Most businesses and organizations are aware of Google Ads and the fact that it can provide an infusion of traffic to almost any website, Maps listing or App on the web. However, there is sometimes confusion about how to get started with Google Ads, how to choose a budget, keywords, ads etc., and how to know that the traffic is working for you (or not). Today we’re going to cover some tips for who needs Google Ads management, who can handle their campaigns in-house and who should put Google Ads on a ‘come back to this one’ list.
Who Needs Google Ads?
If your organization has a budget and a very clear use case, Google Ads is worth looking into. How do you find a budget? Keyword research. Decide what keywords represent valuable traffic to your organization and use a keyword research tool to find out how much they would cost to show ads against. Here is a basic formula you can use to help:
(Monthly Impressions x 1% = Clicks) then (Clicks x Average Cost per Click)
For example, the keyword ‘google ads agency’ gets around 8,000 searches per month. At a 1% click through rate that’s 80 clicks a month times $2 a click or $166 a month for that keyword. Add up all the keywords you’d like to show ads against and that’s your budget. Your keyword list is negotiable and getting an informed opinion on which keywords to use is often a good idea.
Regarding the ‘very clear use case’ mentioned above, that’s jargon for, ‘what do you want to happen with those users’. Do you want them to buy something? Get in touch with you? Download some content? Creating a specific plan for success will help you define the success or failure of the effort. Think of it like investing; if you don’t know what return to expect how will you know if it’s working?
Who Needs Google Ads Management?
If you’re thinking of hiring a Google Ads agency or switching to a new one, ask yourself how successful your effort has been. Do you know what’s working and what’s not? Is your current account manager confident in how they are performing, and do they have a plan for the future?
If you’re answering these questions ‘no’ or ‘maybe’ considering some outside Google Ads management might be worth looking into.
Hiring a Google Ads Agency
Hiring an outside vendor should be comfortable and relatively easy. After all, they should be taking tasks off your to-do list. Here are some tips for finding the right fit for your organization.
Profit Margin – If hiring an agency means your Google Ads campaigns are now in the red thanks to the management fees that’s a red flag. You shouldn’t pay $2,000 a month to manage $1,000 in ads. One exception to that rule would be if your Google Ads manager can show you a path to profitability. Some accounts lose money in the short run but make money once the manager has time to optimize and grow the account. Have an open discussion about costs, profit margin and what you’re hoping to get out of working together.
Transparency – Your Google Ads manager should be willing and able to share anything you want regarding the account, the campaign results and their strategy. Everything going on in your account should belong to you, from login access to clear insight on performance.
Planning & Attention – Google Ads is like any other part of your marketing effort; it relies on a unified message and timely action. If your campaigns lag behind website changes, don’t make good use of incentives or offer something vague to potential customers the effort isn’t likely to succeed. You’re paying for this traffic; it should be some of your best traffic.
When to Pause Google Ads
Over the years we’ve seen many organizations decide Google Ads ‘just don’t work’ for them. Sometimes that’s correct. Google Ads doesn’t work in all situations. Here are some tips on deciding if the channel doesn’t work or the strategy didn’t work.
If you worked with a seasoned Google Ads manager and your campaign strategy was well timed and well executed, it may be time to pause the account and come back later. Here are some common factors that can make an account look unsuccessful when that might not be true.
Inexperienced Management – no one is a pro the first time out, but if your account manager is new to Google Ads, be honest about that. Maybe a more seasoned hand on the steering when can turn your account around.
Bad Data – Tracking and measuring your results is important with any digital marketing. Check the data in Google Ads against Google Analytics to see if data sharing wasn’t set up correctly. Do you have conversions configured in both places? Are the two platforms sharing data?
Aggressive Testing – If you jumped into Google Ads with both feet you may have seen a big spike in traffic (and cost), which led to a quick withdrawal from the platform even if you gained conversions (sales leads, etc.).
Sometimes a more conservative set of tests can separate the good results from the bad. Each experiment can build on the last ones and a clear record can help you roll back any piece of the puzzle which fails along the way.
Hopefully this set of recommendations helps. If you have questions about your account, the approach taken in the past or anything else related to Google Ads, get in touch. We’d be happy to walk you through your options.