More and more small companies are looking to invest in pay per click (PPC) marketing campaigns, but sometimes, going with a PPC company is better than trying to do it yourself.
Especially in the beginning.
If you don’t know much about how PPC marketing works, a dedicated company can guide you through the process and explain strategies. With the right people in your corner, you’ll be shocked by how quickly a click turns into a lead.
But with so many PPC agencies out there preaching they’re the “best of the best,” it’s difficult to know who to choose.
Let’s take a look at how to identify a great PPC company.
What Does A PPC Company Do?
A PPC company oversees your entire PPC strategy. You provide them with a budget, and they develop a plan within that scope to meet your needs. Generally, your PPC organization or agency will handle everything, including the research it takes to understand your industry.
What else can you expect a PPC organization to do for you? A lot.
Keyword Research
Keyword research is essential to a PPC marketing campaign. Knowing what your target audience is searching for, what keywords rank, and which ones fall within your budget are all part of planning.
Any good PPC company should include this in their overall plan.
PPC Monitoring
Your PPC campaigns should never be on the backburner. Your PPC company should be monitoring how keywords are fluctuating and ensuring that you’re getting the most for your money.
They’ll measure campaign success and track if the keywords are performing well. Their bottom line? To get you a positive ROI.
Competition Analysis
No PPC campaign should begin before competitive analysis is conducted. This is key to being competitive in your industry.
Your PPC company should be looking at what your competitors are doing, the keywords they’re targeting, and the creative strategy behind their ads. From copywriting to bid amounts, they’ll know what you’re up against and will advise you on the most effective path forward.
A/B Testing
You should never have one ad up and running — in fact, you need several. Your PPC company should be running several A/B tests to know what works and what doesn’t.
Understanding which assets perform better can help shift a poor performing campaign faster when you can see two of them at a time.
Set Your Expectations
At your initial meeting, you should talk through your goals and expectations. A great PPC company will help you understand what those goals mean and how to meet them.
They should help set realistic expectations, so there are no surprises down the line. Setting expectations means walking you through the cost of relevant keywords against your budget and letting you know what to expect based on industry-wide performance.
Some of the metrics you should start thinking about include:
- Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
- Return On Investment (ROI)
- Average Deal Size
- Product Margins
- Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
Armed with your goals, knowledge, and a great PPC company, you can develop a strategy that gets you in front of your ideal customer.
