Ask the Right Questions, Get the Best PPC Partner (+List)

If you own a business in Chicago, you might just be in the market to hire a Chicago PPC agency to enhance your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) with digital marketing strategies. If that is the case, you need to know the right questions to ask before you hire a PPC partner.

This guide looks at how to get the best PPC partner, including:

• An overview of what makes a good PPC partner
• Seven questions you should ask when hiring one

There’s a lot to discuss, so get ready to take notes.

Let’s go!

If you want to learn how Digital Authority Partners can increase your PPC effectiveness, watch this video!

What Makes a Good PPC Partner?

Vetting pay-per-click (PPC) partners can get somewhat frustrating because you are paying them to perform a service, and must trust them to spend your ad budget wisely. To put your mind at ease, look for the following qualities in top candidate agencies:

• Genuinely wants to drive results and provides support in meeting your business goals
• Communicative and forthcoming about issues that concern you, right from the outset
• Gives sound expert advice, but ultimately depends on you to make the right decision

How do you know if a potential PPC partner exhibits these qualities? By asking them the right questions. Admittedly, it is much easier said than done to come up with some smart, yet subtle, interview questions. Use the ones provided below to help you get started.

7 Best Questions to Ask Before Hiring a PPC Partner

Before hiring a PPC partner, or any outsourcing company, set goals and expectations for what you expect them to accomplish. PPC is not a miracle cure, so be honest and realistic about what, when, and how you expect it to happen.

Circle back to that list when interviewing every Chicago PPC agency that you potentially want to hire. You can also try to incorporate the list of questions into your ad campaign goals and key performance indicators (KPIs). Either way, you can get a few solid ideas here.

The seven questions below cover what a good PPC partner should know, and the services they should offer. You need insight into the agency’s processes for running a campaign to be able to make a smart decision. Use these prompts to learn as much as you can.

     1. What Platforms Do You Plan To Use for My Campaign?

Every ad platform has advantages and disadvantages for PPC, but more importantly, each has a core audience. Choosing the right one affects whether or not your ad campaign succeeds.

For instance, you might have already heard that Facebook is popular with middle-aged users, or that LinkedIn works best for B2B marketing. A good PPC partner would be aware of these advertising basics, as well.

     2. Who Manages Clients Accounts? Can I Access Mine?

Another important matter that you want to know is, how will the agency manage your account on ad platforms. Are they solely under the control of your business’s designated account manager at the agency? Alternatively, do they share the login details to allow you and your team to also access it?

You must know this up front, if you want or need to review the data yourself at a later time.

     3. Do You Automate Bidding or Perform Them Manually?

Ad bidding can be confusing for people outside of the PPC world, which justifies hiring a Chicago PPC agency. The process is pretty straightforward, though. Google receives a search query, evaluates the bid and the bidder’s ad, then determines where to put the ad on the results page.

The higher bids win better spots. Automating the process keeps your budget on track.

     4. How Do You Conduct Keyword Research for PPC Ads?

Running the ad is not what costs money. Bidding on the keywords is. This means that using the wrong keywords can cost your strategy a lot of money, for little to no return.

Ask your potential PPC partner how they determine which keywords fit your business goals best, and how they intend to reduce the influence of unrelated keywords on your PPC ad campaign.

     5. What Is My Role? What Do You Need from My End?

Outsourcing does not mean you have no say or responsibility in what happens. Treat it as a red flag if you have zero control over how they plan to run your business’s PPC campaign.

It is a good rule to ask what input they need from you, or what information they require, to create relevant and effective ad copies for the best chance of converting visitors into customers.

     6. What Is Your Process for Creating Effective Ad Copies?

While you do not necessarily need to have the “best” ad online, using visually appealing, relevant, and valuable ad copy is in your best interest. Beyond just looks, your ad must be attractive, interesting, and relatable to get people to click on it.

That starts with how your Chicago PPC agency gathers ideas and turns them into creative ads.

     7. How Often Do You Plan To Review Campaign Metrics?

If you plan on outsourcing work to a PPC agency, you probably are not get in the thick of creating ad campaigns as they happen. Instead, you most likely rely on reviewing metrics with, or receiving reports from, your account manager. Reporting is a critical element to consider when hiring a PPC agency.

Transparency is also fundamental to a good working relationship with any outsourcing agency.

Summing Up

Everyone wants only the best for their businesses. But to get that with PPC, you will need to be quick and decisive. That is where hiring a PPC partner helps tremendously. Their experience in running successful ad campaigns delivers results that will make your business grow.

Before you get there, though, you will need to find the best PPC partner first.

Need help with your business’s PPC campaigns? Contact us to learn how we can help.