Many outsourcing decisions are driven by one of two factors – or both. In the case of Google AdWords management services, the factors are a lack of time and a lack of skills.
Given the importance of Google to many purchasing decisions, the question should not be why outsource AdWords management, but why not?
Although it can be tempting to ‘have a go at running your own AdWords campaigns or giving the task to a member of staff with time to spare, this is a risky business. Knowing a thing or two about Google and marketing is very different to being a qualified expert in the world’s most powerful search engine.
What can an outside Google AdWords consultant provide?
Most people know how important it is to be on the first page of Google when someone searches for your products. Estimates vary, but between 75% and 85% of searchers do not even make it past the first page.
Whichever number is true, the fact is that it is vital to be on that prime real estate of the first page. A well-versed AdWords management company will make it their mission to get you there.
Hiring a good consultant also has other benefits. By rigorously researching keywords and assigning the right levels of budget to them, every cent of your precious marketing budget will be put to good use. One of the most demoralizing things about getting AdWords campaigns wrong is paying for clicks that are completely irrelevant to your firm.
The margins between getting the right leads and the wrong leads are very small. An expert can help you get on the right side of that line.
How to get started
When you have found an AdWords consultant to work with, sit with them to plan out your campaigns and budgets. Begin by identifying which products to focus on, and what action you want your potential buyers to take. Depending on the product and its value, you will want them to:
- Buy now
- Use a discount code
- Request a trial
- Download some content or watch a video
- Request a consultation
- Try before you buy offer
It is vital to be clear about this. Once a prospect clicks on your Google Ad, you have paid for that click even if they leave your site straight away. Optimal landing pages guide the prospect to a clear action to maximize the chances of conversion.
The devil is in the detail
There are many ‘have a go heroes’ with AdWords campaigns. Creating a Google account and popping in some keywords is not difficult. Setting a budget is straightforward enough. And analyzing the stats looks manageable.
AdWords consulting services provide much more than that. Spending time researching, setting up, and optimizing keywords is important. Tweaking some of them when they do not work then takes more time. Analyzing results continuously takes up more time. Do you see our point? It’s not all about skills, it is the time and attention to getting it right.
Writing Ad copy is also a skill. Small details such as using keywords at the beginning of the description and in the title are vital to be picked up by the algorithm. Writing search-optimized content is a skill, as it is not necessarily a natural style of writing.
If you are still in doubt and think that you can make a success of AdWords in-house, ask yourself if you know about terms such as Google quality score? With an ever-changing set of criteria, the Google QS is critical to where your ads rank compared to your competitors.
Making the hire
Okay so you are taking the plunge, and you have made a wise decision. The next step is to own the recruitment process. Put the word out to a few AdWords campaign management firms that catch your eye.
Let them know what you are looking for, an idea of your budget, and what you sell. When you receive some proposals back, do a little more homework. Check out customer testimonials on the agency’s website. If they claim to be doing a great job for ABC Inc., test it out. Google ABC Inc’s products and see where they appear in the search results. If they are on the first page, then they pass the test! If not, you get the drift.
Let them know you are serious about a long-term partner and give them some idea of your planned annual spend. Once you have a few options you can make a decision based on these key areas – and some good old-fashioned gut feeling.
