7 tips for avoiding a nightmare ppc agency

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7 Tips for Avoiding a Nightmare PPC Agency


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 Entry2. Certifications & References3. Agency Fit4. Your Point of Contact5. Contracts6. Optimization and Testing7. Results


1. Barriers to Entry• Anyone intuitive enough to create a landing page and some ad copycan trumpet that they're a fully fledged and capable PPC manager. Butit takes years to build up the foundation of experience that anaccount manager needs to run successful campaigns in competitiveindustries.• One of the first questions you should ask is: how long has the PPCagency been around?


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 theirbelt, they're probably doing something right.

□ Location: Check their location. Do they have an office? A stable, physical location isone of the best ways to facilitate the kind of manpower needed to run efficient andeffective PPC campaigns.

□ Google+ Local Page: Check out their Google+ Local Page. How are the reviews? Ifthey're all 5 stars, the agency might be spectacular, but might also mean the reviewsare fabricated.

□ Meet Face to Face: If they're nearby, arrange to have a face to face chat. Meeting thefaces of the PPC agency helps insure genuine intentions and competence in a wayemails and phone calls can't.


2. Certification & References• The exams required for Google certifications are not rigorous. Any

agency that uses their certified status as their greatest strength is nota strong agency. Avoid them and tell yourself: certification does notequal expertise.

• How do I assess how capable a PPC agency is, really?

Well, it says here that he can use a laptop…


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: https://www.google.com/partners/#a_search

□ What Companies Have They Worked With? Take a look at the PPC Agency’swebsite, it should list past and current clients of the agency.? It’s important tofeel out both the PPC agency’s and its clients’ websites to get a sense of the workethos and partnerships involved

□Contact Current & Former Clients: Make sure you’ve spoken with a client thathas worked with the PPC agency, if you can’t contact one, you should probablymove on.

https://www.google.com/partners/


3. Agency Fit

• You need a solution that caters to your needs and makes you feelspecial, not a standardized build churned out by automated software.

• Big agencies often handle large volumes of small accounts, and yoursmight take backseat priority to larger accounts. And if your account isa larger one, a smaller agency might not have the sheer resourcesavailable to effectively manage and optimize it.

• So how do you make sure your PPC account gets the love it needs anddeserves?


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 otheragencies.

□One Stop Shop: Make sure you know what you’re getting because noone’s good at everything. A PPC agency excels solely in PPC. If they’repromising you solutions to all your online needs, it’s probably toogood to be true.

□Data Doesn’t Lie: PPC can’t beat around the bush, and your accountshould reflect that.


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.


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, makesure this is true. Check the LinkedIn page of the manager you would beassigned.

□Transparency: Your sales contact might have wooed you but your accountmanager is the partner you’re getting. You need to make sure you knowwho’s managing your account, speak with them, and if possible, meetthem. The account manager is the most important person to your PPCsuccess.

□Answers: Can the account manager answer your questions? If there’savoidance or redirection, be skeptical. The account manager should be ableto answer any of your questions regarding your PPC account within 24hours. Can they attest to this reliability?


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


5. Contracts: Checklist□Fairness: Most PPC agencies will allow prospective clients flexible

trial periods in which the contracts will either be short term or nonexistent. Once the trial period of about 2-3 months is over, longerterm contracts might be introduced.

□Expectations: You should expect to see improvements in your PPCwithin this trial period of 2-3 months. If the agency is pushing you tohold on just a bit longer, it’s probably too late.

□Commitment: You do not want to commit to any long term contractsright off the bat. As mentioned above, both parties should see thefairness in holding off on the contracts until trust has beenestablished


6. Optimization & Testing

• PPC requires ongoing management. The PPC agency you select shouldbe well aware of this. You want your account to consistently beoptimized so that your money is spent in the best ways possible.Staying optimized is essential to maintaining a competitive edge inPPC.

• What is the agency going to do on a monthly basis to make youraccount better?


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 reportexplaining what the PPC agency has been working on.

□Testing: You want your account to undergo consistent testing so as tofind new ways to make your PPC campaigns produce the results youwant. Almost everything within a PPC account can be tested andoptimized, e.g., ad copy, landing pages, targeting, etc. A diligentagency will make you well aware of this.


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 eatyour 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…


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 memberof 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 inrelation to money spent on advertising. The PPC agency works aroundthese numbers, and if you have no idea, they’ll have even less of anidea.

□Averages: Ask the PPC Agency for the average improvement in resultstheir clients experienced.


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 rightPPC agency for your business, you might just experience thiswonderful dream. PPC is a specialization that takes long hours andhard work to become proficient in. And remember, you come firstbecause it’s your money being spent.

This is just like a wonderful dream

7 tips for avoiding a nightmare ppc agency

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