How to Duplicate a Google Ads Campaign (+ Why You Should)
Here, we'll break down how to duplicate a Google Ads campaign (as well as ads themselves, audiences, and keywords) -- and why you might want to....
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As a seasoned digital marketer, you’re probably familiar with Google Ads, industry terminology, key performance indicators (KPIs), and goals. But, depending on your role, you may not be as well-versed in the daily ins and outs of each of the “doers” who fall under your management.
As your department grows and expands (or finds they need to replace a current employee or agency), you may want to look into hiring a PPC expert to manage your paid search campaigns.
There are numerous ways to fill your current need, but there are also plenty of questions to be asked:
We’ll cover it all in this guide.
If you’re ready for a roundup and have no time to waste, we got you! Here’s a list of the top six PPC experts:
From killer case studies and international offices to certifications and proprietary technology, each PPC expert on this list offers something different. No matter what makes them shine, these PPC experts are the real deal.
Let’s dive in:
Hey, it’s us!
Look, I promise we’re not lacking in humility. It’s just that leaving our team of PPC experts off this list would be a massive disservice.
Founded in 2006, HawkSEM earned a reputation as a team of top experts in the PPC industry. As a Google Premier Partner, Hawk is among the top 3% of PPC agencies in the country. With a 4.5X ROI on average, it’s no wonder we have a 98% retention rate.
Using our PPC expertise, we increased conversions by 7X for Direct TV, tripled lead volume and quality for New Century Financial, increased revenue by 562.45% for 686, reduced conversion costs by 60% for Zephyr, and doubled new clients for Real Estate Law Center PC. (Just to name a few — you can read more case studies here.)
Our PPC excellence partnered with our proprietary marketing tool, ConversionIQ, makes our services pretty darn bulletproof.
When it comes to expert PPC resources, Wordstream leads the way. Their tools and articles allow any DIYer or marketing manager to improve their PPC management skills for free.
Powered by their Google Premier Marketing Partnership, Wordstream’s Google Ads Performance Grader is a free tool that helps digital marketers assess the strength of their campaigns compared to best practices in the industry. Made specifically for small businesses and agencies, the tool offers insights into nine key metrics:
These insights are paired with actionable next steps and a graded report to help you improve. If an agency partnership isn’t in the budget, look no further.
Branded as the largest independent performance marketing firm, Tinuiti specializes in paid search and was selected as a Google Premier Partner, earning their a spot in the top three-percenters club.
With a long list of big-name clients, impressive case studies, and proprietary marketing technology, Tinuiti makes it to the top of any PPC expert list.
Dubbed leaders in performance marketing by Forrester, Wpromote’s Google Ads service began in 2001, combining “best-in-class expertise and innovative tech [that] works in tandem with your other channels, and drives growth across the funnel.”
With over 700 team members and a long list of seriously big-name clients, Wpromote is a high-end agency with rock-solid rankings as PPC experts.
With offices all over the world, Jellyfish is literally a global PPC powerhouse with a team of Google-certified Paid Search experts who “develop award-winning, innovative paid search solutions focused on audiences, automation, and attribution.” Founded in 2005, Jellyfish is not only an expert PPC agency with their own proprietary reporting technology — they’re educators offering training in PPC and paid media.
Whether you want an agency or a course to tackle campaigns on your own, Jellyfish is among the top PPC experts to consider.
A leading customer experience management (CXM) company focused on data-driven solutions, Merkle is a PPC expert with over 30 years of partnering with Fortune 1000 companies and nonprofit organizations to maximize the value of customer portfolios.
With 12,000 employees, over fifty offices throughout the Americas, and over $900 million in ad spend this year alone, Merkle is a staple in paid search. Named the #2 by LinkedIn’s Top Companies in Marketing & Advertising to grow a career in the industry, Merkle’s expertise in PPC is palpable through their resources and proven through their powerful case studies.
No matter which expert you choose, your PPC specialist should have the expertise to guide you through PPC strategies and benchmarks.
A PPC specialist has the expertise to guide you through PPC strategies and benchmarks. They’ll actively help you set goals and budgets. They can also do the heavy lifting: researching keywords, building campaigns, and measuring progress against KPI benchmarks.
Your expert isn’t just the one building and managing campaigns. They interpret data and provide needed insights to make your campaigns successful and profitable. They’ll work with your SEO, email, and social media experts to create a cohesive strategy and voice that moves your business towards its goals.
According to the Digital Marketing Institute, “A PPC Specialist manages internet pay-per-click advertising campaigns including the strategy, design, implementation, SEO, and analysis of ad performance. It is a challenging role that is also highly sought after because it takes a unique skill set to nail a PPC campaign.”
Beyond this, they watch trends, assist in producing conversion-optimized pages, and report on performance.
You should know the pros and cons of hiring an individual vs. an agency, and common methods of calculating service fees. (Image: Unsplash)
Hiring a PPC expert can sound daunting with all the potential options. Your first step should be to educate yourself and assess your company’s current needs and goals.
You should know the pros and cons of hiring an individual vs. an agency, and common methods of calculating service fees. Most importantly, you should know your budget and timeline.
There are a variety of different places to find PPC experts online. Starting with a simple Google search, you can find more PPC experts than you could ever vet.
You could use a freelancing platform like Upwork, Mayple, or the plethora of new providers cropping up regularly. You can seek out local agencies or one of the big names in the industry. Alternatively, you can post on LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, or other job sites.
It doesn’t matter where you find your PPC expert. You’ll need a good vetting process to get the right person (or agency) for the job.
It’s not just about their skill level but also about how they’ll fit into your company culture and meet your specific needs. Essential questions should be meant to weigh initiative and not just PPC-specific skills.
The skills assessment is not only about overall skills but also experiences that will make them a key asset in your marketing program.
Start by asking individuals and agencies for case studies, samples of their work, insights into past performance, and information about industries they’ve worked with. Showing a proven track record in your industry (or similar industries) is vital to finding a PPC expert to lead your business to success.
You can use these materials to separate the candidates into those that are definitely not a good fit and those you’d like to speak with. They’ll also give you some key discussion points during an interview.
Potential experts should have experience improving return on ad spend, lowering cost per acquisition, and enhancing other vital metrics.
Now it’s time to schedule the interviews.
Hiring an agency comes in two flavors: a full-service agency with many services and a PPC-specific agency. (Image: Unsplash)
Scheduled a consultation with a PPC expert?
You can expect your prospective hire to come prepared with a convincing presentation a la what makes their PPC services your best option.
And while any reputable agency will try to knock your socks off with a proposal during this initial meet, make sure you also come prepared with a list of questions to test their expertise and compatibility with your business.
Here’s a helpful list of questions to ask your potential PPC expert:
If you want to learn a little bit more about PPC experts, you can get started with 8 Things Every Google Ads Expert Should Know.
There are many differences between hiring a PPC agency and a PPC freelancer (contractor). These differences aren’t necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes freelancers (or contractors) get a bad rap.
Agencies often tell you that you should hire them because they’re more reliable or have better access to tools, but this doesn’t give the complete picture of how the two types of service vary.
Hiring an agency comes in two flavors: a full-service agency with many services and a PPC-specific agency.
A full-service agency is great for businesses that will eventually need other services since there will be easy communication and data-sharing. Hiring a PPC agency allows you to have a dedicated, specialized team.
Just as there are differences between hiring a full-service agency and a dedicated PPC agency, there are also differences between hiring an individual and an agency.
Who do you want to handle your ad campaigns? That depends on your needs. An agency probably has a whole group of experts who can be consulted when your PPC ads are performing sub-optimally, but they have many clients.
Will an agency give you the time and dedication you deserve, or will you just be a number? Consider asking agencies how many clients your specialist will be looking after. An individual will likely have fewer clients but won’t have the agency support structure either. When they’re sick or on vacation, there’s no one to fill in. They may have no one to assist when they get stuck on an issue.
Individuals may be less stringent regarding charging for meetings or the number of hours they dedicate to you and your accounts. They may or may not know other marketing parts, which is convenient if you occasionally need email marketing or a blog post.
Individuals also don’t have required work hours or a vetting process and might be less likely to gain certifications. They may offer much more than PPC services and have a generalist mentality. Freelancers selling their online marketing services can be either specialists or generalists, so you’ll need to investigate their backgrounds carefully before deciding to go with them.
Typically, payment terms fall into two categories: hourly and fixed rate. (Image: Unsplash)
You should also consider the benefits and pitfalls of hiring a contractor versus an in-house PPC expert.
Hiring a full-time employee versus an outside entity can be a boon if you have the kind of PPC accounts that require 40 hours of management and optimization each week. An in-house expert may pay off if you plan on advertising on Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising (formerly Bing Ads), and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
Hiring a contractor will allow you to pay someone for the hours they spend without footing the bill for all the other costs an employee brings. You’ll get the services you need without paying payroll tax, benefits, paid time off, and more. However, you won’t be able to dictate how and when they complete the work.
An in-house PPC expert will be there to answer questions when you need it and to work exclusively with your team. They’ll be your paid search guru and no one else’s, so you won’t need to worry about them being occupied with other projects.
Just like in other industries, pricing methods vary in the marketing business. Depending on if you hire an individual or agency, this will vary even more.
Typically, payment terms fall into two categories: hourly and fixed rate. Since pay ranges vary by region, experience, and more, we’ll keep things general.
Both agencies and freelancers offer hourly campaign management. If you hire an in-house PPC expert, you could expect to pay them benefits in addition to their salary.
By contrast, freelance rates will vary quite a bit. Rates will also be affected by the country the freelancer is residing in. Those living in countries with a lower cost per living will charge a bit less for their expertise.
You can ask your potential freelance PPC consultant about the number of hours they expect to spend on your account, as this will be based on budget, the number of campaigns, and how often you run promotions or discounts.
Retainer-based management allows you to have a predictable fee each month. Both agencies and freelancers offer this arrangement as well. These retainers include specific terms like how reporting is completed, the number of meetings you’re entitled to, and more.
Agencies tend to prefer the monthly retainer model, while you’ll have more flexibility in payment terms with freelancers.
There are many benefits to hiring a PPC expert. The first is obviously their expertise. They understand the ins and outs of search engine marketing, from quality scores to cost per click.
Since PPC marketing is their forte, they can conduct in-depth keyword research, monitor CPCs, and maximize your return on investment. Other benefits of hiring a PPC specialist are:
When you’re starting out on searching for the right PPC expert, the process can seem overwhelming. Use the above tips and tricks to guide your journey to finding the perfect fit for your company.
HawkSEM is more than just ppc ads management. Our ConversionIQ System will supercharge your management services with actionable insights, full-funnel attribution, and high-quality conversions. We will dramatically improve your ROI, improve lead quality, and ensure you track everything. Request a consultation (or just say hi!).
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