As a UK Google Ads agency, Google regularly provides us with vouchers. These voucher codes are typically a credit given in the second month and can be used for new Google Ads advertisers as a credit against their Pay per Click costs.
That's all fine and dandy and it's great that Google provides new advertisers with a way to try Google Ads with some credit to test the water. Unfortunately, for an agency such as Bold Internet, speaking to new advertisers is not that common. Typically, we are helping existing account holders with optimisation and management, i.e. taking over an existing account to help them develop effective paid search campaigns.
At the Google Engage Agency Day in London (February 2012), I asked the question about whether there could be a way to help existing advertisers too? Of course, I wasn't expecting an instant answer but it was reassuring that my peers in the audience didn't fall off their chairs with laughter!
The gist of my question was this: “Why doesn't Google incentivise existing Google Ads advertisers to work with one of their Certified Partners?”
In my opinion, this falls into the ‘win-win-win' category:
- Google retains an advertiser that may otherwise stop using Google Ads
- The agency gains a new client
- The advertiser starts to see a positive return on their investment
I often wonder how many novice Google Ads (formerly called AdWords) users fall by the wayside because they don't fully understand how Pay per Click works? My guess is that for everyone who is ‘saved' there are many more who cancel their accounts convinced that Pay per Click doesn't work.
I'm sure in the early days of an account being set live that Google could monitor performance and alert the advertiser. The alert system is already in place and could detect certain account aspects, e.g. low click-through rate (CTR), no conversion tracking in place, rapid budget depletion, low-quality score, etc.
Google could then suggest two or three agencies, perhaps local to the advertiser or with specialisms suited to that business.
When the advertiser's account is linked to one of these agencies and the account is being actively managed (change history already exists), the advertiser could then receive the incentive, e.g. a credit against their next month's PPC costs.
I don't know if an idea like this would ever be taken seriously by Google but it would be great if there was a way to proactively find advertisers that are struggling with Google Ads marketing and to help them optimise their accounts.
For an update on Google's approach to this issue in 2019 please see our post: Is Google Ads Complimentary Service Welcome
