It’s a fact: The PPC agency market is saturated with providers that range in price and services. Having more options is great, but too many choices lead to confusion. In the following article I’m going to show you 14 questions you should prepare when you hire a PPC agency.
So how do you figure out which agency is right for you?
I believe the key is conducting proper research and asking the right questions.
Before anything else, please make a list of your needs and have it in hand before starting your new PPC agency research. Discuss your company’s needs with your marketing and sales department to get precisely what you’re looking for.
We’ve put together 15 questions you should ask the agency representative before signing any contract.
1. Is your agency Google Ads certified?
This isn’t a deal-breaker, but an official Google Partner agency can make your decision very simple. You’ll know they have experience and knowledge and follow the standard Google Ads best practices.
You can search for certified Google Ads partners on the Google Marketing Platform or see if a PPC agency is certified or not.
Today’s earned Google Premier Partner agency status, ranked in the top 5 in Romania. In addition, we are the first Convert.com certified local agency, a tool used in conversion rate optimization.
2. Is there a monthly minimum ad spend?
Many agencies ask for a monthly minimum ad budget.
There are some reasonable motives for this:
- They may charge a percentage fee based on the ad budget you spend
- To get results with Google Ads, you need to spend at least $2000; if you don’t have these funds, the results are unlikely to come.
All these details are outlined to ensure the agency is upfront with their minimums if they have them.
3. How are your management fees structured?
As I’ve previously said, some agencies will bill you based on your ad budget, some a flat monthly fee for PPC management, and some based on the estimated hours they work on your account.
You should have a good understanding of how you’ll be billed for PPC services. Also, note that this is separate from your ad budget.
4. Is there a minimum contract length I have to agree to?
Some agencies ask new clients to sign up for long-term contracts, varying from 6 to 12 months. If you’ve never tried PPC advertising before, this can be risky.
Here at Todays, we only ask our clients to agree only a 30-day agreement, as we’re confident in our abilities and don’t feel we need to tie clients into long-term contracts.
5. Will I have ownership of the Google Ads account?
You must ensure complete control and ownership of your Google Ads Account. Set up an account using your own Gmail account, and you can provide access to the agency.
One of the essential components of Google Ads is the data you collect when running campaigns, and you don’t want to lose this advertising history and start fresh when you switch agencies.
Many Google Ads agencies will create your account under their account and not offer you complete access. Also, they could withhold important reporting information from you.
6. Will you create a funnel or drive traffic?
Unfortunately, our customers complained that plenty of past PPC agencies would set up a campaign and let it run while it spent your advertising budget. This means they aren’t going to optimize anything to get better results. They will not work with you to create an actual sales funnel that consistently delivers sales to your business.
7. How much time will you allocate weekly for my project?
How much time your PPC agency will allocate monthly for your project is another piece of information you must know. Not only will this help you hold them accountable, but it will also let you decide if they are interested in the success of your project or not.
Depending on your arrangement, please find out how much time they will be working on your project weekly. The importance of knowing this cannot be overemphasized.
Chances are they are working on multiple projects simultaneously, so you must conclude how much time they will be ready to spend on your campaign per week.
8. What reports should I expect from you? Are they included in the management package or for an additional fee?
You should ask the agency if they provide reports on an agreed schedule and if those reports are included in your management package. Also, ask what is included in the reports.
Don’t be shy to ask for a report sample. Will they include strict data, analysis of the data, and expert recommendations? Ensure that you see everything going on with your account, preferably at least every month.
9. Who will be managing my campaigns?
You should know precisely who will be working on your campaign and PPC accounts because that’s the person that will bring you success or not. Make sure that it’s a good communicator and that they are aligned with your company goals.
10. How do you measure success?
Many metrics can be used to measure PPC campaigns’ success. Some of them are cost per click (CPC), impressions and click-through rate (CTR), but these metrics are not helpful for many businesses.
Check our Google Ads for E-commerce Ultimate Guide for 2022 to learn what campaigns are best for you and how to measure and improve success.
While CPA, CTR, and CPC are all excellent measurements, you will want to look at your ROI as a determinant factor for your success.
We measure success in different ways – we provide you with results and develop KPIs which meet your commercial objectives. As an agency, we’re always transparent and realistic regarding what can be achieved and what should be measured to achieve success.
11. What support do you offer?
You will be harming yourself if you don’t know the support you will get in your business right from the onset before committing to a PPC agency. You need to see if they will support you all through the way.
You also need to know their support limit to conduct pre-campaign research, create effective campaign ads to track the campaign, continuously refine it, maintain costs, and deliver the highest possible revenue.
12. Does the company use procedures and checklists?
The process that handles all your PPC efforts could take months and countless hours. So, the need to employ a PPC agency that designs understandable structures is essential.
So, the next question you should ask is if the company uses procedures and checklists. This is important because it will help save time, reduce errors, improve performance and encourage transparency. And if they use procedures and checklists, ask which ones. Audit checklist, regular campaign review, performance marketing, and many others are the checklists your PPC agency should tick.
13. Are they up to date with the latest trends and news?
It is not enough that the PPC agency is knowledgeable in setting marketing campaigns; they must also be up to date with the latest trends and news. Our world is constantly evolving, and new updates are being released now and then in the digital marketing space.
Only a PPC agency that knows the latest tips and trends can ensure that you don’t fall victim to whatever policy or update has been made. So, when choosing the agency to trust with your PPC campaign, ensure it is aware of the latest trends and news.
14. Have you worked in my industry, and can you share results/case studies?
Trusting your campaign with a PPC agency that hasn’t worked in your industry before is risky. So, by all means, find out if they have the experience. This is important for two reasons: they can quickly help you should things go south. And two, their experience will count in eliminating negative keywords.
If you are not convinced they have the experience, don’t hesitate to ask for proof. Let them show you case studies or results proving they have experience working in your industry.
What now?
After speaking with the agency representatives, which one do you feel most comfortable with? Which one knows his game and is the most customer-focused?
Don’t look for the cheapest and the quickest; look for a PPC agency that is determined to help you meet your business goals for sales, lead generation, conversions, and more.
Today’s agency can help you generate PPC campaigns and improve your sales funnel. Our specialists continually optimize the campaigns so our clients reach the highest number of possible conversions and constantly improve the ROI.
Relevant case studies of Todays.Agency
- An eCommerce platform provider achieved the desired result through Google Ads
- We reached CPAs under 1 Eur in Google and Facebook campaigns
- 225.9% increase in conversion rate for a dental practice by using a dedicated landing page
But don’t take our word for it. Check the PPC case studies of several projects we’ve worked on
