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GuidePPC tools for Google Ads, sorted by the job they do
Search for PPC tools and you get lists of twenty logos. The more useful question is which job you need done. Google Ads work splits into seven jobs, Google already gives you a free tool for almost all of them, and paid PPC software only earns its cost in specific situations.
Written by Ericka Karen, a paid search manager since 2016 who has planned Google Ads search campaigns since 2019, and the person behind the rules in Search Fuel Space.
- Google Ads work splits into seven jobs, and Google already offers a free tool for almost all of them.
- Paid PPC software earns its cost when you manage many accounts and repeat the same job across them.
- The job most PPC stacks skip is planning a new account, because it happens before there is any data.
The seven jobs, and the tool for each
01 Keyword research
Finds the terms people search and how often.
- Free from Google
- Keyword Planner.
- When a paid tool earns its cost
- When the account spends too little to see exact volumes, or you research for many clients at once.
02 Campaign planning
Turns keywords into campaigns and ad groups, splits the budget, adds negatives and ads, and writes down why.
- Free from Google
- None. Keyword Planner stops at the list.
- When a paid tool earns its cost
- Every new client, new service or location, and every restructure.
03 Building and bulk edits
Creates and changes campaigns, ad groups, keywords and ads in bulk.
- Free from Google
- Google Ads Editor.
- When a paid tool earns its cost
- Rarely. Editor is free and does the job.
04 Bids and automation
Adjusts bids and budgets, pauses what wastes money, applies rules.
- Free from Google
- Smart Bidding, automated rules and Google Ads scripts.
- When a paid tool earns its cost
- When you manage many accounts and want one set of rules across them.
05 Reporting
Pulls the numbers into a report the client reads.
- Free from Google
- Looker Studio, with the Google Ads connector.
- When a paid tool earns its cost
- When you report on many clients every week and building each report by hand stops being worth it.
06 Audits
Checks an account for waste and setup mistakes.
- Free from Google
- The Recommendations tab. Read it with care: much of it tells you to spend more.
- When a paid tool earns its cost
- When you take over accounts often and need the same checklist every time.
07 Competitor research
Shows who you share auctions with and what they advertise.
- Free from Google
- Auction insights and the Ads Transparency Center.
- When a paid tool earns its cost
- When you need history and alerts, not just a snapshot.
The job most PPC stacks skip: planning
Almost every PPC tool works on data the account already has: clicks, costs, conversions, search terms. That is why they help with bids, reports and audits. A new account has none of that. Neither does a new service inside an old account.
So the plan gets made in a spreadsheet, from a Keyword Planner export, in the hours nobody bills for. Or it gets skipped: the campaign goes live with the minimum, a few broad keywords, no negatives, one ad. Ask a chatbot to fill the gap and most of the keywords come back marked as low search volume once they are uploaded.
Search Fuel Space does that one job. You send the website, the budget and the location. You get the campaigns, the ad groups, keywords with their monthly search volume, negative keywords, a day-zero budget split, three responsive search ads per ad group and extensions checked against the site, each decision with its reason, in a document with your brand and a file for Google Ads Editor.
What to look for in any PPC tool
- It shows where every number comes from. "High volume" is not a number, and a forecast without a source is a guess.
- It can tell you to spend less. A tool that only ever recommends a bigger budget is working for the platform, not for your client.
- It does not need your account unless the job requires it. Planning and research never need access. Bids and automation do.
- It exports to Google Ads Editor, so nothing reaches the account without you reviewing it.
- It explains its decisions, so you can defend them when the client asks why the account looks the way it does.
- The price fits per-client work. A monthly seat you pay whether or not you won a client is harder to justify than a cost you can put inside a build fee.
For freelancers and small agencies
You do not need a big stack. Keyword Planner, Google Ads Editor and Looker Studio are free and cover research, building and reporting. Add paid tools where your hours actually go. For most freelancers that is the build of each new account, which is also the work clients find hardest to pay for. A plan you can show, with the reasons written down, makes that build fee easier to charge.
If Keyword Planner is where you start today, the Keyword Planner alternative guide shows side by side what it leaves to you.
Questions
What are the best free PPC tools for Google Ads?
Google's own: Keyword Planner for keyword research, Google Ads Editor for building and bulk edits, Looker Studio for reports, Auction insights and the Ads Transparency Center for competitors, and Google Ads scripts for automation. Together they cover most jobs at no cost.
Do I need PPC automation software?
Not to start. Smart Bidding, automated rules and scripts are built into Google Ads. Paid automation starts to earn its cost when you run many accounts and want the same rules applied across all of them.
What PPC software do agencies and freelancers use?
Usually one tool per job: something for research, something for reporting across clients, sometimes one for audits and bid rules, and Google Ads Editor for the build. The job most stacks leave to a spreadsheet is planning a new account.
Is Search Fuel Space a PPC management tool?
No. It plans Google Ads search campaigns and never logs into the account. You get the plan and a file for Google Ads Editor, and you run the account.
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