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PPC Management | Saving Time and Money

Have you been using PPC (Pay-per-Click) or want to know more about PPC agencies? If so, this article will show you what PPC management really is, what agencies charge and how Google ads and Microsoft Ads helped a business make 10X its revenue, here is how...


PPC Management

What is PPC Management?


PPC management is where a marketer or marketing agency manages a company’s PPC campaign(s), its strategy and budget. Pay-Per-Click management usually is used by businesses that have a large advertising campaign on Google Ads or Microsoft Ads, and can stem to social media advertising.


A PPC specialist (or agency) usually takes care of the following tasks:


  • Keyword research: Researching, competitor analysis and identifying the keywords that your target audience are searching for.

  • Target channels: Selecting which paid platform to use. These can include Google Ads, Microsoft Ads(formally known as Bing Ads), social media advertising, etc.

  • PPC monitoring: Measuring each Ad group, Ad copy and keyword for effectiveness, ensuring PPC campaigns are returning a positive ROI.

  • Competitor analysis: Researching the competition is vital, which keywords they’re targeting and the ad creative they’re using. This will show you what keywords are working and which have not been found.

  • Campaign optimization: Monitoring campaign(s) and optimizing based on top performing keywords and Ad copy. For example, if 20% of keywords bring in the majority of business, these keywords will then be the focal point of the budget expense.

  • Split testing: Constant A/B testing of new ads and landing pages. Using designated platform's algorithm to see which ad performs the best for your audience.


Not every business has the resources to hire an PPC manager. However, it may make more sense for your budget to hire an agency. If you are new to the advertising on search engines or social media, this route will save you heaps of time and money.



How Much Do PPC Agencies Charge?


PPC management agencies have different pricing models that range from complicated to very simple.


Here’s a overview of the four most common PPC pricing models:


Percentage of ad spend pricing

Under this pricing model, clients pay agencies a pre-determined percentage of their spend on the search engine campaign that the agency is managing.


This is normally good for companies with a larger or growing ad spend, given the percentage reduction that comes with a total budget increase. Be ready to have a certain budget for these types of agencies.


Percentage of ad spend is not very good for smaller companies with 100-200 monthly budgets. Minimum spends are often associated with this model, so if your budget isn’t large enough, you will be charged a large fee.


Management fee + percentage of ad spend pricing

Many large or older marketing agencies will charge a management fee to cover overheads related to the PPC ad campaigns they’re managing for clients. Almost identical to the first model above, these agencies will charge the percentage and a tailored fee for PPC management services. This fee varies, depending on how many campaigns you have.


This is good for customers who want full ownership of their accounts. When you’re paying a management fee in addition to percentage of spend, it’s harder for the agency to justify holding accounts as “proprietary.” 


Not so good for very low-cost accounts. Small businesses are best served with automated platforms or trying to connect with a digital marketing agency that handles low ad spend for a reasonable price.


Flat fee pricing

Some agencies will charge a simple flat, which calculates the costs related to managing the client’s PPC campaigns. Some businesses prefer the straightforward and simplistic approach of this model, due to their being no sneaky costs and having a definitive monthly bill.


This is most often a simplification of the management fee plus percentage model, here at DEGOM Marketing, we use the flat fee model for our clients to save them the headache. We know being a business owner entails many unexpected bills.


This model is good for campaigns that need to lower campaign expenses and want to maintain their goals. Additionally, clients who want fixed expenses each month.


Not so great for dynamic campaigns. Many businesses are seasonal and/or use specials to drive business. There could be an additional set up fee, or these businesses can be charged per campaign layout.


Performance-based pricing

The fourth PPC pricing model, and probably the most rare, is the “performance-based pricing model.” This model is commonly used when a marketing agency is very new or trying to gain business in a new way.


Under this model, most businesses are paying for lower-funnel actions –– think inbound calls, emails, form conversions, trial signups, demo requests, and the like. Some agencies also set up a commission rate with this model and collect a small percentage of revenue from closed sales. This is most commonly seen in e-commerce and affiliate business models.


This price model is good for businesses that are new and have a low monthly budget. You help both you and the agency out and it requires a very low risk.


Not so good for experienced and established businesses. Avoid these types of marketing agencies if you have a large budget. Many agencies using this model do not know how to manage a PPC campaign with a high spend.



PPC Agency cost
Get to know your PPC agency and find out how they price.


Pay-Per-Click Management Tips


We know how frustrating it can be when you have spent thousands of dollars to just bring in a few sales or clients. It can be discouraging to not find profitable keywords. Our advice is to not be so easily discouraged, just like how you would not give up on your business, do not give up on advertising.


There is a famous quote we love and it is by someone that has had a couple of success stories over the years, Henry Ford. His famous quote is:


“A man (or woman) who stops advertising to save money is like a man who stops a clock to save time.”


With that being addressed, here are a few tips to help you with your PPC management and advertising efforts:


Google Ads Performance Grader Plus – WordStream’s has a free tool that provides actionable insights into the performance of your Google Ads account in 60 seconds or less.


Keyword Research Tool: We love using Google Ad's very own keyword planner, the good news is that this software allows you to see keywords that trend across multiple search results and Google is a perfect place to see what words trend and are profitable.


Keywords Everywhere: This is a personal favorite of mine. I use this hidden gem to find profitable keywords. It is so convenient that whenever you do a search on Google, you can see the volume of the searched word and it gives you suggestions and variations of the search result. It is a great Google Chrome plugin.


Hiring a PPC Management Agency: If you are looking for search engine advertising of social media advertising help, our experts are Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, and Facebook certified. Agencies can be a more affordable alternative instead of hiring a full time employee.



PPC Case Study:


If you want to read a real example of how Pay-Per-Click helped a business grow, we have one of our own, we kept it short and concise for you.


Our client that is a Dentist located in Seattle, Washington, wanted to increase appointment volume and bring in new traffic for a service they introduced. They wanted to use social media and Google Ads to drive that traffic to the our created landing page(s) and forms.


A KPI (Key Performance Indicator) report that advised on problems encountered and solutions provided was needed. A highly refined keyword listing based on search volume and relevancy was also needed in order to improve quality scores. A/B testing was also conducted across different ad groups together with an effective re-targeting campaign to identify best and worst performances.


It was also necessary to reduce campaign costs by lowering irrelevant and non-converting traffic in order to provide value. While following a similar approach on social media paid advertising efforts.


The result?

Revenue went up by 42.58%, conversion rate was up by over 256.52% and an increased ROI of over 369.72%. The number of con-converting traffic went down by 59.76% subsequently resulting in a campaign cost reduction of 54.37%.

This is a great example of how an effective PPC strategy works, do not be discouraged that "your industry is to competitive" most are. That means there is money to be made in it and using the write insights and tactics will set you apart from all the competition.




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