached. Time makes effort visible but does not measure its value; automation must not be penalised for generating fewer hours. That is precisely why maitiq does not bill by the hour: AI-supported workflows take over the recurring account analysis daily by default, and the quotation applies per account for a defined scope of services.
Project price
A fixed price for a clearly defined outcome, such as account structure, a tracking rebuild or an agency handover.
Project costs (CHF) = sum of the agreed prices for the project services
Agree on inputs, deliverables, acceptance criteria, deadline, dependencies, change procedure, usage rights and subsequent maintenance. If the offer provides a tolerance for additional effort, record the cap and the approval rule explicitly. A “Google Ads Setup” without these points is not comparable.
Performance-based remuneration
The fee depends wholly or partly on an agreed metric.
Fee = base amount + contractually defined variable component
The contract must therefore define what “success” is, from which data source it is read and how cancellations, returns, offline revenue and corrections are handled. Important: the Conversions column in Google Ads depends on the chosen conversion settings. Google documents that conversion actions marked as secondary normally serve observation and do not appear in the Conversions column; a secondary action inside a custom goal that the campaign uses can, however, be used for bidding and reporting. Google also documents that counting is set per conversion action, after an ad interaction, to every conversion or only one, and that the attribution model – data-driven by default for most conversion actions, alternatively last click – determines how credit is distributed. Without a fixed configuration, the fee calculation base can change without the business result changing. The reporting and attribution guide provides the measurement definitions for this.
Hybrid model
A hybrid combines several components, for example:
Fee = base amount + media budget × rate + approved projects
Hybrids combine different pricing components but quickly become opaque. Ask for the total costs for at least three scenarios and transparent disclosure of each component.
How does the current Swiss sector survey classify these models?
The LSA/SWA Sector Indicator 2026 published on 7 January 2026 shows how frequently broad remuneration forms were reported. The online survey in October and November 2025 was answered by 145 advertisers in German- and French-speaking Switzerland. The published results report quotations at 46%, agile pricing at 31%, percentage fees at 18%, team hire at 8% and performance-based remuneration at 3%.
| Published remuneration form | Frequency | Editorial orientation in this six-model matrix |
|---|---|---|
| Quotation | 46% | most likely a project price |
| agile pricing | 31% | can combine time, project or hybrid components; without the contract formula it cannot be classified |
| percentage fee | 18% | percentage of the media budget if the contract defines exactly this base |
| team hire | 8% | most likely a fixed price/retainer for a defined team scope of services |
| performance-based remuneration | 3% | performance-based remuneration |
The mapping in the third column is editorial guidance, not a classification by the source. The frequencies are not added up and are not treated as exclusive market shares. The survey concerns the communications industry in general, not Google Ads, and publishes neither franc amounts nor the level of a percentage fee: “percentage fee 18%” means that this model was named with this frequency – not that the fee rate is 18%.
Other current sources do not close this price gap. The OFCOM (Federal Office of Communications, BAKOM) page of 8 December 2025 cites, for 2024, an expert estimate of CHF 1,220 to 1,494 million in search engine advertising revenue from Swiss advertisers’ spending – market size, not agency fees. digital M published its own offer on 7 July 2026: 15% of ad spend or at least CHF 800 per month; BRANDFUSION described model types on 12 March 2026 without its own rate and without a representative method. Both pages document only those providers’ own offers or claims. No representative current Google Ads fee range for Switzerland can be derived from them.
The six-model decision matrix
The matrix does not assess an agency. It shows which question follows structurally from which formula.
| Model | Formula (unit) | Agreed scope of services | Predictability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed price | retainer × months within the selected year (CHF/year) | fully described scope of services | high, as long as the scope of services remains stable |
| Percentage | media budget × rate (CHF/year) | must be specified separately; cannot be inferred from the price basis | depends on budget planning |
| Time | hours per year × rate (CHF/year) | must be specified separately; cannot be inferred from the price basis | only with a cost ceiling |
| Project | sum of the agreed project prices (CHF) | must be specified separately; cannot be inferred from the price basis | high per project; ongoing operating costs have to be quantified separately |
| Performance | base amount + variable component | must be specified separately; cannot be inferred from the price basis | low without a cap |
| Hybrid | sum of the components | must be specified separately; cannot be inferred from the price basis | medium, manageable with scenarios |
| maitiq (managed model) | quotation per account (CHF/year), not tied to the media budget | contractually agreed scope of services per account; the fee applies while that scope is unchanged | high, independent of budget planning |
| Model | Structural incentive | Reconciliation per billing period | Minimum governance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed price | keep effort within limits | evidence of services against the agreed scope of services | cadence, quality and escalation rules |
| Percentage | scale the media budget | spend statement, credits, tiers, cap | independent budget approval |
| Time | billable activity | timesheet by role and task | prioritisation and cost ceiling (tolerance limit) |
| Project | deliver the agreed work for acceptance | acceptance record per deliverable | change and maintenance procedure |
| Performance | increase the agreed metric | data source, configuration, corrections | fixed measurement definition, quality criterion, cap |
| Hybrid | several incentives at once | disclosure of each component (sum of the parts) | complete formula and scenarios |
| maitiq (managed model) | cover the agreed scope of services on an ongoing basis | proposals with the action, the rationale and the available supporting data (old/new value where such a comparison exists); the named Client Success Manager supports the recurring work | decisions and implementations are recorded; a configured limited autopilot may accept and apply eligible proposals within its authorised limits; some proposal types require a human decision; explicit approval to exclude specified keywords already authorises the associated guarded exclusion action; implementation is logged as a separate step |
Scenario calculator: the same figures for all six models
The calculator runs one pass with a single set of inputs: hours per month, hourly rate, contract months per year (at most 12), monthly retainer, project fee (one-off), advertising budget per year, percentage in percentage points, base fee per month, annual amount subject to the performance fee and performance fee (%). Run it three times in turn – for your lower, central and higher assumptions – and record the six result values of each pass in the printable worksheet. Mixed model per year = base fee per month × contract months + hours per month × hourly rate × contract months + annual amount subject to the performance fee × performance fee as a percentage ÷ 100. This is one specified hybrid, not a calculator for every contract and not the CHF 61,000 hybrid example below. This is a manual worksheet: it has no automatic scenario columns; it records your three passes. All fields start blank; blank means unknown, and a zero has to be entered deliberately.
Compare pricing models with your own figures
All fields start blank. Each model calculates only when its inputs are present; zero is a valid value, blank means unknown.
| Model | Calculation | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly basis per year | Hours per month × hourly rate × contract months | N/A – missing: Hours per month, Hourly rate, Contract months per year |
| Monthly retainer per year | Monthly retainer × contract months | N/A – missing: Monthly retainer, Contract months per year |
| Project fee (one-off) | Agreed price of the deliverables; not annualised | N/A – missing: Project fee |
| Percentage of the advertising budget per year | Advertising budget per year × percentage / 100 | N/A – missing: Advertising budget per year, Percentage |
| Base fee plus performance fee per year | Base fee per month × contract months + annual amount subject to the performance fee × performance fee / 100 | N/A – missing: Base fee per month, Contract months per year, Annual amount subject to the performance fee, Performance fee |
| Mixed model per year | Base fee × contract months + hours × rate × contract months + calculated performance fee (annual amount subject to the performance fee × performance fee / 100) | N/A – missing: Base fee per month, Contract months per year, Annual amount subject to the performance fee, Performance fee, Hours per month, Hourly rate |
All rows refer to the same year; the project fee remains one-off. The calculation contains no Swiss fee range and no performance promise.
| Model | Lower scenario (manual) | Central scenario (manual) | Higher scenario (manual) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly basis per year | |||
| Monthly retainer per year | |||
| Project fee (one-off) | |||
| Percentage of the advertising budget per year | |||
| Base fee plus performance fee per year | |||
| Mixed model per year |
The manually calculated implied hourly rate serves as a common comparison measure: annual fee ÷ contractually guaranteed annual hours; both values have to be known for it. Write N/A if the annual fee or the guaranteed annual hours are unknown, or if the annual hours are zero; a known fee of zero with known positive annual hours remains zero. If you plan in annual hours, convert them for the calculator into hours per contract month: hours per month = annual hours ÷ contract months. That conversion requires known positive contract months; with unknown or zero months you do not divide by zero. The calculator allows an entered zero, but that does not make manual division by zero valid.
Illustrative calculation example. The following inputs are freely chosen and do not replace your own; they use illustrative alternative contract terms and are not a market price or an expectation. Enter your own offer terms into the three runs. With an assumed advertising budget of CHF 500,000 per year:
- Fixed price:
CHF 5,000/month × 12 = CHF 60,000/year - Percentage:
CHF 500,000 × 12% = CHF 60,000/year - Time:
400 h × CHF 180/h = CHF 72,000/year, implied rateCHF 180/h - Hybrid (manual illustration with contract terms different from the calculator formula):
CHF 3,000/month × 12 + CHF 500,000 × 5% = CHF 36,000 + CHF 25,000 = CHF 61,000/year - Project:
CHF 12,000 + CHF 6,000 (two approved deliverables) = CHF 18,000 one-off - Performance:
CHF 2,000/month × 12 + variable component = CHF 24,000/year + variable fee not yet known - maitiq comparison value for a comparable scope of management services and excluding advertising spend (owner statement by maitiq, illustrative example, no customer data and no independently observed customer result):
CHF 60,000 ÷ 2 = CHF 30,000/year
The performance line is deliberately incomplete, for two different reasons. If the metric, the data source or the rate is missing, the performance fee cannot be calculated. If the contract sets no cap, that does not prevent the calculation: it leaves the maximum exposure unbounded, because the variable component is then not limited. The calculator has no cap field and does not enforce a cap.
Similar annual figures do not mean identical services. Only the scope grid shows whether tracking, search query control, budget management, creative work, reporting and handover are included. You can calculate the total annual costs including internal work in the total cost calculator. The tool does not crown a winner; as long as a critical field is empty, the comparison remains incomplete.
What maitiq offers in this comparison
maitiq enters the grid as a model of its own: a quotation per account, not as a percentage of the media budget.
Budget pacing, search-term review, target CPA adjustment and ad review run according to the configuration; every proposal describes the action, the rationale and the supporting data. The named Client Success Manager supports the recurring work. A configured limited autopilot may accept and apply eligible proposals within its authorised limits; some proposal types require a human decision, and decisions and implementations are recorded. Explicit approval to exclude specified keywords already authorises the associated guarded exclusion action. Implementation is logged as a separate step. The entry point is a read-only audit that assesses the account’s current state and the available evidence. The account alone cannot prove which checks another provider actually performs or at what cadence; that comparison needs the supplied offer or invoice and the available operational records.
Contract questions worksheet
Use the same fields for every offer and mark each answer as answered, unresolved or not applicable. Unanswered questions identify what still needs clarification; that is a result, not a formal error.
| Contract field | Question | Applies to | Answer status | Evidence (clause) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scope of services | Which accounts, markets, campaign types and tasks are included? | all | ||
| Formula and period | Which formula, unit and billing period apply? | all | ||
| Calculation base | Which costs count towards the base, which are excluded? | Percentage, Hybrid | ||
| Minimum fee, tiers, cap | Do a minimum fee, tiers or a cap apply? | Percentage, Performance, Hybrid | ||
| Cost ceiling and tolerance | Is there a cost ceiling or a tolerance clause for additional effort, and how is it evidenced? | Time, Project | ||
| Additional effort | Who approves extra work in advance and at which rate? | all | ||
| Definition of success | Which metric, conversion configuration, attribution and correction rule apply? | Performance, Hybrid | ||
| Evidence per period | Which evidence do you receive: hours, spend, acceptances, measurement data? | all | ||
| Approvals | Who may change budgets, bids, conversions and automation? | all | ||
| Termination | Which notice period, handover, data return and rights apply? | all |
How do you make the decision?
- Fix the comparable scope of services first; never compensate for missing responsibilities with a low price.
- Convert all formulas into the same annual and scenario values.
- Check which behaviour the formula rewards and which governance limits it.
- Document open assumptions and name a responsible person for each field.
- Only then decide commercially – the choice of model is a contract question, not a matter of taste.
FAQ
Which model makes sense for large accounts?
This depends on complexity and responsibility, not on the budget alone. A large budget in a stable structure can require less support than a small one with many markets.
How do I compare hybrid offers?
Have each component disclosed separately and calculate at least three scenarios with the same scope of services. In the calculator the “mixed model” row uses one fixed hybrid formula (base fee per month × contract months + hours per month × hourly rate × contract months + performance part); it does not represent every hybrid – the CHF 61,000 example in the list combines different terms.
Is performance pricing risk-free?
No. It shifts risk but does not remove it: data source, conversion configuration and attribution determine the assessment base and must be fixed before the contract begins. A specific advertising result is not guaranteed – not even by maitiq; the maitiq comparison value is therefore a management fee, not a performance component.
Which model is the most predictable?
On paper the fixed price – but only within a clear scope of services. A cap or a cost ceiling makes variable models predictable too. Predictability is a matter of contract design, not a model name.
Should a percentage model be ruled out?
No. It can fit if effort and budget demonstrably grow together and minimum fee, tiers, cap and budget approval are regulated transparently. maitiq itself forgoes this coupling: the fee is quoted per account – the factors are on the maitiq pricing page – and does not rise with the media budget.
Is there a customary Swiss rate?
The current sources reviewed name no representative Swiss Google Ads rate. LSA/SWA names the frequency of broad remuneration forms, not their level; OFCOM names the order of magnitude of the search engine advertising market, not agency prices. Provider pages evidence only their own statements. The data situation is documented in the guide to Google Ads agency costs.
Sources and how to read them
The sources of this comparison evidence different things: Google help pages explain the platform mechanics; the LSA/SWA survey shows how frequently broad remuneration forms were reported; the OFCOM/BAKOM page provides a market-size estimate; provider pages describe only their own offer. None of these sources evidences a representative Google Ads fee rate in Switzerland. Information about how maitiq works is available at maitiq.com.
To compare fees and services we also include your existing offer or your invoice; these details are not held in the Google Ads account.