AdWords – Page 17 – The Web Authority

May 14, 2018May 11, 2018

What’s a Google Partner and Why Do You Need One?

We Are a Google Partner Specializing in Search Marketing.

As a Google Partner specializing in AdWords, I want to share several key benefits with you as to why working with a Google Partner in AdWords is important.

Google Tests Us Yearly

Each year I have to recertify with Google to keep my Partner status. I take the AdWords Fundamental Exam every year and every other year I also take the AdWords Advanced Search Exam. These are not “gimme” tests. I study over 30 hours for each professional certification examination and am tested on over 1,000 pages of features in AdWords as well as account management techniques.

These exams are hard. They are comprehensive, and studying the materials is a key to staying up-to-date on AdWords features and their use. I personally feel that I benefit tremendously from these intensive refreshers and so do my clients.

Google Evaluates Our Account Management Practices

As a Google Partner, Google monitors activity in my MCC (My Client Center) account. The MCC is where all my firm’s client accounts are linked, to allow me one login to manage all accounts. Google reviews how frequently I am in client accounts, the benefit of the changes I make to account performance and the features I am are using for each account.

Google Evaluates What I Do for Clients and How I Market Our Services

As part of initially establishing my firm as a Google Partner, Google had a third party review all my reports to clients, my marketing materials, and how I marketed Google Products to clients. Google means business when they share their name with firm and allow Google Partner Status. As a Google Partner I am held to a higher standard than others who sell similar services.

If you want peace of mind that your AdWords account manager is skilled to provide quality services, Google has done the vetting for you before awarding Google Partner status.

The Benefits of Using McCord Web Services as Your Account Manager

I have been an AdWords account manager for over 10 years. From a depth of experience, I understand how to leverage activity on AdWords to drive traffic, increase exposure but most importantly to generate leads for your AdWords program.

Routine management of your account includes a review two or three times a week based on what I am testing or evaluating. During each review I look to boost click activity, conversions, and the click through rate by refining keywords, adding negative keywords, reviewing actual search queries and reviewing and refining ad text. Additionally I review and add new features as they are available, troubleshoot performance problems, and give advice on landing page and website improvements. I am always keeping an eye on performance and the cost per conversion for your program.

With advanced knowledge of the AdWords system, years of account management experience, I have been able to guide many AdWords programs to success and boost inquiries through AdWords.

I have personally love the challenge of working in AdWords and live and breathe AdWords.

I work hard to be accessible to you and to offer honest advice and recommendations for Google AdWords as well as for content back on your website to lead visitors into contacting you with a program or service inquiry through our monthly strategy phone calls.

If you are ready for us to manage your AdWords program, know that our fees are affordable, our communication is proactive, and we are seriously focused on exceeding your expectations in all we do.

May 2, 2018April 27, 2018

How to Know When It’s Time to Fire Your AdWords Manager Part Two

Continued from Monday.

We Are a Google Partner Specializing in Search Marketing, Mobile, and Display. — We Are a Google Partner Specializing in Search Marketing,, Mobile, and Display.

When is it time to fire your AdWords manager? When you see things in your account that do not jive with what you have told your account manager to do.

Budget
This is a huge issue. Look at your account from the campaign tab. Look to the bottom to see what your AdWords manager has set your account to spend by day. Multiply that number by 30 and that is your scheduled 30 day ad spend.

In the case of the review I was doing for a client to evaluate the performance of their AdWords account manager, the daily budget was $2,000. That means the client was scheduled to spend $60,000 per 30 day period. I asked the client did they want to spend $60,000? The client said NO, their budget was $30,000 a month and they considered that a scary number already.

Based on a last 30 day review of the account the client had already been billed by Google for $54,000. Well over the $30,000 cap the client thought they had.

This is a huge issue and one I see frequently taken by so called professional AdWords managers. When they do not get performance in an account, they increase the budget hoping that in reality Google will not spend that amount thinking that poor performance is an issue of ad serving. Instead the action to optimize the account should be taken. In some cases a total revamp of keywords, landing pages, and ad text should be done and a new bidding strategy taken. If the issue is budget then buy-in from the client for a limited time period test with statistical evaluation provided at the end of the test period should be done. I never advocate creating a “fake” budget for AdWords.

In my experience AdWords can spend all that you have scheduled it to spend. If your account manager is fooling around with your budget hoping Google won’t charge you, I consider that grounds for firing.

If you need professional help with your AdWords program from an experienced AdWords manager, certified professional and member of the Google Partner team at McCord Web Services, I encourage you to call now!

April 18, 2018April 13, 2018

Why Do Click Costs Increase Sometimes in AdWords?

Have you noticed conversions dropping in your AdWords account? Is this followed by an increase in cost per click to appear on the first page of search results? Why would this happen?

First, it is very important to remember that Google AdWords is an auction. The highest bidder does not get the top position, but each time a search is done an Ad Rank number using the cost per click bid and the Quality Score as well as the extensions that are used in the account is run and advertisers are racked and stacked.

In times when sales in a marketplace are slow, I will typically see a large jump in cost per click as advertisers, just like you, scramble to get leads. It may be that customers are just not buying and in an effort to get leads, other advertisers will drive up the price of the auction by their bidding; boosting your first page bid.

In other times when sales are hot in a marketplace, more advertisers who had been sitting on the sidelines move into the marketplace driving up the cost again.

As an AdWords Manager, I see these scenarios frequently. Sometimes it is seasonal and click costs will stay high during the high traffic peak buying season. Pest control firms are a good example of a seasonal business where traffic and conversions are hot from March all the way to November, but peter out from December to February.

So, before you just push your own AdWords cost per click up, take some time to evaluate what is happening in your account, in your marketplace, and region. In many cases your local reps can help you to understand if this is a situation that is a marketplace and consumer trend versus something that you are doing wrong that needs adjustment in your advertising account.

Get real help with AdWords with our professional account management services. Visit our website to learn more.

April 11, 2018April 6, 2018

AdWords – Low Search Volume Keywords Explained

Nancy McCord a Google Partner and Bing Partner

As a Google Partner and long time professionally certified AdWords account manager I would like to demystify what is happening when AdWords marks some of your keywords as “Low Search Volume”.

First, we routinely delete these keywords in an AdWords account, but only for mature accounts and only after we have done a reality check to assure that the keyword has not generated lead conversions in the past.

AdWords says this about Low Search Volume keywords:

Keywords marked as “Low search volume” are associated with very little search traffic on Google, an indication that they’re not very relevant to most customers’ searches. For this reason, Google temporarily makes these keywords inactive so that they don’t trigger your ads.

When we manage an AdWords account, we will typically remove these terms and then look to add other terms to your program using the AdWords keyword planner to find alternatives that cover the same meaning but may return higher search volume.

We remove the keywords from your account to allow for easier management and to focus on terms in your account that will drive traffic and conversions.

If most of your keywords are showing as Low Search Volume keywords, I would recommend doing additional keyword discovery, reviewing to see if your phrases are too restrictive, and if a change to match type may make a difference in getting Google to serve ads.

If you need an experienced account AdWords manager to whip your AdWords account into shape, please contact us to see if we might be a good match for your needs.