Questions To Ask Your Google Ads Agency
Nick Czerwinski
PPC & Local SEO Specialist
Marketing your business online is crucial to its success in today’s digital age. And when it comes to powerful marketing platforms, few can match Google Ads. Targeting millions of potential customers offers an unparalleled opportunity to reach your audience. But the task of managing Google Ads on your own can be daunting. It requires time, effort, and expertise that may not be readily available in-house. That’s where a Google Ads agency comes in, providing the support and guidance you need to make the most of this powerful advertising tool.
With so many Google Ads agencies to choose from, it can be overwhelming to decide. We’ve created this comprehensive guide to help you navigate the selection process confidently. From understanding the qualifications and experience to knowing the right questions to ask your Google Ads agency, our guide will equip you with the tools to find the best agency for your business.
What to Do When Choosing a Google Ads Agency
Many ambitious business owners spend hours learning how to manage their Google Ads campaigns. However, running successful campaigns takes more than a part-time effort – it requires a dedicated approach to strategizing, managing, and optimizing your ads. Although it is possible to manage your campaigns without paying for professional services, it will still cost you your time and potentially your sanity.
If you’re considering managing your own Google Ads campaigns, investing in education can be a smart move that pays off in the long run. By acquiring valuable knowledge and insights, you can increase your chances of running successful campaigns that deliver results for your business. While there are paid training programs available, there are also free resources, such as Metalogic Design’s Google Ads Online Training, which offers in-depth guidance to help you master the platform.
Choosing Between Hiring an Agency or In-House for Google Ads Management
If managing your own Google Ads campaign sounds insurmountable, don’t worry; you have options. You can hire an in-house Google Ads manager or a Google Ads agency to run your ads for you.
If you’re unsure which option is the best fit for your business, here’s a brief overview to help you make an informed decision:
In-House Google Ads Manager: Pros
When you bring an in-house PPC manager on board, you hire a dedicated team member to focus exclusively on your Google Ads campaigns. Not only will they manage your PPC efforts, but they’ll also take the reins on your SEO, email marketing, and content development.
An in-house PPC manager can be an excellent option for business owners because it allows them to understand your business deeply. They become an integral part of the team, actively participating in important meetings and staying on top of the latest happenings without constant communication.
An in-house PPC manager can become your own Google Ads guru, prioritizing your campaigns and ensuring they’re tailored to your business’s unique needs.
In-House Google Ads Manager: Cons
When it comes to digital marketing, juggling multiple areas of focus can seem like an impossible task. The reality is that it’s incredibly challenging to achieve success across all branches, including PPC, SEO, email marketing, and content marketing.
If you’re considering bringing on an in-house manager, we strongly recommend you “pick a lane” and stay focused. Each aspect of digital marketing demands a unique set of skills, and PPC advertising requires regular education and training to keep up with the latest trends and strategies.
Unfortunately, the average business owner doesn’t prioritize training within their marketing budget, especially regarding the ongoing education PPC managers need to succeed.
Additionally, utilizing an in-house PPC manager is a substantial long-term commitment to your business. While the benefits can be immense, it’s essential to ensure that you’re ready to commit to a dedicated resource before making this decision.
Hiring A Google Ads Agency
Businesses might be hesitant to work with a PPC agency, concerned that the agency will need to fully comprehend its brand’s intricacies. However, a reliable PPC agency recognizes that thoroughly understanding your business and industry is critical. At the outset of your collaboration, a reputable agency will invest in learning about your competitors and what sets your brand apart. In this way, the agency functions as an integral part of your team, just like an in-house PPC manager.
So, why opt for a PPC agency? One key advantage is their specialized expertise; they stay up-to-date on the latest trends and techniques, investing their time and money in ongoing education. By competing with one another, agencies are highly attuned to their rivals’ strategies and can incorporate the best tools and methods into their campaigns.
Another benefit of working with a PPC agency is that you don’t need to worry about salaries and benefits. Moreover, a trustworthy agency will only bind you to short-term contracts. This option gives businesses the flexibility and low-risk opportunity to elevate their PPC campaigns and get ahead of the competition.
Finding a Google Ads Agency That Fits Your Business
Choosing the right PPC agency for your business is a crucial decision that can make or break your marketing success. With so many options available, it’s essential to partner with a company specializing in Google Ads, the most potent marketing platform in the industry.
When selecting a PPC agency, evaluating its range of services is critical. While some agencies provide a broad range of digital marketing strategies, Google Ads specialists focus exclusively on paid search advertising within the Google Ads network.
Collaborating with a Google Ads agency specializing in pay-per-click advertising can transform your business by creating, executing, and monitoring campaigns that optimize your ad spending and drive traffic to your website.
The top Google Ads agencies keep up-to-date with the latest features, tools, and trends in digital marketing, delivering the most efficient and effective ad campaigns for your business. By partnering with a Google Ads agency, you’ll gain access to trained professionals who can analyze your competition, target your ideal customers, and track your ad performance to ensure you achieve the best possible results.
When searching for a PPC agency, prioritize those primarily focused on Google Ads. Ensure they possess the expertise and knowledge to deliver exceptional results, giving you the confidence to invest in their services. Ultimately, you deserve a marketing partner who can help you achieve your business goals and drive growth.
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Evaluating Qualifications of a Google Ads Agency
When searching for a Google Ads agency, it’s crucial to assess their qualifications and experience. Fortunately, this information is often readily available on the agency’s website, providing insight into its capabilities and expertise.
As you start your search, you must ask specific questions to ask your Google Ads agency to ensure you find the right partner for your business. For example, is the agency Google Ads certified? This is a critical qualification, demonstrating that the agency deeply understands Google’s advertising platform and can manage your campaigns effectively.
Google Ads certification requires individuals to complete Google’s online training program, Skillshop, which covers basic and advanced aspects of online advertising. Additionally, agencies must meet specific performance standards to earn a Google Partner badge, indicating a proven track record of success.
While Google Ads certification is essential, it’s also crucial to look beyond this credential to evaluate an agency’s commitment to ongoing education and growth. The best Google Ads agencies continually seek additional certifications and training opportunities to stay current with industry trends and strategies.
By thoroughly assessing an agency’s qualifications and certifications, you can be confident that you’re choosing a partner with the knowledge and expertise needed to deliver successful Google Ads campaigns for your business.
Assessing Experience Levels of Potential Google Ads Agencies
The agency will have impressive experience with a proven track record and process. Below are some important questions to ask your prospective Google Ads agency to ensure they have the right experience.
Do They Have Case Studies?
Case studies are an excellent way for agencies to demonstrate their proven process. Through these reports, agencies showcase their problem-solving skills, implementation strategies, and the results they deliver. An outstanding Google Ads agency should have several case studies demonstrating its ability to deliver results.
Have They Worked In Your Industry Before?
While experience in your industry is an added advantage, an excellent PPC agency should have the expertise to handle your campaign, even if they haven’t worked in your field. They can prove their capabilities and expertise by showing you an analogous industry or client. For instance, if you run a service business, an agency that has worked with other service businesses can demonstrate its ability to deliver the desired results.
Do They Specialize In PPC?
Many agencies claim to be experts in several areas, including SEO, PPC, social media marketing, and more. However, selecting a Google Ads agency specializing in PPC is crucial. Managing Google Ads campaigns requires daily practice, continuous education, and learning. The best Google Ads agency focuses solely on PPC and avoids spreading its expertise too thin. Avoid agencies that claim to do it all and select an agency specializing in Google Ads.
Understanding Tracking and Reporting Practices of Google Ads Agencies
If you aim to attract more visitors and engagement to your website, expand your online presence, and bolster your digital marketing strategy, your Google Ads agency must gather and analyze extensive data.
As a client, it’s your right to receive frequent, informative reports that showcase this data in a comprehensive yet detailed format. These reports should demonstrate what your agency is doing behind the scenes, highlighting what’s working, what’s not, and the rationale behind the results.
While Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager are considered the standard tracking tools, it’s vital to delve deep into an agency’s tracking practices to avoid those that fall short or employ inaccurate methods.
Unfortunately, some agencies may track improperly or not at all, which is a serious warning sign. Therefore, it’s essential to be diligent in evaluating the tracking methods of potential Google Ads agencies. Here are some specific questions that can guide your assessment:
- Do they possess experience in establishing Google Ads conversion tracking?
- Will they track all types of conversions that are relevant to your business?
- What is their definition of a successful conversion?
- Do they rely on Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager to track conversions?
- What techniques do they use for tracking phone call conversions?
- What techniques do they use for form conversions?
- How will they measure and report on the profitability of your Google Ads campaigns?
- Can you anticipate receiving regular, customized, and in-depth reports?
As each of these questions is critical to selecting the best Google Ads agency for your business, ensure that you obtain satisfactory responses before proceeding with your choice.
Ensuring Effective Communication with Your Google Ads Agency
If you’re considering hiring an Ads agency, it’s important to remember that communication is key to a successful partnership. While agencies may present themselves well during the initial stages of the process, it’s essential to understand how their communication and accessibility will hold up once you’ve signed on the dotted line.
To ensure that you’re choosing the right agency for your needs, here are some crucial questions to ask during the early stages of your partnership:
- How frequently will we be in contact, and how will we communicate?
- Will I have a dedicated point of contact for my campaign?
- How accessible will they be if I have questions or concerns?
- What is their preferred method of communication?
- How much work will I require to ensure the campaign’s success?
- Will I maintain full administrative control over my account?
- Do they require a long-term contract, and what are the terms of that agreement?
- Do they make unrealistic promises or guarantees? Reputable Google Ads agencies will never promise specific results.
By asking these questions and clearly understanding the agency’s communication and accessibility expectations, you can make an informed decision and establish a partnership that sets your campaign up for success.
Pricing Models and Transparency with Google Ads Agencies
What should be included in the pricing of your Google Ads agency? We’ve compiled a list of essential services that should come as standard:
- Creation and management of your Google Search Ads
- Ad copy created by professional copywriters
- Reviewing and scoring of all campaign-generated calls, with the importation into Google Ads
- Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager Creation
- Conversion action creation
- Keyword research and development
- Competitive research and targeting
- Ongoing AB testing and optimizations
Your agency should provide a transparent breakdown of costs from the start, including what percentage of the pricing goes toward copy creation and what is and isn’t included in the pricing. They should not charge you for small add-ons that add up. Additionally, the agency should be upfront about what it can and cannot do. If you want to pay by the hour, consider hiring an in-house PPC manager.
Think of your PPC agency as a lawyer always available for emergency calls. The monthly payments are for more than just building Ads campaigns; they are “on retainer” to be available to support your business as needed.
Exploring Tools and Technologies Used by Google Ads Agencies
Regarding software and tools, it can be tough to determine which ones are essential, which are helpful, and which are just unnecessary expenses. As a result, asking your PPC agency about the tools and software they use and why they use them is essential.
Here’s a quick overview of two common types of software and tools:
Click Fraud Software
- It’s not essential – Google already has fraud detection built in.
- If your agency claims to use click fraud software, ask why they need it. They could be using it to charge you more.
- Google should already catch fraudulent clicks and refund you in the time it would take for outside software to notify you of the fraudulent click.
Advanced Software for Competitive Analysis
- It’s helpful, but it should be used wisely.
- Competitive analysis software, such as SEMrush, can provide data on your competitors, such as what’s working and not working for them, how much money they’re wasting on their campaigns, what landing pages they’re using, and the keywords they’re targeting.
- This software is great for initial research and making informed decisions, but it should not be used to copy your competitors’ campaigns.
- Your agency should use competitive analysis software to gain a baseline understanding of what the competition is doing but not spend excessive time or money on these platforms.
Understanding Campaign Structure Practices of Google Ads Agencies
Selecting the right Google Ads agency can be the deciding factor in the triumph of your online advertising campaigns. While you don’t need to be an expert in Google Ads, it’s crucial to comprehend the fundamental components of a strong campaign structure and the degree of activity that your agency should exert in managing your account.
Here are some key questions to ask when appraising a Google Ads agency:
What does their campaign structure entail?
A reputable agency should be able to clarify how they configure their campaigns, ad groups, and keywords to ensure maximum relevance and efficiency. They should also have a solid grasp of how to use negative keywords to avoid irrelevant clicks.
Will the campaign be tailored to your business?
Every business is distinctive, and your Google Ads campaigns should be customized to your specific objectives and requirements. A reliable agency should invest time to comprehend your business and devise a personalized approach that aligns with your goals.
How proactive are they in your account?
Your agency should vigilantly monitor and fine-tune your campaigns to boost performance and achieve desired results. This involves regularly reviewing search terms and revising negative keyword lists and match types as required.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, working with a Google Ads agency can be a great way to achieve your advertising goals, but it’s essential to know the correct questions to ask your Google Ads agency before making a decision. By asking about the agency’s experience, approach, pricing, reporting, and communication, you can identify a partner who understands your business and can help you achieve the best results possible. Remember that a good agency will have a solid track record of success and be transparent, communicative, and responsive to your needs.
However, if you prefer to take a DIY approach to Google Ads, we offer a free online course to help you get started. Our course covers everything from setting up a Google Ads account to creating effective campaigns and analyzing your results. Whether new to Google Ads or looking to improve your existing campaigns, our course is an excellent resource for mastering the platform and achieving your advertising goals.
And if you’re looking for a more personalized approach, our free marketing plan form can help you create a customized online advertising strategy. By filling out the form, you’ll receive a comprehensive plan tailored to your business and designed to help you achieve your advertising goals. With the right knowledge and tools, you can take control of your advertising and grow your business online.
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