Hiring a PPC agency vs using Google Smart Campaigns.
With finite marketing budgets, it may be tempting to try and cut corners when it comes to your ad spend. If you use Pay-Per-Click (PPC) as part of your marketing strategy it’s likely to consume a significant chunk of your budget so you need to ensure that you’re getting the best bang for your buck.
With the emergence of Google Smart Campaigns and more sophisticated algorithms, there might be a temptation to take a DIY approach to PPC rather than using the services of a professional PPC agency.
What can a PPC agency give you that a DIY approach can’t deliver?
Let’s dive in…
What is PPC and why does it matter?
PPC is a model for online advertising where a company pays the publisher every time a link in an advertisement is clicked. It’s a model that’s primarily based on keywords and it’s frequently used in search engines.
Online ads or sponsored links will only appear when someone searches a keyword that’s related to the product or service that’s being advertised. For PPC to be successful, the advertiser or PPC agency needs to research and analyse the keywords that are most applicable to their products and services.
By successfully deploying the most relevant keywords, PPC can become a game-changing tool for advertisers. The most popular platforms for PPC Marketing are Google Ads, Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads, all of which have considerable reach but may be better suited to reaching different audiences.
How does Google Smart Campaigns work?
Smart Campaign is a service from Google that enables users to set up campaigns with little Google Ads experience. It promises to be simple and easy to set up. You use the facility to set up your account, create an ad, select a business category and your budget, and your ad then runs. It uses algorithms to reach your target audience and gives assurances that it will be sophisticated enough to deliver results.
But does it?
What are the limitations of this approach?
Many users of Google Smart campaigns have flagged up a lack of control over their campaigns. A good example of this is that although Google allows you to see the keywords they have chosen for your campaign, you’re not able to adjust them. The user can only set basic variables in their ad targets. You are only offered a single ad type and a set of limited goals compared to standard Google Ads.
Another limitation is that Smart Campaigns only provides limited access to data, such as conversions and click through rates. It’s also important to remember that no matter how sophisticated the algorithm has become, it’s by no means perfect. It’s not yet at a level where it can manage a campaign that’s consistently targeted and successful.
So while opting for a DIY Google Smart Campaigns approach might save you money, it might not deliver the kind of results that you were hoping for.
Why use a PPC agency?
While Google Smart Campaigns can get your ad up and running in no time at all, it’s unlikely to give you the same degree of accuracy and precision that you could achieve. A PPC Agency running your Pay Per Click advertising campaign will ensure that crucial aspects such as keyword selection, ad display, how data is measured and other essential elements are highly tailored for your particular business. They will use a data-driven approach to ensure that your advertising can make its mark in a highly competitive environment.
A Pay Per Click Agency will understand the ever-evolving requirements of successful PPC Marketing, and will regularly monitor your PPC campaigns, making any necessary adjustments. They will be working proactively to ensure that you are getting the best returns on your investment. As a result, you’re likely to see better results for your budget.
While setting up a Google Smart Campaigns can be cheap initially, you may have to increase your budget to achieve the kind of results that you want. Because Smart Campaigns is less targeted, it’s unlikely to be as efficient when it comes to conversions than a properly conceived, managed and monitored PPC campaign. This makes the latter a serious option when budgets are limited.
How Ketchup can help
Ketchup will create an immediate, effective and focused PPC strategy for your business. We work to deliver results and monitor your campaign to ensure that it’s performing as you would expect.
We’re a full-service B2B agency with a 97% retention rate and our track record speaks for itself, with PPC playing a part in our comprehensive marketing support for many of our clients. See this case study for Dufrain as an example.