Find the perfect SEA Manager in Germany in minutes from over 15.000 CVs with the power of AI.
Access freelance Google Ads specialists, Bing Ads experts, and paid search strategists ready to scale your German and international campaigns. We match you with vetted search engine advertising professionals available for immediate support.
About the role
Strategic Search Engine Advertising for the German Market
Freelance search engine advertising specialists design, execute, and optimize paid search campaigns to drive qualified traffic and conversions. In Germany, this requires a deep understanding of local search behavior, regional language nuances, and platforms like Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising. These professionals manage budgets, conduct keyword research, and structure ad groups to maximize return on ad spend for both B2B and B2C businesses.
Key Deliverables and Campaign Tasks
- Setting up and structuring Google Ads and Bing Ads accounts.
- Conducting continuous keyword research and negative keyword filtering.
- Writing compelling, localized ad copy tailored to German consumers.
- Implementing conversion tracking via Google Tag Manager and GA4.
- Managing bids, budgets, and automated bidding strategies.
- Analyzing campaign performance and delivering transparent reports.
Platforms and Analytics Tools
Expert PPC managers rely on a robust tool stack to optimize performance. Beyond the core advertising interfaces of Google and Microsoft, they utilize Google Editor, Google Analytics 4, and Looker Studio for data visualization. Advanced specialists also integrate third-party bidding tools, feed management software like Channable or Productsup for e-commerce campaigns, and A/B testing frameworks to systematically improve landing page conversion rates.
Why Companies Bring in External PPC Specialists
German companies scale their digital marketing teams with freelancers during seasonal peak periods, major product launches, or migration phases like transitioning to Performance Max campaigns. Hiring a freelance expert provides immediate access to specialized knowledge without the overhead of a permanent hire. They quickly audit existing accounts, identify wasted ad spend, restructure underperforming campaigns, and train internal teams on the latest search engine marketing best practices.
Meet FRATCH SEA Managers
Janis Antwerpen
Analytics - Paid Media - CRM
Last position:
Performance Marketing & E-Mail Automation Expert at INeKO Institute at the University of Cologne
- Planning, optimization, and analysis of SEA and Meta campaigns
- Planning and execution of automations and mailings
- Optimization of landing pages (funnel, structure, copy, image)
- Creation of creatives, media plans, and reports
- Planning and support for the move to server-side tracking
Jens Sander
Marketing Strategist – SEA & SEO Expert
Last position:
SEO/SEA Consultant at M/D Steuerberatungsgesellschaft mbH
- SEA goal setting and analysis (competitors, market, target audience)
- Topic analysis and keyword research
- Setting up the ad account
- Developing campaign structure, ads, and ad groups
- Defining the bidding strategy and budget allocation
- Campaign launch, optimization, and handover
- Recommendations for campaign operations
Robert Koch
Online Marketing Specialist (Content & Performance Marketing)
Last position:
Mailing & Paid Ads Manager (Mautic & Meta) at Imagetown GmbH
- Mailing & Paid Ads Manager (Mautic & Meta)
- MailChimp to Mautic migration including technical setup for newsletter/email marketing
- Website adjustments: WordPress (Elementor)
- Strategic & operational management for ads
Baljinder Kaur
Paid Media Manager
Last position:
Paid Media Manager at Peak Ace AG
- Develop comprehensive media plans and strategies aligned with client goals, target audience insights, and industry best practices
- Oversee the entire lifecycle of PPC and PSA campaigns, from planning and execution to optimisation and reporting
- Prepare and share detailed campaign performance reports with Looker Studio, highlighting key metrics, insights, and recommendations
- Utilise project management tools like Asana Board to efficiently organise, track, and prioritise tasks related to campaign management and client communication
- Regularly communicate with clients via email and phone calls to discuss campaign progress, address concerns, and provide updates as main point of contact
- Prepare and facilitate monthly, quarterly, and annual business reviews or strategy meetings with clients to review campaign performance, discuss strategic initiatives, and align on future objectives
- Provide strategic recommendations and insights to help clients achieve their business objectives and drive growth
- Collaborate with internal teams, such as creative, copywriting, and analytics, to ensure timely execution and delivery of campaign assets and materials
Projects:
- Skyrocketing Sales in Travel: Developed and executed a comprehensive paid advertising campaign encompassing paid search and display advertising for a leading travel company. Targeted audiences researching flights and holiday packages using keyword research, compelling ad copy, and strategic bid optimization to maximize reach and impact.
Alexander Gilburg
Data & Tech Manager
Last position:
Data & Tech Manager at Sky
- Owns MarTech, measurement and tooling across DE/AT/IE; works in close partnership with activation and analytics teams
- Set up and chairs a governance forum for DE/AT/CH/IE/UK to define and enforce measurement, taxonomy and workflow standards
- Developed a taxonomy generator that reduced campaign and structure setup from 2–3 days to around 1 hour
- Automated AV and Partnerships data pipelines and prepared “econometrics-ready” datasets for marketing mix modelling and budget decisions
- Coordinates 7–8 tool owners and channel leads to harmonise setups, QA and reporting across markets
Franziska Hübscher
Social & Native Performance Marketing
Last position:
Social & Native Performance Marketing
- Cost per visit consistently better than benchmark
- Consulting and campaign management (paid social & native) for distributing marketing content to corporate clients, including setting up performance tracking and reports
- Building a lead funnel and running lead generation campaigns
Adrian Göldner
Founder & CMO
Last position:
Founder & CMO at Delta Health Solutions GmbH
- Developed the complete concept, from conversion-optimized online marketing website to organic & paid ads strategy
- Created UGC/founder ads and coordinated service providers for Meta Ads
- Built the entire funnel and ads on Meta & Google, as well as organic programmatic display content on Instagram
- Ran LinkedIn Ads that led to an invitation to Die Höhle der Löwen (the German version of Shark Tank)
- Managed social media, campaign planning, campaign optimization, online shop design & creation, META Pixel implementation, and SEO strategy
Linh Dau
B2B Digital Marketing Freelancer | Paid Ads · Content · E-Mail · Webdesign · SEO | Inception Strategy
Last position:
B2B Digital Marketing Specialist at Inception Strategy
- Independent work as a service provider and consultant for mid-sized companies with a B2B focus
Tim Hölscher
External Attribution & Paid Media Auditor & Consultant
Last position:
External Attribution & Paid Media Auditor & Consultant at P&C
- Identified attribution and media opportunities with seven-figure potential
- Conducted audits of MMM, MTA, ROPO
- Developed full funnel omnichannel media strategy
- Managed channels: SEA, Social Paid, Display, Online Video, Affiliate, TV, OOH, Print, Radio, CRM
Khalid Ahmadov
PPC Specialist
Last position:
PPC Specialist at BestComp Group
Conducted market and keyword research targeting enterprise buyers and procurement managers
Built and managed Google Search campaigns focused on high-intent keywords such as “network infrastructure Baku” and “enterprise IT procurement”
Wrote high-performing ad copy that emphasized BestComp’s vendor partnerships and reliability
Developed dedicated landing pages aligned with search intent to boost Quality Score and conversions
Set up conversion tracking using Google Tag Manager and GA4
Continuously optimized CPC bidding, ad extensions, and negative keyword filtering
Decreased cost per lead by 38%
Improved conversion rate by 157%
Increased click-through rate by 42%
Dropped cost-per-click by 22%
Achieved top-of-page rate exceeding 85% for strategic keywords
Pasun Zarif
Marketing Manager E-Commerce EU-W
Last position:
Marketing Manager E-Commerce EU-W at LEDVANCE GmbH
- Management and optimization of all marketplaces in the advertising area, focusing on Amazon, eBay & Otto and other smaller marketplaces
- Budget and revenue responsibility for the advertising area
- Achieved an ad revenue of approx. €13M with approx. €2.5M ad spend in 2.5 years
- Integration and implementation of ad technologies for optimal execution of all relevant ad measures
- Integration of Amazon Marketing Stream and Amazon Marketing Cloud for better use of intraday and audience data
- Expertise in Search Engine Advertising
Marie Hermann
Performance Marketing: Paid Social / Meta Ads Expert / Media Buyer
Last position:
Social Ads Expert at MeinSpiel
Communication strategy and implementation, campaign management and optimization, weekly reporting, testing, ad design, and consulting in influencer collaborations
Sonja Gottschalk
Performance Marketing Consultant, Google Partner Agency, Google Ads Coach and Mentor
Last position:
Performance Marketing Consultant, Google Partner Agency, Google Ads Coach and Mentor at Self-employed
- Offering online courses and mentoring in online marketing, SEO, and Google Ads, used by 600 customers (since 2020-10-01)
- Providing agency services for Google Ads as a certified Google Partner (since 2020-05-01)
- Advising Sidroga Pharma on online marketing, social media, Google Ads & Analytics, e-commerce partnerships, and campaign planning for the brands Sidroga, Emser, Emcur, Emsan, and Aquilea (2022-07-01 – 2022-11-30)
- Advising Shop Apotheke on retail media and project management for developing new advertising formats for media clients and pharmaceutical manufacturers (2021-10-01 – 2022-06-30)
- Advising Merkur Sportwetten GmbH on online marketing & media planning: media planning, forecasting, controlling, campaign management and optimization, especially for display, programmatic, and TV (2021-03-01 – 2021-09-30)
- Advising GALERIA Karstadt Kaufhof GmbH on SEO: developing an SEO content strategy for brands, products, and assortments; prioritizing new content; on-page optimization; monitoring and reporting; analyzing new opportunities and deriving recommendations; cross-departmental consulting (2020-01-01 – 2020-12-31)
- Project management and marketing consulting for nexum AG’s clients in FMCG and health
- Advising OBI Next on performance marketing: planning, execution, attributed analysis, and optimization of digital campaigns for acquiring new customers and reactivating existing ones; strategic analysis and identification of optimization opportunities in SEA, SEO, display, social advertising, newsletter and affiliate marketing; designing lead generation and traffic measures
- Advising REWE Digital GmbH on CRM campaign management
- Developing a marketing strategy including a business plan and resource planning for DIOPTIC GmbH
- Creating a potential analysis and developing an online marketing strategy for an electronics provider
- Consulting and project management for content migration, on-page optimization, and SEO during the relaunch of toom Baumarkt
- Optimizing the B2B online presence of a sports betting provider
- Advising on agency selection
Michael Hulsman
SEA/SEO Team Lead
Last position:
SEA/SEO Team Lead at marmato GmbH
- Managed clients of the web agency on search engine optimization and marketing as well as web analytics
- Technical lead for 5 team members
Nina-Christin Pfanz
Senior Performance Marketing Manager
Last position:
Senior Performance Marketing Manager at Yama Performance Marketing
- SEA
- Paid social (PS)
- Conversion tracking for clients from various industries and different sizes
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
SEA Managers statistics
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
14 years
Position duration
2.6 years
Positions per freelancer
13
Top business areas
Marketing, Project Management, Sales
Top industries
Advertising, Information Technology, Professional Services
Certification focus areas
Marketing, Business Intelligence, Sales
Bachelor's degree or higher
88%
Master's degree or higher
29%
Certifications per freelancer
1
Most common languages
German, English, French
Speak two or more languages
100%
Daily Rate Distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of freelancers in this role are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows how many freelancers charge within that range. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Average rates for SEA Managers & Seniority distribution
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Frequently Asked Questions
Want to know more? Check out our simple guide about FRATCH
A freelance SEA Manager is responsible for planning, executing, and optimizing paid search campaigns on search engines. They select relevant keywords, write ad copy, manage budgets, and analyze performance data to maximize conversion rates. Their ultimate goal is to ensure that a company's paid advertising budget yields the highest possible return on investment.
While both work with search engines, a search engine advertising specialist focuses on paid traffic through platforms like Google Ads, where results appear immediately based on budget and bidding. In contrast, an SEO manager works on organic search visibility through non-paid strategies like content optimization and technical site improvements. Many German businesses hire both roles simultaneously to build a comprehensive search engine marketing strategy.
Hiring a freelance PPC manager offers flexibility and rapid onboarding, which is ideal for temporary campaign scaling, audits, or covering parental leave. Freelancers bring diverse industry experience from working with various clients, allowing them to implement proven strategies immediately without long-term commitment. This setup is highly cost-effective for companies in Germany looking to optimize their marketing budget dynamically.
A professional Google Ads expert primarily manages search, display, shopping, and Performance Max campaigns within the Google ecosystem. They also oversee Microsoft Advertising to capture search traffic on Bing, which is particularly relevant for B2B targeting in Germany. Depending on the project, they may also handle paid social campaigns or product feed management for e-commerce.
You can judge the expertise of a freelance paid search manager by their certifications, such as Google Ads and Google Analytics qualifications, and their portfolio of successful campaigns. During the interview, ask how they approach account structuring, budget allocation, and continuous A/B testing. Top professionals will focus their answers on business outcomes like lead quality and acquisition costs rather than just vanity metrics.
For campaigns targeting the German market, having a fluent German search specialist is highly beneficial to write natural, persuasive ad copy and understand local search intent. While technical account setups can be done in English, local cultural nuances, regional idioms, and German consumer behavior directly impact click-through and conversion rates. For international campaigns managed from Germany, professional English is usually sufficient.
A freelance performance marketing consultant typically works remotely but integrates closely with internal teams via tools like Slack, Asana, and video conferencing. They align with internal content creators, graphic designers, and product managers to ensure consistent messaging across ads and landing pages. Regular weekly or monthly reporting calls keep all stakeholders informed about budget utilization and performance metrics.
Working with a local search engine marketer in Germany ensures full compliance with European data privacy regulations like GDPR and local cookie consent requirements. Additionally, local experts are familiar with the German competitive landscape, purchasing habits, and seasonal trends. They can also easily attend occasional on-site strategy workshops to align closely with your executive team.
The average hourly rate for SEA Managers in Germany is 85 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 679 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers working as SEA Managers in Germany, 88% hold at least a Bachelor's degree and 29% hold at least a Master's degree.
On average, freelancers working as SEA Managers in Germany have 14 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 2.6 years.
The most common languages among freelancers working as SEA Managers in Germany are German (96%), English (96%), and French (25%).
The most common industries among freelancers working as SEA Managers in Germany are Advertising (96%), Information Technology (71%), and Professional Services (67%).
The most common business areas among freelancers working as SEA Managers in Germany are Marketing (100%), Project Management (50%), and Sales (50%).
FRATCH SEA Managers main locations
Our freelancers and interim experts are at home across the DACH region — available on-site in the major business hubs or fully remote. Choose a location to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
Berlin Hamburg Munich Cologne Frankfurt Stuttgart Dusseldorf Leipzig Dortmund Essen Bremen Dresden Hanover Nuremberg Request a Free Demo
Get in touch with the FRATCH team and we will get back to you within 4 hours.
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We always have the time for a call or email!
Philipp Thomaschewski
FRATCH CEO
