One of the most cost-effective things you can do as a business is to hire a Google Ads expert to help you manage your ad campaigns. Google Ads isn’t rocket science, but there are a lot of settings and subtle optimization items in Google Ads that you need to understand in order to see results and get effective returns on your investment. For a beginner, it is easy to get overwhelmed, or worse spend a lot of money without seeing any positive results.
Having a Google Ads expert, or ideally, an individual or agency who has earned the right to be a Google Partner, ensures that your ads will be properly set-up, optimized, and specific to your geographic area and audiences. The cost of hiring an expert is typically covered by gains you’ll see in the performance of your account – in some cases a single extra lead per month will more than cover the cost of paying the expert.
But how do you start to look for the right person to help you with Google Ads? What are the right questions to ask, and how do we ensure that they have the expertise to run your campaigns?
Below is a list of green lights and red flags that you should look for to ensure that you are hiring the right Google Ads expert to work with your business.
Green Lights
Here are some items that you should be looking for when doing your search for a Google Ads expert. The more confident you are in these areas the more likely you’ll be to find a solid long-term partner to work with your business and get great results.
Google Ads Experience
It is all too easy for someone to label themselves as a Google Ads expert. Do a quick Google search and you’ll find plenty of results with self-proclaimed experts that are still looking for their first customer. A good starting place when looking for someone with experience is to see if they have the Google Partner badge displayed on their website.
The Google Partner badge is reserved for agencies that have displayed growth and retention of clients, a significant amount of ad spend in their managed accounts, and have passed certification courses with Google.
Testimonials
This item speaks for itself. Having testimonials from current or previous clients is a great sign. If the person you are considering hiring has great reviews, you can feel more comfortable and confident in working with them. You can look at their website or find their business on Google to see what their customers are saying about them, and also how they respond to reviews too.
Knowledge of Google Ads
A true Google Ads expert will have the experience and knowledge to approach the work in the best manner. They’ll have a grasp of what needs to be done to get you the best traffic at the lowest price and understand which type of campaign should be run to meet your goals.
They should also be able to explain the work they are doing in your account in a jargon-free manner. While they will ask you a lot of questions, they will be able to recommend the correct approach for your business to take based on a number of factors such as goals, budget, audience, and more.
Interest in Your Business
An experienced Google Ads manager will have a grasp of the questions they should be asking you. You’ll want to work with an individual who is eager to learn about your business, your customers, and your business goals so that they can properly execute a strategy that aligns with your business.
While there are a lot of similarities in how accounts, campaigns, ads and keywords are set up across different businesses, it is the nuance of understanding how they all align in the customer journey that allows a real expert to show your business the best results.
Red Flags
Look out for these pitfalls when selecting someone to work on your Google Ads account. If you start to see red flags it might be time to look elsewhere, or at a minimum ask for an explanation and further information about the areas of concern.
Cheap Rates
If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. When it comes to finding a Google Ads expert, you truly do get what you pay for so don’t be tempted by rock bottom fees.
Optimizing your account takes consistency and time. If the fees don’t seem to add up with the amount of work that needs to be done in your account, you likely aren’t going to get the results that your business may need.
There is a balance, however. Look for an affordable partner to work with who can explain their feeds, the work that should be expected in the account, and that you can afford over the long run. Hiring an overly expensive agency to run your small campaigns won’t provide you with a positive return on your investment either.
Empty Promises
If the person you are interviewing guarantees success in a short time, or is overly precise in their predictions, it can be a red flag. Google Ads optimization is ongoing work that needs to be done over time once there is some data in the account to analyze and make decisions on.
A true expert can provide estimates on starting budgets, the cost per click, and the amount of traffic you can expect on a daily basis. Where red flags appear is if they are overly precise and start to make promises about results without doing any work or reviewing an existing account.
Hiding their Process
Transparency is important. From discussing the budget, geographic targeting, conversions, and overall campaign results, you’ll get a decent sense of progress being made by your Google Ads expert. Monthly reports and general sharing of keywords, ad copy, and more are just a part of the transparency a true professional will provide.
If the person you are working with doesn’t like to share their work or insists on working on a closed account that you don’t have access to, take that as a serious warning sign. In addition, the work should be done in your account on your behalf and you pay the expert for the time to manage the account.
Bad Communication
Do you feel reassured when you talk to them, and comfortable that you’ll want to work with them over an extended period of time? Google Ads requires ongoing management and optimization to see the best possible results, so look at the person you are hiring as a long-term partner rather than someone who will be providing a short-term fix.
The partner you select should respond openly to questions in a timely manner, be okay with discussing their process and strategy for your account, and generally be good to work with.
Start Getting Real Results
Evergreen has been a Google Partner for the better part of a decade. With years of experience working with small business owners, medium-sized enterprises, and a wide range of non-profit organizations, we have the expertise to help you gain positive results.
Not sure how to get started with Google Ads? Contact us today and book a call to discuss your business goals and how we can help your business grow.
