7 Tips for Avoiding a Nightmare PPC Agency Copyright - Vantage Search Marketing

Transcription

1 7 Tips for Avoiding a Nightmare PPC Agency

2 But how do you know which PPC agency is right for you? Let's take a look at the 7 points you should consider: 1. Barriers to Entry 2. Certifications & References 3. Agency Fit 4. Your Point of Contact 5. Contracts 6. Optimization and Testing 7. Results

3 1. Barriers to Entry Anyone intuitive enough to create a landing page and some ad copy can trumpet that they're a fully fledged and capable PPC manager. But it takes years to build up the foundation of experience that an account manager needs to run successful campaigns in competitive industries. One of the first questions you should ask is: how long has the PPC agency been around?

4 1. Barriers to Entry: Checklist LinkedIn: Check out their LinkedIn page (which they should have) to see how many years they have been operating. If the agency has more than five years under their belt, they're probably doing something right. Location: Check their location. Do they have an office? A stable, physical location is one of the best ways to facilitate the kind of manpower needed to run efficient and effective PPC campaigns. Google+ Local Page: Check out their Google+ Local Page. How are the reviews? If they're all 5 stars, the agency might be spectacular, but might also mean the reviews are fabricated. Meet Face to Face: If they're nearby, arrange to have a face to face chat. Meeting the faces of the PPC agency helps insure genuine intentions and competence in a way s and phone calls can't.

5 2. Certification & References The exams required for Google certifications are not rigorous. Any agency that uses their certified status as their greatest strength is not a strong agency. Avoid them and tell yourself: certification does not equal expertise. How do I assess how capable a PPC agency is, really? Well, it says here that he can use a laptop

6 2. Certification & References: Checklist Google Partners Page: Certifications aren t meaningless, so you should still make sure that they re listed on the Google Partner s directory: What Companies Have They Worked With? Take a look at the PPC Agency s website, it should list past and current clients of the agency.? It s important to feel out both the PPC agency s and its clients websites to get a sense of the work ethos and partnerships involved Contact Current & Former Clients: Make sure you ve spoken with a client that has worked with the PPC agency, if you can t contact one, you should probably move on. Ask them how the PPC agency dealt or deals with problems. Ask them what their biggest criticism of the PPC agency is.

7 3. Agency Fit You need a solution that caters to your needs and makes you feel special, not a standardized build churned out by automated software. Big agencies often handle large volumes of small accounts, and yours might take backseat priority to larger accounts. And if your account is a larger one, a smaller agency might not have the sheer resources available to effectively manage and optimize it. So how do you make sure your PPC account gets the love it needs and deserves?

8 3. Agency Fit: Checklist Spend Range: Ask the PPC agency what their clients spend. If your spending goals fall too far outside of their range, look to other agencies. One Stop Shop: Make sure you know what you re getting because no one s good at everything. A PPC agency excels solely in PPC. If they re promising you solutions to all your online needs, it s probably too good to be true. Data Doesn t Lie: PPC can t beat around the bush, and your account should reflect that. Ask the PPC agency how they will keep your account updated and prioritized. Ask them to make predictions for what they can do. Ask them to demonstrate how they have used data in the past to improve another client.

9 4. Your Point of Contact If the PPC Agency is looking promising, you ll want to know who would actually be responsible for the management of your account. No, not sales. I said account manager. No, you are still sales.

10 4. Your Point of Contact: Checklist Experience: A junior manager will not have the experience necessary to avoid and fix problems. You re paying for an experienced specialist, make sure this is true. Check the LinkedIn page of the manager you would be assigned. Transparency: Your sales contact might have wooed you but your account manager is the partner you re getting. You need to make sure you know who s managing your account, speak with them, and if possible, meet them. The account manager is the most important person to your PPC success. Answers: Can the account manager answer your questions? If there s avoidance or redirection, be skeptical. The account manager should be able to answer any of your questions regarding your PPC account within 24 hours. Can they attest to this reliability?

11 5. Contracts PPC is an ongoing process. The nature of the business will often involve contracts. How do you go about approaching a PPC contract, when results are never guaranteed? It s just your soul, and you ll never get a better rate

12 5. Contracts: Checklist Fairness: Most PPC agencies will allow prospective clients flexible trial periods in which the contracts will either be short term or non existent. Once the trial period of about 2-3 months is over, longer term contracts might be introduced. Expectations: You should expect to see improvements in your PPC within this trial period of 2-3 months. If the agency is pushing you to hold on just a bit longer, it s probably too late. Commitment: You do not want to commit to any long term contracts right off the bat. As mentioned above, both parties should see the fairness in holding off on the contracts until trust has been established

13 6. Optimization & Testing PPC requires ongoing management. The PPC agency you select should be well aware of this. You want your account to consistently be optimized so that your money is spent in the best ways possible. Staying optimized is essential to maintaining a competitive edge in PPC. What is the agency going to do on a monthly basis to make your account better?

14 6. Optimization & Testing: Checklist Monthly Basis: Ask what the PPC agency will do on a monthly basis to optimize your account. Search query reports, bidding optimizations, and landing page reviews are some of the staples here. Reports: Ask how regularly and in what format reports will come. Each month, you should be receiving a non-automated report explaining what the PPC agency has been working on. Testing: You want your account to undergo consistent testing so as to find new ways to make your PPC campaigns produce the results you want. Almost everything within a PPC account can be tested and optimized, e.g., ad copy, landing pages, targeting, etc. A diligent agency will make you well aware of this.

15 7. Results In PPC, results are everything. A PPC makeover can offer your business a massive boost in profitability, but it will never let you eat your cake and have it too. If a PPC agency is promising you the world, be skeptical. Are they angels or are we being deceived? Wait a second

16 7. Results: Checklist Sales: Sales people might exaggerate what their agency can actually do. This is why it s highly recommended to meet with both a member of sales as well as a member of the actual analytical PPC team, preferably your prospective account manager. Conversions: Make sure you know how much a sale is worth to you in relation to money spent on advertising. The PPC agency works around these numbers, and if you have no idea, they ll have even less of an idea. Averages: Ask the PPC Agency for the average improvement in results their clients experienced. Ask them for the average amount of time this improvement took. Ask both a member of the sales team and a member of the account management team. Notice any discrepancies? If they re too drastic, it s not a good sign.

17 Conclusion Having a good PPC agency on your side is like a wonderful dream. If you make sure to do your due diligence when researching the right PPC agency for your business, you might just experience this wonderful dream. PPC is a specialization that takes long hours and hard work to become proficient in. And remember, you come first because it s your money being spent. This is just like a wonderful dream