What to look for in the perfect Google AdWords consultant

The whole point of hiring someone to assist with your Google AdWords campaign is to be able to:

• get more clicks for less money
• change browsers into buyers
• make your online business truly thrive.

Step 1: Hire someone to tweak your AdWords Campaign who really knows what they’re doing

Even better, hire someone who has learned the hard way by paying for AdWords to promote their own website, and figuring out for themselves how to tweak it to maximize its pay-off. There is nothing like cold hard experience for teaching you what you need to know.

If you decide to go with an SEO agency like Wisdek, ask us to show you examples of AdWords campaigns we have successfully managed and improved. We take pride in our success rate and will be pleased to show you what we know.

Step 2: Do a bit of research about the agency you hire

Who you hire can be a double edged sword: on the one hand, with an agency you get more resources, experience and personnel which means that there is always someone to look after your AdWords account.

On the other hand, by entrusting your campaign to a sole-player AdWords expert you can be certain of consistency and will know exactly who to contact when you want to know what is going on.

Be sure to ask lots of questions about previous experience and follow up on all references so that you are fully informed.

Try to go with a Pay Per Click (PPC) specialist if you can. It is all very well knowing about SEO, web design, social media posts, etc, but what you really need is someone who works daily and intensively within AdWords and PPC. After all, you wouldn’t consult a GP if you need heart surgery, right?

Step 3: How did you find the agency you are considering working with?

Best of all is if the agency was recommended to you by a colleague you trust.

Second best is if you were personally impressed by a knowledgeable speaker who you heard giving a presentation at a conference or other event.

Whoever you choose, you should always ask for references and background information from former and on-going clients, and follow them up.

Be wary of cold callers – they are probably more focused on expanding their list of clientele, rather than on actually concentrating on your business and your AdWords campaign in particular.

Step 4: What does the agency know about your particular market?

Obviously if the agency or consultant you are considering has knowledge of your business area that is all the better because they will be familiar with the AdWords used and will be experienced in connecting Analytics and AdWords accounts so that you get data feedback with context.

Step 5: How often will your agency/consultant be reporting back to you?

You are free to set the parameters – which can be anything from weekly, bi-weekly monthly, quarterly or at set points during the year. Obviously the more feedback in the beginning the better so that you can keep on upgrading your AdWords Campaign for maximum effect.

Step 6: What will be the key performance indicators (KPIs)?

Make sure your consultant is talking about conversion volumes, costs per action, profit, etc and does not focus on less important data such as overall numbers of clicks, click-thru rates or even where your ads are placed.

Step 7: Be clear about your consultant’s account management system

It is better to clarify this up front. The important thing is that there actually is a system in place rather than a mere ad-hoc arrangement.

Step 8: Who will be responsible for your AdWords account?

Get a name or names – know exactly who you need to deal with. It is even better if you can actually meet the person who will be working for you. Even in this era of remote technology, face to face relationships generally work best.

Step 9: Check your consultant’s qualifications

If there is no certification, beware – your consultant is most likely an amateur. At the bare minimum, your consultant should belong to the Google Partners™ programme and be AdWords certified. Even this is only the most basic of certifications because the tests are easy and it only requires minimum monthly AdWords spending of $10,000 which is not a whole lot in today’s advertising market.

Step 10: Trust your gut instincts

Sometimes we just know when something feels right. Pay Per Click is still as much an art form as a cold, hard science and some people just instinctively know how to play it.

If in doubt, keep asking questions and talking to the agency or consultant until you feel sure that this person is the most appropriate to handle your AdWords campaign.

Ultimately, you need to be confident that whoever you choose is:

• intimately familiar with all aspects of AdWords campaigns
• has good business instincts
• can talk to you about what they are doing in plain, simple, jargon-free language
• has a proven track record in Pay Per Click advertising
• is interested in finding out the specifics of your particularly business
• takes the time to find out what you are looking to achieve.

Bear these points in mind, and the chances are that you’ll find yourself an agency or consultant who will make your business more effective, translate more clicking browsers into actual paying customers and will get you more clicks for less money.

And after all, isn’t this what you are looking for?