Managing Google Ads can be time-consuming. For example, if you make an error when making a bid adjustment, you could burn a good portion of your daily budget in a matter of minutes. This is why many businesses choose a different approach to Google advertising, such as hiring an external Google advertising agency.
A Google advertising agency manages and optimizes paid advertising campaigns with the goal of generating qualified traffic, leads, and sales. Depending on the business, its services may include keyword research, campaign setup, ad copywriting, bidding, conversion tracking, budget management, and ongoing optimization.
What a Google Advertising Agency Can Actually Do For You
A Google advertising agency offers a wide range of services covering search, display, shopping, and YouTube advertising. In other words, the agency takes care of creating ads and managing Google campaigns for you.
On the business side, a good agency acts like an extension of your marketing team. They will challenge your assumptions, identify new lead sources, and interpret your results so that you don’t get lost in Google’s jargon.
These services can include Google Search Ads, Display Ads, Shopping Ads, and YouTube advertising, along with keyword research, audience targeting, conversion tracking, landing page recommendations, and ongoing campaign optimization.
The Hidden Cost of Managing Ads Without Help
Many business owners try their hand at managing Google AdWords before turning to an agency for help. This can cause issues like spending more than necessary on irrelevant keywords, missing out on tracking conversions, and leaving campaigns run by themselves for weeks at a time.
Google Ads is an ever-changing advertising platform. Auctions change, new features are introduced, and existing features are updated or retired, so strategies that work well today may need to be adjusted as competition and user behavior change.
What the Partnership Looks Like Day to Day
Most agencies have a similar campaign creation process to this:
• Initial call to schedule the campaign and set goals, budget, and audiences.
• Audit of existing account history and performance.
• Setting up a strategy based on your product/services.
• Campaign setup with phone numbers and/or pixels for tracking purchases and leads.
• Ongoing budget, bid, and targeting optimizations.
• Reporting on performance and results monthly, with a detailed report showing your numbers.
This is also an ongoing optimization process, as budget allocation shifts, costs, and competition change weekly.
Benefits of Agencies Beyond the Traffic Metrics
Any competent search marketing agency can offer a variety of benefits to clients beyond simply increasing traffic. Google Partner status can be one factor to consider when evaluating an agency because it indicates that the company has met certain Google requirements related to product expertise, spend, and performance. However, Partner status alone does not guarantee campaign success. Agencies can also benefit from managing multiple client accounts, as this experience allows them to identify common campaign issues, recognize performance patterns, and apply lessons from different industries and advertising environments. This broader experience can help agencies identify and resolve account issues efficiently.
Finally, working with an outside agency helps maintain consistency across different areas of advertising, from messaging to the user experience (UX). This way, an advertiser’s presence remains cohesive across different platforms, uniting the branding in Google Search, Google Shopping, and YouTube. Furthermore, a competent agency will ensure that landing pages are relevant to the ads and provide a good user experience, which can support ad relevance and overall campaign quality.
How Pricing Actually Works
Google advertising agencies typically use one of three pricing models: a fixed monthly management fee, a percentage of ad spend, or a combination of both.
A fixed management fee per month; this fee is fixed regardless of how much money is spent on ads. The second option is a percentage of the ad spend; the higher the spend, the higher the fee. Sometimes, these two options are combined, where the percentage is applied to a higher spend threshold. The choice of one or the other depends on the size of the budget and the level of strategic work required for the account.
The price is not the only criterion when choosing an agency, and sometimes it is not the most important one. A small monthly fee but a wrong approach to spend management can end up costing much more than a decent fee at a competent agency.
What to Prepare Before You Reach Out
A brief conversation helps in finding the right words. Before contacting the Google ads agency, it is essential to prepare a few details:
• Access to your Google Ads or Analytics account (if any)
• Roughly estimated monthly budget (what you are willing to spend)
• Your two or three most pressing objectives (sales, leads, sign-ups)
• Your previous campaign performance (if any – just a rough idea of what worked and what didn’t)
• With this information at hand, the agency will be able to provide concrete advice during the first conversation without wasting anyone’s time.
• Your target locations and audience
Warning Signs to Watch For
Not every agency operates the same way. There are some of the red flags that should make you reconsider before hiring a particular company:
• They promise a certain ROI before fully understanding your account or industry.
• Do not show you your Google Ads account or give you administrative access.
• Have contracts that keep you invested in them for a year with no easy out.
• Fail to provide hard numbers on your campaigns, only pretty graphs on a report.
• Only communicate if and when you follow up with them.
• Any one of these issues is enough to send up a red flag and make you second-guess why you thought this was a good idea in the first place.
Signs You Found the Right Fit
The right agency will provide clear explanations, share account details, and be thorough with your budget. They’ll ask for your business goals before pitching a package and be accessible outside of renewals. A good agency should also provide transparent reporting, explain the reasoning behind major campaign changes, define clear performance metrics, and maintain regular communication. You should understand where your advertising budget is going and how campaign performance is being evaluated.
Bring In Support that Understands Google Ads
Running Google Ads campaigns requires constant oversight and meticulous performance evaluations. You can count on XPO Outdoors to manage your Google Ads campaigns with expert precision and offer you detailed reports and account access.
Have questions about your Google Ads account before you commit to a plan? XPO Outdoors offers a free strategy call to walk through your goals, budget, and what a real campaign plan would look like for your business.
FAQ Post: Questions Buyers Ask Before Hiring a Google Advertising Agency
How can I tell if I need an agency to run my ads, versus doing it myself?
If managing Google Ads takes significant time away from running your business, or you are struggling to improve campaign performance, an outside agency may be worth considering. The decision should depend on your budget, campaign complexity, internal expertise, and business goals.
What questions should I ask the agency before signing a contract?
Find out how they handle reporting, who will manage the ads on a day-to-day basis, and if you retain ownership of your ads in the meantime.
Does the agency handle my Google Ads, or do they give me full access to my own account?
A reputable agency will either set up an account for you or connect to the one you already have, but they should leave administrative access in your hands at all times. An honest agency will also let you know that you might lose access to your ads if you decide to switch services, since ads are tied to a Google account, not the agency itself.
What if the agency isn’t delivering results?
Any good agency will be monitoring and optimizing their performance throughout the duration of your contract. Ask them how they handle consistently underperforming campaigns before you sign.
How can I evaluate the agency’s performance? Most agencies track their performance in terms of cost per click, conversion rate, cost per acquisition, and return on ad spend. Ask them which metrics they track and how frequently they report on them.
Can I take my ads elsewhere if I’m not satisfied with the service?
As long as you retain access to your ads, you can always move them to another service provider. Your advertising history and performance will be associated with your Google account, not the agency.
Do agencies typically require a long-term contract?
Some agencies require a short-term commitment of at least three to six months to optimize your ads before they can start delivering results. However, many are open to a month-to-month plan.
How much control do I retain over the advertising budget?
You should establish your advertising budget, and the agency should work within that range to maximize performance. The agency may make recommendations for your approval before spending any additional money. The agency should also explain any recommended budget increases before making significant changes, so you remain informed and in control of your overall advertising investment.
Have questions about your Google Ads account before you commit to a plan? Xpo Outdoors offers a free strategy call to walk through your goals, budget, and what a real campaign plan would look like for your business.
