Factors To Consider Before Choosing A PPC Management Firm

PPC (pay-per-click) advertising has the ability to deliver targeted traffic, and too often, businesses turn to expert PPC analysts to run this form of paid service promotion. Confusing campaign settings, difficulty understanding campaign terminologies, click fraud and difficult keyword research are some of the reasons why businesses hire pay-per-click management firms. The paid service agencies typically manage the PPC accounts by maintaining consistent or increasing levels of traffic, and effecting quality score averages. PPC firms also help reduce costs per lead. Proficiency among PPC firms differs, so be sure to apply the following tips to get a good agency that guarantees you skyrocketing sales.

Transparency
One important factor to consider when selecting a PPC management firm is their willingness to share complete and unaltered information about every performance indicator, ad account and landing page from your campaigns. It is vital that you understand what the PPC manager is doing in your account and how much time the paid service agency devotes to your campaigns. PPC reports are easy to produce, so PPC companies must be able to provide clients with detailed, up-to-date information. A good PPC agency should also give honest information about the cost of all PPC campaigns. To have complete access to all the information about your campaigns, ensure that you maintain a complete, administrative ownership over your account.

Certification
One key factor to consider when hiring a PPC management firm is Google certification. Choose paid search agencies that are certified in Google Adwords and other PPC programs. Agencies that have passed Google’s Adwords program, which consists of questions about search and display advertising, prove they are PPC advertising.

Short-term Contracts
Consider if the PPC management firm is willing to accept contracts that don’t last for long periods. You will want to fire the agency if your campaign results drop dramatically. Agencies that are willing to tie you to short-term contracts exhibit confidence as they are sure they offer the best services that make clients renew contracts. Contrastingly, nonprofessional and incompetent agencies will try locking you in contracts that last for more than six months.

Experience and Reviews
An agency that has been handling PPC marketing for a long period is usually competent and professional. Make sure the agency has a proven track record. You may ask for a business model to check how the marketing agency has built its way up in the industry and how it has retained clients. Check the company’s records to ascertain if they have been generating good returns on investment for their clients. A good pay-per-click agency will be willing to share with you documents that show how they generate sales. Be sure to look for testimonials from previous customers. Lastly, check the firm’s brand and online reviews to scale their online presence.

Expertise
A PPC management firm with depth of expertise keeps up with the complex and ever-changing trends in paid search advertising. Additionally, the firm focuses on and dedicates a lot of time to your campaigns, improving your campaign results. Be sure to choose an agency that has at least one manager who specializes in paid search marketing. Ask the agency to show you a live campaign. A successful campaign indicates that the firm will give you good results. The agency should be professional enough to estimate the return on investment (ROI) after a specified period of time.

Additional Services and Strategies
Be sure to screen out PPC firms that only provide PPC marketing. A good PPC firm integrates pay-per-click marketing with other online marketing services, such as conversion optimization. Find out if the agency can set up other Google tracking and advertising integration, such as Google Analytics and Google Merchant Center, with your account. Integrating these platforms with your account helps understand customer behavior and improve campaign results, which ultimately increases return on investment. Consider if the agency has direct relationship with search engines and networks.

Service Costs
Any business will want to cut down on costs. Choose a firm that offers high quality services at relatively low costs. Compare the PPC costs of various firms. General paid service management costs include costs to manage your PPC account and search engine PPC costs. Find out the amount you will be charged through your contract and ensure that there are no hidden charges before signing it. Look for a firm that offers free analysis and consultation.

Keywords
A good PPC agency knows how to search highly targeted and detailed keywords. Choose a firm that adheres to industry standards when bidding keywords. The firm should be able to create and avoid a list of negative keywords that generate irrelevant leads, which may bring about additional expenses.

Landing Pages
You need to know how the pay-per-click agency is going to create your landing pages. This is because these pages influence your quality score. Find out if the firm is using recommended tools, such as Instapage and Unbounce, in your campaigns.

Communication
Besides being transparent, the PPC marketing company should be able to communicate effectively with its clients. Good agencies inform clients about the communication channels they are going to use. PPC firms must say how often they are going to report. Good PPC companies usually talk to their clients twice per week. This, however, may vary depending upon the type and products of clients.

How Well Does the PPC Company Understand Your Business
One important question to ask the PPC firm is if they understand your customers and their needs, how you meet the needs, what sets you above others in your industry and how your decision process looks like. The agency should also know the location of your customers. It should be able to manage keywords, landing page and currency according to the customers’ location.

The aforementioned tips help you know what pay-per-click agency provides good service that meets your business needs. Once you have done your homework on best PPC firm, assess the PPC promotional plan they want to employ in your campaigns prior to signing any contract.

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