hOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY AN AGENCY FOR MY GOOGLE ADS AND SOCIAL ADS?
Paid search or pay-per-click (PPC) traditionally describes Google Ads and Bing Ads, however more recently this includes Social Ads as well. It is called pay per click as you only pay when someone clicks your ads rather than paying for the ad to be created. PPC is an essential tool in order to drive traffic to your website and generate leads or sales.
Many businesses don’t want to invest in high quality PPC training which is why you should consider employing an experienced PPC agency to set up and manage your account(s) professionally. This is becoming increasingly important as Google continuously releases new features and updates.
In this article, we will discuss PPC pricing and what you should consider before choosing a management service from an agency.
tHE MAIN TYPES OF PPC MANAGEMENT?
This is the most common PPC management pricing method. This is where you, the client, pays the platform e.g. Google directly for your ad spend, then you pay the agency separately, for the management of the accounts.
This is the pricing strategy we have in place for our PPC services.
- Fixed Price Packages
These all-inclusive clicks and conversion packages are aimed at companies that have a fairly small budget.
The main problem found with this pricing strategy is that you may not be able to determine how much of your budget is spent on the actual clicks/conversions and how much is spent on the cost of the management of your ads. If you do opt for this method you should choose an agency which offers clear, transparent reporting with a break down of how much of your money is being used for the actual ads themselves.
- Percentage Of Sales
This is a less typical pricing strategy but it may work for you. This is where you may have a small management fee, then the cost gradually increases with the success of your ads.
This is based off the view of, the more you invest the more clicks and conversions you should receive.
WHY SHOULD YOU USE A PPC AGENCY?
Pay-per-click is available on many platforms including Google, Bing, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and TikTok. Each platform has it’s own ‘jargon’ and techniques to understand.
Google and other platforms are made to make money, so if you don’t fully understand what features to use and what adjustments to make, you can end up paying twice as much as you would of liked.
wHAT TYPE OF PPC AGENCY SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?
PPC agencies vary in size and expertise, so its important to choose one that suits you and your company.
- Freelancers
Freelancers will tend to target start ups and smaller businesses who have a small budget, less than £1,000 per month.
Freelancers may only spend a few hours each month on your account and lack the expertise and experience needed to improve your account.
- Small/New Agencies
Similar to Freelancers, small agencies may limit the size and complexity of your accounts and ads due to lack of experience and expertise.
They may not know how to use all the features of your requested platform and are probably not be accredited with the Google Partner badge.
- Medium Experienced Agencies
These agencies will have the Google Partners badge on their website and will offer a range of PPC such as social ads and Bing ads.
Accredited agencies should spend longer on your accounts and have a more affordable management fee compared to large, specialised agencies.
- Specialist PPC Agencies
Specialised agencies may have worked with big, well known brands and target companies with an ad spend greater than £10,000.
Large agencies provide account managers who will only handle that individual account and business.
PPC MANAGEMENT PRICING Breakdown
This is the charge associated with setting up your accounts and creating a base campaign with usually 3 or 4 different ads.
- Fixed Monthly Fee
This is usually stated as the management fee. In which the agency goes into your account and optimises the ads, keywords and campaigns regularly.
- Percentage Of Ad Spend
This could also be labelled as the management fee however this cost will vary based on your budget size.
- Hourly Rate
If you have a very small account and wish for someone to optimise your campaigns once a week/month, this could be a cheaper alternative.
fACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A PPC MANAGEMENT SERVICE
Make sure when you are choosing a PPC agency you consider the two most important factors: experience of the agency and the contract/pricing methods.
If you would like to find out more about our own PPC services, feel free to talk to a member of our team on 01509 357587 or by contacting us at support@lowaire.com.
