How to Find a Google Adwords Expert

It’s easy to get burned by someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing with Google Ads, so making sure that who you hire to manage your Google Ad campaigns knows what they’re doing is essential. But it can be hard to know how to hire someone for a job you know almost nothing about.

One of the most cost effective things you can do to save money on your advertising is to hire a PPC expert to manage your Google Ad campaigns. While I’m biased because I’m a Google Ads consultant myself, I’ve seen thousands of dollars wasted on poorly set up Google Ads campaigns.

Hiring a Google Ads Expert is often more affordable than you think and can end up saving wasted ad dollars. Often the savings you get from having access to an experienced Adwords expert’s tips and tricks can save you thousands in the long run by reducing ad waste and increasing your conversion rates.

I’ve gathered together some tips to help you hire the best Google Ads expert for your company so you can get the most out of your relationship.

What Do PPC Experts Do?

First, it’s important to understand what a PPC management expert does and how they can help your company grow and succeed.

PPC experts manage PPC advertising, including Google Ads, Bing Ads, and other PPC platforms. Keep in mind that most social media platforms are not PPC but are CPM, or cost per impression. The tactics of managing a PPC campaign are very different from managing a CPM campaign.

In general, PPC experts do the following activities to manage a Google Ads campaign:

  • Account setup - Whether you’ve had a Google Ads account before or are getting started for the first time, your Google Ads consultant should make changes to your account to optimize setup.
  • Keyword research - Your Adwords expert should find the right keywords and create a match type and bidding strategy for your account, based on your goals and budget.
  • Ad creation and copywriting - A dedicated PPC expert will create ads for your campaign using ad copywriting techniques to attract clicks, increase conversions, decrease costs, and achieve your campaign goals.
  • Landing page creation - Some Google ads experts create and optimize landing pages as part of their services and others don’t so be sure to ask if this is included in your Adwords management services.
  • Ad testing and split testing - The best Google Ad campaign managers use split testing, or A/B testing, to optimize their ads, landing pages, and other strategies. It’s a more advanced technique that not all PPC providers use.
  • Conversion optimization - The top Google Ads managers also provide conversion optimization services as part of their Ads management services that involve making changes holistically to campaigns to improve conversions and decrease costs.

No two Google Adwords management experts use exactly the same methods and many offer different levels of service. Before hiring a Google Adwords expert, make sure you know what they’ll be doing, what you’re responsible for, and how they’ll optimize your campaigns.

Do I need to hire a dedicated PPC expert?

Before you hire a Google Ads specialist, you should figure out how a PPC expert can fit into your company and what you expect to get out of hiring an outsourced PPC expert. Hiring a PPC manager isn’t right for everyone!

In general, you have three options when hiring someone to manage your Google ads: a consultant, an agency, or an in-house employee.

As a marketing agency founder and a Google Adwords consultant, I’m pretty unusual in that I offer my clients the capabilities of an agency approach with the advantages of a one-on-one consultant relationship.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Types of PPC Managers:

  • Hire a Google Adwords Consultant - Often more affordable and has a higher level of knowledge; great for campaigns that you want a high level of detail and attention to but can be limited in scope if they’re not a “jack of all trades” sort of marketer.
  • Hire an Advertising Agency or full-service Marketing Agency - More expensive but comes with almost all the bells and whistles; ideal if you need comprehensive marketing in addition to Google Ads management but your account can be overlooked for bigger clients.
  • Hire an employee to be your In-House PPC Manager - Most level of control and integration with your existing company but requires management and is usually the most expensive option, depending on your company remuneration policies; ideal for companies that can afford to have in-house PPC and want a high level of control over every aspect.

Any one of these options can give you the Adwords expert help you need but each comes with different advantages and disadvantages. Knowing what you’re looking for out of working with a Google Ads manager can help you better understand what kind of PPC manager you should hire.

How to Find The Best Google Ads Professional For You

With so many different options available, it can be hard to know which Google Ads professional is the right fit for your needs. You should make sure that you're hiring someone who has experience, who understands how to help you get results, and who is a good fit for your company’s goals.

Are They a Google Certified PPC Expert?

Google offers free certifications for anyone to become a certified professional through Skillshop, their learning portal that has lessons on how to manage Ads and other Google products. These are professional accreditations that show someone is proficient and understands how Google Ads works.

A Google Certified Ads professional knows enough to be dangerous with Google Ads—but there’s a huge difference between someone who is certified and someone who has managed a lot of campaigns. Be sure to ask how long someone has been managing Google Ads to get a full picture of their experience.

Are They a Google Ads Partner?

Google Partners is a special certification from Google that shows a Google Ads manager has experience managing campaigns and has a Google Certification in at least one specialized area of Google Ads.

As of 2020, the Google Partner requirements are:

  • Acceptable manager performance by delivering solid overall ad revenue and growth to customers within the previous 12 month period
  • Have managed at least $10,000 in ad spend in the previous 90 day period
  • Has at least one Google Ad Certified user who has access to the management account

Keep in mind that there are controversial updates to the Partners program coming in 2021 that have led to a group of Google Ads managers to create the Client Partners badge. Finding a Google Ads manager that has a partner badge can be a good indicator that they have experience managing Google Ads accounts—but it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get better results or indicate that other agencies aren’t qualified to manage your Ads.

How can you get a Google Adwords Certified Partner? You can find a Google Ads Partner by looking for the Google Ads Partner badge on the websites of the consultant or agency you’re thinking about hiring. There isn’t a Google Partners directory so there’s no one place to go to find a Google Partner near you.

Can They Provide Projections?

Google Ads isn’t right for everyone from a profitability standpoint. Between the costs of ad spend and management, the revenue you get through Google Ads may not be enough to outweigh the costs.

You’ll need to know your internal numbers, like the percentage of leads that become clients, to get a good gauge of if Google Ads will work for you. A good Google Ads management expert should be able to help you understand what kinds of results you may see from your campaigns and if working with them can help your business.

One of the first things I do during an initial Google Ads consultation is determine the overall costs of a Google Ads campaign and what results your business may be able to get with that budget.

Questions to Ask When Hiring PPC Management Experts

You can use this list of questions to help you find the right consultant for you:

  • How long have you been doing pay per click management?
  • Are you Google certified or a Google Partner?
  • What kinds of PPC campaigns have you managed?
  • Do you maintain internal lists of negative keywords?
  • Can you explain the process of how you optimize campaigns?
  • Do you offer search engine optimization services as well as paid search?
  • Do you offer social media advertising if I want to expand?

These questions can help you start a conversation and identify who may be the right fit for your needs.

Ready to Hire Google Adwords Expert?

Want to learn more about working with a Google Ads consultant? As a Google Certified professional and owner of a Google Partner agency, I’m more than happy to help you better understand Google Ads and how it can fit into your digital marketing strategy. Contact me today to find out more.

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