7 Signs You Need to Hire a PPC Expert

Dabbling in search advertising without a PPC expert? It’s time to get serious because PPC visitors are 50% more likely to buy your product.

PPC ads also improve brand awareness by 80%, and the top three ads in Google receive more than 40% of all clicks.

Need more?

Here are seven more signs that it’s time to hire an expert right now.

Your Ad Copy Isn’t Up to Par

Writing not your forte? You’re not alone. This is where an experienced PPC expert comes in.

Roughly 60% of consumers surveyed avoid businesses with glaring typos and poor grammar, and nearly 75% of web users pay more attention to writing quality than you think.

Besides grammar, PPC ads need to draw consumers in. You need compelling headlines and CTAs. Ads should emphasize best features, benefits, and offer juicy deals to entice visitors to click.

Remember, you pay each time a visitor clicks on your ad. Don’t drain your budget because of poor ad copy.

You’re Struggling with Market Research

It takes more than amazing ad copy to get consumers to click. You also have to know who your customers are. This is where market research comes in, but you can’t learn it overnight.

A PPC expert is experienced with the following market research tools and methodologies:

• AdWords market research with Keyword Planner
• SWOT Analysis
• Consumer surveys and focus groups
• Google webmaster tools
• Google Analytics and trends
• Social media listening

These tools help experts identify where your visitors are coming from and your customers’ stage in the buyers’ journey. You also learn what your competition is up to and how big your market really is.

You Need Market Intelligence

We’re not done with market research quite yet. Market intelligence is another branch that’s invaluable to PPC campaigns.

Market intelligence builds upon the SWOT methodology of identifying strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats to your campaign. But it doesn’t end there.

It takes SWOT a step further by thinking more critically about competition, market penetration, and development. Market intelligence is more focused on gathering research for decision-making purposes, rather than general market analysis.

What does this mean for PPC? Here are a few ways a PPC expert can apply market intelligence to search campaigns:

• Discover new demographic markets to promote
• Refine your ad bidding strategy
• Research top competitor keywords to capitalize on
• Measure your competition’s PPC performance
• ROI-driven ad creation

If you want to get the most bang for your buck, think seriously about hiring an expert with market intelligence.

You Want a Better ROI

Do you feel a pit in your stomach at the thought of a new AdWords campaign? That’s a sign that it’s time to ditch your DIY PPC strategy.

You may think you’re saving money going DIY, but hiring a PPC expert is more cost-effective than you think.

Just how cost-effective?

Consider this:

Pros leverage PPC metrics to get the most out of your budget. Can you? PPC campaigns require a thorough knowledge of cost-per-click (CPC), click-through rate (CTR), and cost-per-acquisition (CPA).

A PPC expert also analyzes impressions, conversion rates, general traffic, and any social media activity driven by your campaigns.

If you’re going it alone, you risk letting these metrics (and your budget) fall through the cracks.

Locals Can’t Find You

Are locals ignoring your business? It’s because you’re not on their radar. Don’t forget, local search optimization increases in-store visits by more than 50%!

A PPC expert can find your local customers through market research and intelligence, in-depth keyword research, and placement.

A hired pro can also apply the following advanced strategies to your local PPC campaign:

• Mobile-ready optimization
• Create mobile preferred campaigns
• Location extensions
• Click-to-call extensions
• Geo-targeting

In conjunction with quality ad copy, local PPC is a great way to increase local awareness and engagement.

You’re Launching an eCommerce Store

What if your business is entirely online? All the more reason to get a PPC expert in the mix quick!

More than 93% of all online experiences begin with a simple search. And your PPC ad is the start of that experience.

A real pro keeps up with the latest eCommerce PPC trends and leverages them to maximize your ROI. Right now, pros are looking at the following trends in search advertising:

1. The impact of machine learning, AI, and automation on PPC campaigns
2. The introduction of Google attribution to better leverage conversion data for bidding strategies
3. The increase of in-market audience research to target consumer based on purchase intent
4. More shopping display networks on Google and Bing
5. More access to AdWords data, like your quality score history

This is a lot to take in. How do you know if your current agency is living up to the challenge?

Let’s find out.

Your Current PPC Expert Isn’t Delivering

After reading this post, is your gut telling you that something isn’t right with your PPC agency? This is the seventh and final sign that you need to real PPC expert.

Many people brand themselves as ‘experts’, but how much do they really know about their industry? If your current professional isn’t delivering goods described in this post, it’s time to shop around.

Here are five more signs that it’s time to fire your current search advertising expert:

• They present ‘vanity metrics’ to fool you
• You can’t get a straight answer on your campaign’s progress
• You have limited access to any and all campaign data
• They don’t a/b test your PPC campaigns
• They aren’t accurately identifying your market

Why put your poor budget through more than it has to? If you notice any of these signs, it’s time to say goodbye.

What Next?

If your current agency isn’t working out, don’t shut the door on PPC. You now have the tools to select the right expert for your goals. Plus, you know what to expect from PPC done right.

Apply this information now and grab this complete content marketing guide to start seeing real results.