Hiring an AdWords Professional

From time to time I am asked how someone should go about finding (and hiring) a professional to manage their AdWords (and PPC in general) marketing. While there isn't a "one size fits all" approach I recommend there are a few places to look and things to ask a potential AdWords professional if you are considering using them to manage your AdWords account(s). In no particular order:

- Check sites like this for qualified individual and company listings. Mainstream sites like this tend to have a number of potential candidates as well. Google Maps can also help you locate AdWords Professionals.

- If you have identified someone you are interested in using look for the AdWords Qualified Individual or Qualified Company logo/status page. While the requirements to be a "Qualified Individual" are fairly light someone holding that qualification has at minimum demonstrated a basic understanding of the fundamental elements of managing an AdWords account.

- Ask for references. AdWords management is pretty cut and dry - objectives are either met or are they are not. That's the beauty of direct marketing, it's very measurable. While to me references are not a deal breaker (no one would give you references that would say anything bad about them anyway) they are none the less still important.

- Look for an AdWords professional with EXPERIENCE IN YOUR INDUSTRY. This one's important. You don't want to pay for someone to learn what works in your industry - you want someone who already knows what works and can get your campaign into the black at light speed. If you sell products and the AdWords account manager your are talking with has done nothing but lead generation kindly thank them and move on the next candidate. Sales & lead generation are not the same....not even close. Look for a professional that knows your market. It's important. Really important.

- Read the point above this one one more time.

- Ask what technology (if any) they use for bid management. Once you get tied into someone who's using bid management technology to run your account it can be a pain to move out of that relationship into a more manual operation. I'm not a huge fan of bid management but to each their own.

Related - pros and cons of bid management.

- Ask them some specific questions about AdWords. What are the types of keyword matching? What is your assessment of the viability of the content network? What type of results have you seen with Google's PPA platform? How many campaigns can I have? What type of geo targeting options are available? Do you use the AdWords Editor?

You don't need to ask complicated questions, just the basics to see if the person you're talking with is yanking your chain. A few years ago when I was looking for a part time PPC manager to help with some overflow work I asked a potential candidate (who indicated they had 3 years experience) what they thought of using dynamic keyword insertion. They had never heard of it. End of interview:-)

- Of course there's the issue of money. Odds are your AdWords Pro will want some:-) There are a number of methods out there for pricing AdWords management.

Percentage of spend - usually 10 - 20%.
Performance based.
Flat monthly fee (usually tied to number of keywords).
By the hour.

There really isn't a one size fits all method here either. How you pay will be based primarily on your business and the expectation set for the management of your account. For example, I won't work on a performance based contract unless I have full (or close to it) control of the landing pages that will be used for the campaigns. Most people are working on the % of spend or performance based models at the present time.

- Have a trial period. If you're being asked to sign a long term agreement right from the get-go that cold be a bad sign. Look for initial agreements to be 90 days or less depending on the industry. In most cases 90 days is sufficient for both sides to feel each other out and make sure they are comfortable with the performance and associated expectations.

- Google them by name / company name. While Internet reviews can easily be faked you may some information about the company or person your are considering that is helpful is in your decision making process.

- If you do end up at the contract stage of an agreement, make sure ownership of the account and it's related pieces are clearly established. When possible seek a non-compete clause. If your relationship at some point ends with your account manager the last thing you want is for them to (legally) share your keywords or other strategies with your competition.

- It just needs to feel right. If you've ever bought something from someone you know what I'm talking about. You should "feel good" about the person or company you are working with.

Everyone is different and I'm sure many people have criteria not on this list that would be important to them when seeking a paid search pro. Take your time, use your judgement and run any potential candidates through your own process to find a person or company you feel comfortable with. If you have things you look for in an AdWords (or other PPC) account mananger feel free to share in the comments.

Good luck!