What Should You Expect From a PPC Consultancy?

If you’re considering hiring a ppc consultancy to manage your pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, you probably have questions about what exactly to expect from their services. PPC marketing through platforms like Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising can drive qualified traffic and leads, but also takes expertise to maximize return on ad spend. A ppc consultancy like Cliffex has the specialization to optimize your accounts so you get the most bang for your buck.

As you evaluate ppc consultancy partners, make sure to ask about their experience, services, and reporting so you know what to anticipate if you sign a contract. This guide covers key things you should expect from an engaged ppc consultancy so that your PPC delivers real impact.

FURTHER READING

> Best Practices for Working with a Pay Per Click Consultant

> Our Framework for Leveraging PPC Consulting Services

> Expert Tips for Getting Results from a Paid Search Consultant

Discovery Process for Conversion Optimization

Before optimizing your accounts, a ppc consultancy will conduct discovery to understand your business, objectives, and full sales funnel. This allows them to identify optimization opportunities tied directly to your goals, whether that’s more phone calls, email leads, or sales.

Through calls and questionnaires, the ppc consultancy will also identify your ideal customer avatars (ICAs), their buying journey to your products or services, and what messaging compels them to convert. These insights ensure ad copy, landing pages, and bid strategies are tailored to your ICAs.

Technical Audit for Better Account Structure

Next, a ppc consultancy like Cliffex will conduct a technical audit examining the structure, settings, tracking, bidding rules, and performance analysis in your PPC accounts. This sets an optimization baseline to build upon.

The audit may catch errors like disconnected phone call tracking numbers, inaccurately structured campaigns or ad groups, or bids not aligned to profit margins for keywords and placements. Identifying these issues allows the ppc consultancy to clean up and refine your accounts for efficiency.

Ongoing Optimization for Improved Conversion Rates

With the groundwork laid, a ppc consultancy fine-tunes your accounts via continuous split testing and optimization best practices. Instead of one-off changes or stagnant accounts, the ppc consultancy constantly experiments with elements like:

• Keywords and negative keywords
• Ad copy and extensions
• Landing pages and calls-to-action
• Devices, placements, audiences
• Bidding strategies and budgets

This scientific approach means your accounts see regular improvement. The ppc consultancy also stays agile adapting to the always-changing PPC landscape, leveraging new features and responding to algorithm updates.

The goal is steadily increasing conversion rates, lowering cost-per-click bids without sacrificing volume, and ultimately getting progressively more conversions for your budget month to month.

Ongoing Performance Analysis and Reporting

Throughout the engagement, ask that your ppc consultancy provides clear reporting and analytics relevant to your goals. For example, ecommerce sites will want to track online sales attributed to PPC, while service businesses may focus more on phone calls generated.

A ppc consultancy like Cliffex should review performance frequently, sharing insights into metrics and trends they are monitoring. This visibility allows for informed optimization decisions tied directly to bottom line profit. It also enables open communication should performance deviate above or below expected targets.

Some key reporting areas to expect from a ppc consultancy include:

• Spend, Impressions, Clicks, CTR
• Bids, Ad Position
• Conversions (by type), Conversion Rate
• Goal Completions, ROAS
• Keyword, Audience, Placement Performance
• Testing Outcomes
• Account Change Log

Ask How They Stay Updated on Latest PPC Strategies

Pay-per-click platforms and effective strategies change constantly. Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising roll out new features and updates monthly requiring adaptation.

A ppc consultancy partner should have their finger on the pulse of emerging PPC opportunities. During interviews, ask how they stay current to ensure maximized performance. Ideal answers include reading platform blogs/resources daily, attending conferences, earning certifications, analyzing benchmark client accounts, networking with peers, and dedicating ongoing education time.

This expertise allows them to test and leverage updates early that improve conversions before others catch on.

Understand Full Transparency and Control Stay With You

Reputable ppc consultancies like Cliffex act as an extension of your marketing team, not a black box. That means you retain full account access, visibility into changes, and control over final optimization decisions throughout the partnership.

A ppc consultancy makes recommendations and discusses rationale behind proposed updates or ongoing results. But you have opportunities to provide feedback, ask questions, and make the final call approving changes.

This transparency ensures alignment and accountability on targets set collaboratively upfront. Maintaining control over your accounts while benefiting from expert management drives optimal ROI long-term.

Define Milestones for Evaluating Performance Gains

Before launching any large initiatives like website redesigns or new product releases that significantly influence traffic volumes, establish milestones to evaluate the ppc consultancy against. These should connect directly to core KPIs like conversion rates, ROAS, volume goals etc.

Meeting predetermined targets proves their optimization efforts translate to tangible business growth. Shortfalls pinpoint areas needing review whether messaging, landing pages, or quality of traffic driven by current strategies.

Milestones also determine campaign budget recommendations over multi-month horizons. The ppc consultancy won’t overcommit budgets early on still learning your accounts. But hitting goals earns trust to gradually scale budgets towards models estimating true potential.

Developing PPC marketing through a ppc consultancy takes expertise and time reaching that upside. Milestones enable properly assessing performance as that journey unfolds.

Request Client References to Validate Satisfaction

When researching ppc consultancy partners, ask for client references you can contact. Speaking directly with current or past clients gauges satisfaction levels and work quality firsthand from those relying on their services daily.

Even if satisfied with the ppc consultancy expertise and proposal initially, testimonials directly from clients carrying out ongoing partnerships confirms their ability to deliver lasting success.

Ideally, connect with references operating comparable businesses to understand performance lift working with this particular consultancy. Validation that the ppc consultancy achieves in making consistent returns across clients signals higher likelihood they’ll replicate wins for you as well.

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Hiring a reputed ppc consultancy doesn’t mean handing over the keys and hoping your accounts deliver. Establishing clear expectations for optimization processes, reporting, decision protocols, and results evaluation ensures continually increasing performance tied to concrete growth metrics for your business. Align with a ppc consultancy partner like Cliffex that is committed to transparent and collaborative support for reaching your end goals.