Choosing a Pay per Click Agency – 10 Questions to Ask
If you’ve tried running your own pay per click (PPC) campaigns without success, or you don’t have time to manage them yourself, you may decide a dedicated PPC agency is your best option.
Below you’ll find my list of 10 questions you should ask a potential PPC agency before agreeing to go ahead and hire them.
- What’s your track record like?
When you ask this question your focus should be purely on return on investment (ROI). In other words can the PPC Agency prove they can invest your money wisely and deliver a positive outcome?
If they can’t back up their promises with hard figures showing what they’ve achieved for others, then you should consider your options carefully.
- Is there a minimum contract length?
Before you commit to anything you need to be aware of how long the proposed PPC contract length is. The duration of contracts can vary from company to company but be wary of getting tied in before you’ve seen any tangible results.
- How can I cancel my contract?
Even if you’ve signed up for a 12 month contract you may be able to cancel it if you give a pre-determined notice period in writing. This will often be a 30 day period so make sure there is a get out clause in case you’re unhappy with the service you’re receiving.
- Can you give me an idea what my monthly budget should be?
A pay per click agency will only be able to answer this once they’ve had information from you with regards to what keywords/phrases you’re looking to target.
They should be able to go away and compile a comprehensive list of keywords and phrases to bid on and then give you an approximate idea of what your monthly budget should be in order to get the best results.
- How do you calculate your PPC management prices?
Not every PPC Agency charges for their services in the same way. Some may expect a fixed monthly retainer regardless of results, while others charge a percentage of your monthly budget.
There are also PPC companies out there that charge based on the number of conversions (enquiries/sales) they achieve for you. Make sure you ask how your costs will be calculated and that you can afford it before going ahead.
- Will I need to make extensive changes to my website?
Depending on your current website and the quality of its landing pages, your PPC Agency may well recommend a series of on-site changes before starting your campaign. This will be done to try and maximise conversions. After all, they could send 10,000 visitors to your site each month but if there’s a major problem on it, very few of these potential customers will convert into a sale/enquiry.
- What ROI can I expect?
As I’ve already explained, ROI is critical in PPC campaigns. Therefore, it’s not enough just to be told, we’ll generate you a positive ROI – you should ask for an approximate figure.
If your PPC Agency is experienced they will be able to give you an indication of the results they expect to achieve for you based on your chosen keywords and monthly spend.
- Will I get weekly progress reports?
When you’re investing your money in a PPC campaign it’s only right there is transparency from the agency in how it’s being spent. Receiving a weekly report will let you see how your campaigns are performing and whether they’re improving or not.
- Who will be working on my campaigns?
When you meet with a prospective PPC Agency, you should ask exactly who will be working on your campaigns. Just because you meet with an experienced Director, it doesn’t mean he or she will be the one working on your campaign; it may be delegated to a junior member of staff.
- How often will my campaigns be manually reviewed?
If you’re paying a monthly PPC management fee you’ll want the assurance that your campaigns are being monitored regularly by your account manager rather than just left on auto pilot.
If you liked this post you may also want to read my beginner’s guide to PPC
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