Finding the right SaaS Google Ads firm is never an easy task. With so many companies offering their services online, it’s hard to tell if the one you chose is the real deal. To make matters worse, many providers are unwilling to sign contracts or offer guarantees that would protect you in case something goes awry.
Because of that, the project’s success usually correlates to the selection of Google Ads agency. Your ability to vet top providers will go a long way in ensuring short-term and long-term marketing success. The right agency can achieve excellent results within the search engine, maximizing your ad budget and finding the right prospects for your business.
In this article, we’ll go through the top 10 tips that will ensure you get the right firm for your Google Ads campaign.
Why Hire a SaaS Google Ads Firm?
Many companies are not convinced they need outside assistance. Whether they perceive search engine advertising as a simple task or they think that an external company would cost too much, they prefer doing things in-house. Unfortunately, while this approach has its upsides, it’s usually better to hire a professional SaaS Google Ads firm.
Partnering with a professional provider can provide the following benefits:
- Allows you to quickly make sales
- Eliminate the tedious process of training your own team
- Eliminates micromanagement associated with running an in-house team
- Ensures higher conversions
Although forming an in-house team might eventually eclipse the cost efficiency of external providers (as internal teams are usually cheaper), you’ll still have to wait a few years until you reach the break-even point. Until then, all your marketing efforts will be subpar compared to your competitors, which might cost you a position on the market.
Most importantly, running an in-house team might require a lot of effort from your management, distracting them from performing their usual day-to-day duties. As a result, you might be convinced that you’re saving money with an internal team when you’re actually experiencing reduced efficiency.
10 Tricks for Hiring a Company
Without further ado, here are 10 things you should analyze when hiring a new ads provider.
1. Ask for Recommendations
To be on the safe side, you can always ask one of your friends or colleagues for a recommendation. Many businesses use SaaS Google Ads providers, so they’re bound to have several providers on a speed dial. The best thing yet is that these clients have already done vetting, which is another great way to save money.
When looking for recommendations, ask them from companies that are in your niche or a similar vertical. Topical knowledge is crucial when running ads, ensuring much better keyword relevancy and, thus, better results. Good providers also know how to manage large budgets properly without overspending on wonky strategies.
2. Check the Ratings
Online scores are somewhat scarce in the marketing niche. Unlike bars and restaurants, which get thousands of reviews from locals and tourists, SaaS Google Ads firms get a minor fraction of that. For the most part, this is because they cooperate with a small number of clients, most of whom don’t have a tendency to leave reviews.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t find any online info about advertising providers. Besides Google and major directories, you can find lots of information on forums and review sites. Make sure to check several of them to have a better understanding of scores, as some of them might be too inflating or deflating.
Keep in mind that some companies have PR teams that pay close attention to their online mentions, so take these scores with a grain of salt.
3. Consider Niche Expertize
As we’ve mentioned in the first tip, topical expertise is a major factor when running ads and other digital marketing campaigns. A SaaS agency that has worked with similar clients has a much better understanding of popular queries, the search intent behind them, and the potential value they provide.
Some keywords might seem important for your business when they’re actually nothing more than distractions. The right provider can recognize these fake “hanging fruits,” ensuring that you don’t spend too much of your budget on them. Agencies with enormous expertise can also help coordinate your website efforts, ensuring that the SEO team is prepared for incoming traffic from paid ads.
4. Ask for Track Record
Of course, all of this talk would be meaningless if an ads company can’t provide any proof of their work. Track record is a vital tool for qualifying and disqualifying a SaaS agency, quickly showing you who’s the real deal.
A tricky thing in this particular case is establishing how many sales agency’s clients made from ads. Even if an agency has insight into traffic data, they might not necessarily understand how much money the website made. And even if they did, it would be unprofessional on their part to share this sensitive data.
So, the best way to go about things is to ask them for clients’ contacts and to talk with these businesses yourself. This is the best way to determine if an ad agency is legitimate and if it can provide the same results for you.
5. Analyze Their Marketing Knowledge
If you have experience with marketing, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to assess the SaaS provider’s knowledge. Besides advertising, you should also talk about general marketing practices and SEO. In the end, the advertising agency needs to understand the potential benefits of the traffic they’re bringing to your site.
A Google Ads company should be especially well-polished in conversion rate optimization. Ideally, they should even advise you on how to improve various elements of your site to achieve better sales. They should also be able to list the best landing pages for use.
6. Assess Interview Behavior
Many clients assess potential providers through their expertise and track record. They get caught up in the results that an agency can provide, and they completely forget to analyze other aspects. Most notably, some SaaS advertisers are so hard to work with that the entire campaign becomes a burden toward the end.
Because of that, it’s vital that you assess the agency’s behavior during the interview. Their willingness to cooperate and adapt to your requirements is critical in this particular case, as this will ensure the best possible outcomes for your business. If necessary, you can even hire an HR expert to attend these meetings and provide a second opinion.
7. Prioritize English
It has become a common practice to outsource marketing and, specifically, advertising services from various countries. By doing so, businesses can save a lot of money and remain competitive in turbulent markets. While many of these agencies do a great job running ad campaigns, they might be hard to coordinate with due to poor understanding of English.
An interview gives you an opportunity to check their English level and decide whether they’re the right fit for your organization. Even if the employees aren’t that proficient, the manager should have a keen understanding of the language so he can pass down instructions down the chain.
8. Analyze Their Software
SaaS agencies live and die by their software. The quality and number of tools they use commonly affect the end results they can provide for their clients. So, when conducting the interview, ask them about their toolset and what type of versions they’re using (more expensive versions provide more features and better functionality).
If possible, you should also inquire about their workflow. They might reveal some things that you don’t agree with or that you think are done inefficiently. The initial interview can also give you some insights into their understanding of underlying algorithms and how they adjust if the tool isn’t working properly.
9. Check Their Prices
Price usually goes hand-in-hand with expertise and other factors. After conducting an interview and checking your track record, you should have a better understanding of the company’s service quality. Price usually reflects that quality, and any deviation from that can be a red flag.
For example, if a company has a seemingly great track record and is too cheap, this might indicate that they’re lying about their accomplishment. Similarly, a company that hasn’t had much success in the past but is looking for too much money will come off as greedy. Ideally, you should be looking for a young company on the rise that still hasn’t upped its prices.
10. Inquire About Promises
Last but not least, you should avoid hiring companies that promise too much. Like any other marketing activity, running Google Ads can provide variable results. Even if you’re one of the best agencies in the business, you never know how a campaign will go. So, when a provider promises something he can’t deliver, this usually indicates they’re fraudulent.
Last Thoughts
After following these tips, you’ll find a great marketing agency for your business. Take your time vetting potential candidates, and don’t be afraid to ask every little thing you’re curious about.
