Should you choose a PPC agency or a freelancer to work with on your PPC advertising?
PPC refers to Pay Per Click – a form of paid advertising which sees businesses pay every time a potential customer clicks through to their website.
PPC advertising has long been considered a tool used on Google and other search engines – however, it has now spread to social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and even YouTube. This makes PPC something that businesses can no longer ignore, but rather something worth investing time and money in.
The concept is remarkably simple, with businesses bidding on specific search terms – thereby paying to have their website or profile shown as a top result. When a user or prospective customer searches for one of those terms, and the bid is among one of the highest bids connected with that search term, then that ad will appear at the top of the page. If and when a user clicks through to their site or profile via the ad link, the business will pay the bid that they proposed.
Sounds easy, right?
In theory it is – but where do you start when it comes to choosing the search terms to bid on, assigning budget, and ensuring that your click-through landing pages support conversion?
The Benefits of Outsourcing Your PPC Advertising
Before we get into the merits of PPC agency professionals and freelancers, let’s consider why outsourcing your PPC advertising is a good investment.
For one thing, trends and ever-changing algorithms means that PPC is not something you can simply set and forget. Bids need to be consistently and regularly reviewed, tracking the performance of different campaigns and setting new targets so your paid activity remains successful.
Experimentation is a big part of managing a successful and sustainable PPC campaign – something that commands both time and energy on the part of business managers and marketing teams.
Finally, outsourcing PPC advertising grants you the skills and expertise of third party professionals. Not only are both PPC agencies and freelancers familiar with the red tape surrounding successful PPC campaigns but they also understand how to maximise return on investment.
Should you Work With a PPC Freelance Professional?
There are two key benefits to working with a freelancer:
- Budget
- Flexibility
Typically, outsourcing any kind of work to a freelancer will be better for your budget than choosing to work with an agency, as freelance professionals charge solely for the work that they do. As a specialist sole trader, they will work with you directly to finetune and then manage your campaigns, offering a degree of flexibility with regards to what you need, timescales, and more.
Having said that, there are limitations to the skills and experience of a freelancer. There are some freelancers out there who will talk the talk but will not deliver the performance that you need – with businesses urged to proceed with caution and ask for case studies and testimonials before hiring a freelancer. What’s more, with the industry and PPC market changing all the time, hiring a freelancer who is on top of all the relevant trends is quite a big ask – especially as they too work alone.
Why we Recommend Choosing a PPC Agency
While hiring a freelancer to work on your PPC campaigns may be cheaper, often working with an agency delivers much better value for your investment. This is because when you hire a PPC agency in Southampton, you benefit from a wealth of knowledge and specialist skills, spanning different corners of the PPC and digital marketing industry.
Agencies are built on the skills of multiple professionals, with most digital marketing packages boasting access to a plethora of individuals and their knowledge.
The multi-personnel set-up of an agency means that they are more likely to be at the forefront of trends in your industry, and more familiar with PPC regulations and guidelines. It also spreads the responsibility for quality control on a wider scale, so that every aspect of every campaign is seen by and signed off by multiple individuals.
Of course, there are always things to consider. Agencies are undoubtedly a more costly investment. Businesses will also find that change happens at a slower rate when working with an agency than if they choose a freelancer – mainly because requests need to be filtered through the agency and integrated into a schedule of work.
So, is an agency the right choice for you?
Which is Right For You?
Where freelancers offer flexibility, agencies offer a more structured partnership.
Similarly, while freelancers are often cheaper to work with, you might find that agencies offer more long term value with regards to investment.
These are things that you, as a business owner, will need to choose between when deciding whether to work with a freelancer or PPC agency.
For more advice and to find out about our PPC packages, get in touch with Mitchell & Stones today.
