1. Performance Promises and Guarantees
Past performance is not an indication of future returns – it’s true in the financial industry and it’s true in PPC. There are too many things which are beyond the control of any agency like, competitors bids, competitor offers, quality score, targeted keywords, online reputation of the rand etc. What an agency should say is, “We understand your business proposition, here is our planned approach and based on past experience we have seen the following outcomes.” Promising too much upfront is a trick to get your business and should trigger a ref flag.
2. They Can’t Find Anything Usable
Good, bad or ugly agencies, still you can find something right that they are doing for your campaign. Some agencies have good ads copy and others have great landing page, and some target the right keywords and finally some are good at analytics and AB testing etc. there is always something you should try to find and learn what is being done right. If you are not able to find anything they are doing right then a BIG red flag.
3. Don’t Think (Or Ask) About Your Business
There are some pieces of a PPC account that are driven by your business strategy, not best practices. Like, your account’s day-parting, whether you have call extensions in place or not, your goal conversion action, and your geographic targeting. If an agency jumps into execution without thinking or considering your business strategy and approach, it is another red flag.
4. Specific Strategies Are Kept Secret
Sure, a prospective agency might not share each and every thing they would do in the account during the sales process. You have the right to ask questions and they should respond with all honesty and integrity.
Some agencies, don’t even give access to your account so you are completely in dark on the agency’s approach.
Please share your thoughts on agencies that you have met and/or worked with.