Digital marketing in Newcastle: what it costs, what you should get, and when to do it yourself
"How much does digital marketing cost?" is the question I get asked most. The honest answer depends on what you need, so here's what a good agency should deliver, real prices, and when you're better off doing it yourself.
What a digital marketing agency should deliver
- A website that converts. Fast on mobile, clear about what you do, and easy to enquire from. Everything else sends people here.
- Local SEO. Your Google Business Profile, reviews, service pages and content that helps you show up when people nearby search.
- Paid ads run with intent. Google Ads for people already searching, Meta ads for people who don't know you yet, both tracked to real enquiries.
- Content that supports everything else. Real photos, short videos and posts that make your ads and website work harder.
- Reporting you can act on. What happened, what it cost, and what changes next month.
The three ways agencies charge
Project fees for one-off work like a website, branding or setup. Monthly management for ongoing work like SEO or ads. Retainers that bundle several services under one plan. None is better than the others. What matters is that you can see exactly what you're paying for.
Real prices, for reference
These are mine, all listed on my service options page:
- Google SEO management: $990 per month, three month minimum.
- Google Ads management: $990 per month.
- Facebook and Instagram ad management: $990 per month.
- Google Ads or Meta Ads set up with one-on-one training: $2,480 one off, inc. GST.
- SEO Kickstart (audit, keyword research and a 90 day content plan): $1,550 one off.
Ad spend is paid to Google or Meta on top of management, and it's always your money in your account.
When doing it yourself makes sense
DIY is a good call when you're early, budgets are tight and you have the time to learn. It's a poor call when marketing keeps falling to the bottom of the list, or when mistakes are expensive, like a Google Ads account quietly spending on the wrong searches.
There's also a middle path. If you'd like to run your own ads, I'll set the account up properly and train you one-on-one so you can manage it in house. Plenty of businesses start there and bring the work back to an agency once they grow.
What you're paying for that isn't obvious
Experience. Knowing which campaigns to switch off, which keywords waste money and what to test next. Isabella Gratti described it well: "Sam didn't try to push unnecessary next steps and instead focused on giving me the right tools and clarity to grow on my own first." Sometimes the most valuable advice is to spend less.
A fair benchmark
Whatever you spend, you should be able to say what it's producing within six months. If you can't, ask your agency to show you, or talk to me about a second opinion.