Setting up your own Google AdWords account is easy to do, but very easy to screw up. It reminds me of a similar mistake I made when I was a newly minted entrepreneur: I tried to manage my own payroll and submission of payroll taxes. Guess what happened? I missed a payroll deposit and the 10% penalty I incurred would’ve more than covered the fees I’d have paid a professional payroll company to take care of it all. I vowed that I would never again hire people on payroll until I could afford the payroll company to handle the details.
The same situation applies to Google AdWords administration. It’s deceptively easy, but guess how many times we’ve seen a campaign that was set up in-house of average or better quality? Never. Not once. Zero times. In fact, in every case, even with small campaigns, the ROI of paying to have it set up professionally was less than 3 months. Typically, the ROI is even faster. In one dramatic case, a company burned through $2,000 in just three days on completely untargeted searches. Thankfully, they called us and we were able to fix it before their losses were even greater.
Just like with payroll, I would suggest unless you can afford to pay someone to set up your Google AdWords, you aren’t ready for PPC advertising. In our experience, you simply can’t afford to have someone who doesn’t know what they are doing set it up. At a minimum, select a consultant or firm that is a designated Google Partner who can provide you with great references. You want to choose someone who not only understands the mechanics of AdWords, but demonstrates that they understand your business and makes you feel comfortable. Get them on the phone for a discovery call to confirm they have a grasp of your unique situation. Since you know your business best, you’ll get better results when you collaborate. Find a firm that requires you to work with them to develop a keyword list and strategy. Having a solid and actionable plan will save you thousands, if not more.
And, as always, if you have any questions about Google AdWords and PPC, let us know. We’re here to help!
