PPC Doesn’t Suck – Maybe it’s Your Google Ads Agency
Don’t Let their Shortcomings Sour the Power of PPC
Looking for a New Google Ads Agency?
Let’s Get You Pointed in the Right Direction
Chances are if you are reading this it’s because you are either currently working with a Google Ads Agency or have already left one that just didn’t get the job done. You can imagine that over a twenty-three-year stint in this industry, we have had to rescue many agencies and business owners from some pretty awful situations. It stinks. There’s no other way to call a spade a spade in these scenarios.
For what it’s worth though, there is a silver lining. You at least have some experience in what to look out for when you choose your next Google Ads Agency. And because you took some time to come hang out with us for a little bit, we are going to gift you some additional wisdom. This way we can further equip you with greater foresight to reduce your exposure to risk. We can also help you find a rock-solid Google Ads Agency partner like Allegiant Digital Marketing to help you with your Pay-Per-Click Advertising needs. An agency that will not only use Google Ads to drive leads but also leverage its power to elevate your entire Digital Marketing Strategy as a result.
But not to toot our own horn here, let us get back to why you are here and that’s to learn.
Deciphering a Google Ad Agency’s Credibility
Certifications are Good, but Real-Life PPC Experience is Invaluable
There are a multitude of reasons why these experiences with paid search advertising often go awry with your Google Ads Agency. It can be as simple as unrealistic expectations set by a sales rep or it can be deeply rooted issues in the agency’s process or strategy. Perhaps it is the inexperience of the person setting up and managing your account. Or it could be a sign that the agency you are with is overwhelmed and unable to provide your campaign the attention it needs.
While we can speculate on the issue(s), the fact remains the same. A truly great Google Ads Agency can elevate your PPC performance and help you get the results you seek. You just need a little bit of help separating the truth from the minutia and get right down to the brass tacks as they say. Let’s take a deeper dive into how.
Google Certifications and Experience
While you cruise the internet to find your next Google Ads Agency, you have likely found yourself bombarded with accreditations, badges, and all sorts of certifications. Yes, they are good because they show competency at basic and intermediate levels. But you need to be wary and ask the right questions. Is the person setting up and managing your account certified? Is your sales rep or customer service specialist certified or experienced? If the answer is no to these questions, you may have a problem.
Sales reps are often responsible for analysis and recommendations. In some instances, they may even suggest how you should spend. Customer service specialists need to be able to look at and diagnose issues to provide capable support. If neither have the certifications or experience then how can they advise you and your Google Ads Campaign?
Business and Marketing Expertise
Google Ads needs more than someone who knows what keys on a keyboard to click to set up a campaign, manage it properly, and optimized it to its fullest extent. As they say, Pay-Per-Click Advertising is both an art and a science. This is absolute gospel in the world of digital marketing. So having an agency who can demonstrate both the business expertise and marketing ingenuity when it comes to your Google Ads Strategy is an absolute necessity. Without it, your ads will drown in the advertising noise and your campaign will fail.
Meticulous Google Ads Research and Setup
Research, Keyword Ideation, and an Eye for Detail
Proper Keyword Research from your Google Ads Agency is critical for success. Unfortunately, this is another place where inexperience, misunderstanding, haste, and laziness often rears its ugly head. When these types of mistakes or negligence occurs it will often doom the campaign before you even have a chance to get into the fight.
A Google Ads Agency who is truly invested in your campaign’s success will often have an onboarding process they require. Believe me, it isn’t something we do to annoy you but something we do to help you. There are reasons why we ask for any Google Ads or Analytics Access you can provide, or even items that seem unrelated (but are actually related) like access to your domain, website, and so on.
They should also have a setup form they take you through to understand what your business is about and what are the important things they need to focus on. And even provide you with a meeting with their specialists and support teams so you not only can put a name to a face, but so that both sides can ask any follow up questions they need in order to fully understand the goals that influence the strategies that follow. A great Google Ads Agency is meticulous in their research, but also in getting to know your business through and through.
A Google Ads Agency with Clever Marketing Creativity
Helping You Stand Out in the Noise to Engage Your Audience Effectively
When working with a Google Ads Agency, one of the top factors you should think about is their creative capabilities. This is an incredibly important consideration and for good reason. How your business is presented to your audience is their first introduction to your brand. And if you leave an underwhelming experience, you will spend a lot of time, energy, and money with few results.
Don’t worry though, you don’t need to invest millions into hiring a creative agency to assist with ad creative. A capable Google Ads Agency will have the experience and marketing creativity to get the job done for you.
An example of this can be accomplished by using your campaign data to learn the attributes of your best customers. Creating audience match types in your campaign strategies, or building personas can help significantly increase your targeting capabilities. Helping inform your strategies so that you can customize the creative experience to be specifically tailored to your best customers. Giving them the absolute best experience that leads to greater conversions that will help you substantially increase your sales. Taking this type of initiative can improve your ROI while creating advertising efficiencies that drive down your cost.
Google Ad Agency Optimization and Tracking Technologies
Transparency at Your Fingertips and Experts Who Can Articulate Results
Transparency in your Google Ads Campaign needs to be something that a Google Ads Agency provides their customers. Any time you are making an investment in a digital marketing program you need to know where your ad dollars are being spent and what they produce for your business in the way of leads, sales, and revenue. If your PPC Agency is unable to furnish this information, then it’s time for you to move on.
A great Google Ads Agency can do more for you than just supply you with a monthly report. And if your report can only inform you about basic metrics like impressions, clicks, and keywords then you are still flying blind. If you are unable to determine how many calls or form leads have been submitted that originate from your PPC Campaign, then you are missing opportunities to measure your results. More importantly, you are missing valuable opportunities to optimize your campaign’s performances. This could be tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars left on the table that will be missed by your business.
Elite Google Ads Agencies provide their customers with the ability to track leads, measure results, optimize performance, and provide all of this information in an online dashboard. This gives agencies and business owners the ability to log in at their discretion, at any given moment, to view their campaign results and follow the progress of their PPC Advertising and Display Campaigns 24/7/365. With a digital marketing dashboard you are able to see your investment in action and never have to guess again how your campaign is performing. That’s real digital marketing transparency.
Your Relationship with Your Google Ad Agency Matters
Available, Helpful, Proactive, and Genuinely Cares About YOU
Your relationship with your Google Ads Agency needs to be great. There needs to be great rapport and communication and there also needs to be respect for one another too. The fact of the matter is that people buy from people who they like and long-term relationships are built on a foundation of trust. If you are not getting the “Warm and Fuzzies” from your agency now, chances are that will never change.
These relationships demonstrate your agency’s motivation and willingness to not only provide you a service, but to get to know your business and what matters most to you. They are available when you reach out and make themselves available to you when you need help. They invest the time to learn your industry, they collaborate with you, they proactively engage you when new opportunities arise, and they don’t shy away from hard conversations. While we all want Rainbows and Unicorns in our experiences, we know sometimes things may not go according to plan. But, if your agency really cares about you they won’t BS you either.
How to tell you’ve found the right Google Ads Agency for your business
Basic Characteristics that show you have found the right Partner
Having a competent Google Ads Agency manage your account, campaigns, and investments is the best way to ensure that you’re getting full value for each dollar spent. The right agency will be able to work with you to develop campaigns that are optimized for conversions and ROI. They will also be skilled in running campaigns for a variety of business goals and will be able to adjust the campaign objectives and budgets to meet your needs. The right agency is also agile when those needs shift.
Finding the right Google Ads Agency also means finding someone who cares. Because when you find an agency who is invested as much in your business and success as you are, then you know you have found the right Partner. The relationship will feel natural, communication will flow freely, and the respect given will be reciprocated tenfold. Yes, we get into business to make money but it can be more than that with the right PPC Agency by your side.
Have questions? We have the answers. Contact the Google Ads Experts at Allegiant Digital Marketing today!
