Google Ads Consultant for Bay Area Companies That Want Qualified Leads, Not Clicks
I am a Google Ads consultant with 16+ years of paid search experience, including a $6.4M global SEM program at BirdEye in Palo Alto. I audit, rebuild and run Google Ads accounts for B2B software and technology companies around the Bay Area, in person or remote.
- Free account audit with three quick wins
- Cost per lead down 43% at BirdEye
- You keep ownership of your account and data
- On-site visits across the Bay Area
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Table of contents
Google Ads Consultant: What It Is and Who It Helps
A Google Ads consultant audits, builds and optimizes your Google Ads account so more of your budget produces qualified leads. Zabi Niazi is a Bay Area Google Ads consultant with 16+ years in B2B SaaS and enterprise technology, certified in Google Ads Search, who has managed search budgets of up to $9.6M a year.
If you are comparing a Google Ads consultant with an agency or an in-house hire, this page explains what I do, how I work, how pricing works and which results to expect before you book a call. I try to answer the questions I would ask if I were hiring.
I live and work in Union City and support teams in San Francisco, San Jose, Palo Alto, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Mountain View, Redwood City, Foster City and Burlingame, on site or remotely. Most of my clients sell software or technology to other businesses, so the work is built around lead quality and pipeline, not click volume.
Google Ads Consultant vs Agency vs in-House Hire
| Google Ads consultant (me) | Agency | In-house hire | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | One senior specialist, directly | An account manager plus junior specialists | One employee, often learning on the job |
| How the fee works | Scoped to the work and agreed in writing | Retainer or a percentage of ad spend, with overhead built in | Salary, benefits, tools and training |
| Time to start | Days to a few weeks | Several weeks of onboarding | Months to recruit and ramp up |
| Flexibility | Scale up or down as needs change | Usually a minimum contract term | Fixed headcount |
| Best for | Teams that want senior expertise without a full-time hire | Large multi-channel programs that need many hands | Companies with a big, steady budget |
What Is Different About Google Ads Right Now
Automation Needs Guardrails
Google keeps pushing Performance Max, AI Max for Search and broad match. These can work, but only when conversion data is clean and exclusions are tight. I decide where the algorithm gets room and where it gets firm limits, then check the results against real leads.
Conversion Tracking Decides Everything
Smart bidding learns from the conversions you give it. If spam form fills or every click-to-call count as wins, the algorithm optimizes for the wrong thing. Importing CRM outcomes is the single biggest upgrade most B2B accounts can make.
Search Terms Keep Getting Looser
Broad match and AI-driven query matching show your ads on searches you never typed in. A weekly search term review and a deep negative keyword list protect the budget and keep the traffic relevant.
AI Answers Change What People Click
AI Overviews and similar features now sit close to the ads on many searches. Ads that answer the question directly and match the landing page still win clicks, while generic copy gets skipped.
B2B Cycles Need Pipeline Data
A lead is not the finish line. Sending opportunity and closed-won data from Salesforce or HubSpot back into Google Ads lets bidding aim at pipeline value instead of form fills.
Landing Pages Are Half the Account
Quality Score, conversion rate and cost per lead depend as much on the page as on the ad. At BirdEye, rebuilding responsive search ads and landing pages raised Quality Score 36%, and cost per lead fell 43%.
Google Ads Consultant Services and Deliverables
Google Ads Account Audit
A written review of what is working, what is wasting money and what to fix first.
- Conversion tracking check
- Structure and keyword review
- Search term and negatives review
- Ad and asset review
- Prioritized action list
Search Campaign Build and Management
Search campaigns built around buyer intent and tuned every week.
- Keyword and match-type strategy
- Ad groups by intent
- Responsive search ad testing
- Bid strategy selection
- Weekly optimization
Performance Max and AI Max
Controlled use of Google’s automation, with limits you set.
- Asset group strategy
- Audience signals
- Brand and placement exclusions
- Incrementality checks
- Spend review by campaign type
Conversion Tracking and Landing Pages
Tracking you can trust and pages that match the ad.
- GA4 and Tag Manager setup
- Form and call tracking
- Message match with ads
- Speed and mobile fixes
- A/B test plan
Offline Conversions and CRM Data
Teach Google which leads become revenue.
- Salesforce or HubSpot import
- Lead stage mapping
- Value-based bidding setup
- Closed-won feedback loop
- Reporting by opportunity
Remarketing and Demand Gen
Bring visitors back and reach buyers before they search.
- Audience lists and exclusions
- YouTube and Demand Gen creative
- Frequency control
- Customer match
- Cross-channel reporting
Microsoft Advertising Import
Extra search reach, often at a lower cost.
- Campaign import and cleanup
- Bing-specific settings
- LinkedIn profile targeting
- Separate reporting
- Budget split tests
Reporting and Executive Summaries
Numbers that leadership and sales both accept.
- Looker Studio dashboards
- Cost per qualified lead
- Pipeline and revenue views
- Monthly review call
- Plain-language summaries
What I Check First in Every Google Ads Audit
- Conversion actions, values and spam filtering
- Account and campaign structure
- Keyword and match-type mix
- Search terms and negative keywords
- Ad copy, assets and extensions
- Quality Score components
- Bidding strategy fit for your data volume
- Location, language and schedule settings
- Audience signals and exclusions
- Landing page speed and message match
- Budget pacing and limited-by-budget campaigns
- Reporting and attribution setup
How an Engagement Works
- 1Audit
I review the account, tracking and landing pages, then send a written list of findings ranked by impact. - 2Plan
We agree goals, qualified-lead definitions and a testing roadmap for the first 90 days. - 3Optimize
I rebuild structure, fix tracking and run weekly tests on keywords, ads, bids and pages. - 4Report
You get plain-language reports on cost per qualified lead and pipeline, with next steps and budget advice.
First 30 Days and Common Google Ads Mistakes
What to Expect
- Week 1Audit the account, conversion tracking and landing pages.
- Weeks 2 and 3Cut wasted spend, fix tracking and rebuild the highest-spend campaigns.
- Week 4Launch the first ad and page tests and set up the reporting dashboard.
Mistakes I Fix Most Often
- Counting spam form fills and every click-to-call as conversions
- Running broad match without a negative keyword list
- Letting Performance Max spend with no audience signals or exclusions
- Sending every ad to the homepage
- Changing bids and budgets daily, so the algorithm never settles
- Reporting clicks and impressions instead of qualified leads
How Google Ads Consultant Pricing Works
Pricing depends on scope, so there is no one-size price list. Here is how engagements usually work.
Audit and Roadmap
A one-time review of your account with a written plan. A good fit when you want to fix things in-house or decide whether you need ongoing help.
Monthly Management
Ongoing optimization, testing and reporting for a monthly fee scoped to the work. A good fit when you want a senior specialist to own performance.
Project or Hourly Consulting
Short engagements such as an account rebuild, tracking setup or team training. A good fit for a defined problem with a clear end.
Fees depend on the number of campaigns, the complexity of tracking, how much reporting you need and how often we talk. I put the fee in writing before any work starts. Your ad budget is paid to Google and is separate from my fee. Be careful with any pricing that rises automatically with your ad spend, because it rewards spending, not results.
BirdEye: 43% Lower Cost per Lead on a $6.4M Budget
Challenge. The company needed lower acquisition cost without losing conversions across a large, global search program.
What I did. I rebuilt responsive search ads, tested new bidding strategies and landing pages, and tightened multi-touch attribution so spend followed real conversions.
Results
TimeZ Marketing: 25% Lower CPC and More Qualified Traffic
Challenge. Clients wanted more qualified traffic and pipeline from Google Ads, LinkedIn and Meta without raising spend.
What I did. I ran structured A/B tests on creative, bids and audiences and tied reporting to pipeline instead of clicks.
Results
Industries I Work In
B2B SaaS
Long sales cycles and high-value leads, where cost per qualified lead matters more than clicks.
Cybersecurity
Technical buyers, complex terms and months of research before a demo request.
Enterprise Technology
Account-based targeting, multiple stakeholders and strict brand control.
Consumer Technology
Product-led search, shopping-style intent and strong seasonal swings.
Where I Deliver Google Ads Consultant: Cities I Serve
Each city has its own buyers, competitors and search habits. Here is how that shapes the account.
San Francisco
San Francisco has some of the most expensive B2B clicks in the country. SoMa, the Financial District and Mission Bay are full of SaaS and AI companies bidding on the same terms, so broad keywords burn budget fast. I lean on tight match types, strong negatives and landing pages built around one offer.
San Jose
San Jose is the largest city in Silicon Valley, with enterprise buyers at companies such as Adobe and Cisco. Those buyers search at work, in business hours, so ad schedules and device bids matter. I led search and paid media at TimeZ Marketing here and know how slowly enterprise decisions move.
Palo Alto
Palo Alto mixes venture-backed startups with long-standing software companies around Stanford Research Park. Budgets are often small and expectations high, so I start lean, prove cost per lead on a few campaigns, then scale. I directed global SEM at BirdEye, a Palo Alto company.
Santa Clara
Intel and NVIDIA are based in Santa Clara, and the city is dense with semiconductor, networking and security firms. Search terms there are technical and low in volume, so exact and phrase match, long-tail keywords and account-based audiences usually beat broad targeting.
Sunnyvale
Sunnyvale is home to LinkedIn and many cloud and networking companies. B2B teams here often combine Google Ads with LinkedIn, so I keep the two channels sharing audiences and measure which one sources pipeline.
Cupertino
Cupertino is Apple’s home city and a base for software and hardware startups. Many companies sell to developers and consumers at once, so I separate campaigns by audience and watch brand terms closely, because competitors bid on them.
Mountain View
Mountain View is Google’s home and a hub for AI and cloud startups. Competition for AI-related keywords is intense and policies change often, so I track ad policy and match-type behavior closely and keep fresh assets ready.
Redwood City
Redwood City hosts Electronic Arts alongside a cluster of SaaS and life sciences firms. I keep audiences separate for software buyers and scientific buyers, because their keywords and sales cycles are very different.
Foster City
Qualys is based in Foster City, and I managed a $9.6M annual demand generation budget there. Security and life sciences buyers research for months, so I measure influenced pipeline, not just last-click leads.
Burlingame
Burlingame sits near SFO and has a mix of SaaS, travel and professional services firms. Local intent matters here, so I use location settings, call extensions and ad schedules that follow office hours, and I can visit in person.
New here? Tell me about your project.
How to Choose a Google Ads Consultant
- Who owns the Google Ads account and the data?
- How is the fee set, and does it rise when ad spend rises?
- Can I see reports that count leads and pipeline, not just clicks?
- How will you set up and check conversion tracking?
- What will you change in the first 30 days?
- Which similar budgets and industries have you managed?
- Who exactly will work on my account?
- How do you handle Performance Max and Google’s AI features?
Google Ads Consultant FAQ: Questions Buyers Ask
How much does Google Ads consultant cost?
Prices vary a lot because scope varies. Published ranges run from a few hundred dollars a month for light work to several thousand for full management, and some consultants charge a percentage of ad spend. I scope each engagement individually and put the fee in writing before work starts. Your ad budget goes to Google and is separate from my fee.
What does a Google Ads consultant do?
A consultant reviews your account, fixes tracking, rebuilds campaign structure, writes and tests ads, manages bids and budgets, and reports on results. I also work with your sales team so that leads are judged by what turns into pipeline.
Is a Google Ads consultant better than an agency?
It depends on your size. A consultant gives you a senior specialist directly and usually costs less than an agency retainer. An agency makes sense when you need many channels and many people. Many B2B teams do best with a consultant for Google Ads and in-house staff for everything else.
Who should own the Google Ads account?
You should. The account, billing and data should sit under your company’s Google login, with the consultant added as a user. That way you can leave at any time without losing history.
How much should I spend on Google Ads?
It depends on your market, sales cycle and goal. I usually start with a testing budget large enough to produce meaningful data in 30 to 60 days, then scale only where cost per qualified lead supports it.
How long does it take to see results?
Tracking and structure fixes often reduce wasted spend within the first few weeks. Bidding and creative tests then build over the following months, and long B2B sales cycles take longer to show in revenue.
Do you work on site in the Bay Area?
Yes. I offer on-site visits and workshops across the Bay Area, and most ongoing work happens remotely.
Do you manage Microsoft Advertising too?
Yes. I usually import your best Google Ads campaigns into Microsoft Advertising and then tune them separately, because the audience and costs differ.
Can you guarantee leads or a specific cost per lead?
No. Anyone who guarantees results cannot control your market, offer or website. I can promise a clear audit, honest reporting and measured improvement.
Which industries do you work with?
Mostly B2B SaaS, cybersecurity, enterprise technology and consumer technology, including Qualys, BirdEye, Arm and iBaby Labs.
What do I need to get started?
Edit access to your Google Ads, GA4 and Tag Manager accounts, your website address and a short description of what a good lead looks like. The free audit starts from there.
At a Glance: Process and Coverage
Further Reading
Authoritative references I rely on.
Is Your Google Ads Account Producing Leads You Can Close?
A free account audit finds wasted spend and tracking gaps, then lists the three changes most likely to help first.
Book a free consultationzbiniazi@gmail.com