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Point 1: Experience – years in the market
Experience is, of course, the dorsal spine of any hiring. Years in the market can tell a lot about a professional: if he/she is not good enough, they would be out of the market long ago. If you’re hiring an experienced PPC freelancer, ask for proof of his/her work, references or case studies. This will help you to better understand his/her career path.
A great PPC freelancer should have extensive experience with Google Ads and other SEM tools. He/She should also be able to explain how these tools work and how to use them properly. In addition, he/she must be familiar with SEO, social media marketing, e-mail marketing, analytics, etc. You don’t want someone who knows only Google Ads but has no idea of the big picture.
Point 2: Experience – verticals
Although time in the market is a strong factor, it’s not the only one. Depending on your product or service, you’ll want to find a PPC freelancer with experience in a related field. Why? Because it can prevent you from wasting time and money on testing things that you’ll soon learn will not work in your case.
An experienced PPC freelancer in your vertical can cut through the noise and make your PPC campaigns shine way faster. In addition, they’ve likely already done something similar, so they know what works and doesn’t. However, if they don’t have relevant experience, they may be able to refer you to someone who does.
Point 3: Experience – in-house vs agency
Not all experiences are equal. Check if the PPC expert has a solid background on both the agency side and in-house. Why? These two experiences give the PPC expert very different perspectives. While in-house, the professional is called upon to solve all types of problems (and even work on unrelated tasks) within an agency, the PPC freelancer has to be up to speed all the time, juggling different accounts across different verticals with tight deadlines. This can tell you a lot (but not everything) about the PPC freelancer. Moreover, it’s also important that the expert has experience working with other agencies.
Point 4: How they charge
I could (and certainly will) write a whole post (or even a series of posts) about the different ways freelancers and agencies charge. You have three main types of pricing for PPC services:
Commission on ad spend
You get charged based on the amount spent on media, which can range from 10% to 20%. For example, if you spend $20k in Google Ads, the agency will charge you about $2k to $4k. This structure normally starts from a minimum amount to make sense for the freelancer. For example, it doesn’t make sense to charge 10% of a $500 campaign – just the reporting and follow-up calls will put the freelancer below break-even. From the PPC freelancer’s point of view, an hourly rate can be way more comfortable to manage.
Hourly rate
An hourly rate is also a popular way of charging clients. The PPC freelancer will always ensure profitability for each hour billed. The problem is that sometimes clients don’t want to deal with the headaches of managing contractors’ hours. Besides, how do we know how many hours it will take for each month? Clients will often ask so many questions about the pace of your work that, at some point, the relationship will focus too much on hours and less on results. That’s why some freelancers prefer to charge a flat fee.
Flat rate (or per project)
Normally charged for limited, well-scoped projects, the flat-rate fee will account for all project nuances and charge a fixed price. If the scope changes, the rate will change accordingly. Sometimes, if clients change the project scope, it’s better for both parties to agree per hour, so you don’t have to discuss the contract, addendum, and money for every project change.
Point 5: Price
Price is often the hottest topic of discussion when hiring a PPC freelancer. This is because, as in any field, you’ll always find someone else able to work for less. The pitfall is that this cannot be the only or the most important factor in your decision-making. If someone charges more, it is generally because of their experience. If you want better results, it is worth paying more. Attention here: there’s a limit to it. Sometimes a higher price will make the transaction impossible to happen. PPC campaigns with very low ad spend can be as time-consuming as another campaign with 10x more budget. Here, it doesn’t matter how the PPC freelancer charges you: if he considers the effort put into your account, it would likely be too expensive for you on a low budget.
Sometimes, freelancers will charge less initially, hoping your campaign will evolve over time. Consequently, they’ll be able to charge you more later.
Point 6: Personal traits
One point often ignored by business owners is the personal traits of the PPC freelancer. Beyond experience, I think this is one of the most important points to be considered. You’ll be working alongside the professional for many hours a month. Having someone who fits in your company culture and with whom you can get along is crucial. Beware that he or she doesn’t have to have the same personality as you. Sometimes it’s quite the opposite: if you’re disorganized, a meticulous professional can help you put order in the house. On the other hand, if you pay too much attention to details, a professional who can get things done quickly can help you accelerate your process.
Point 7: Buy in
This one isn’t exclusive to PPC experts, but it’s still a very good point to make: after a quick intro to your product or service, if the PPC freelancer doesn’t “buy” the idea, it will be very difficult for him to convince your prospects of your company. In this case, think about this professional as a salesman: the performance can be good if he’s well-trained. But if he truly believes in your company, everything will be done from the heart, and results can be much higher.
Point 8: Availability
One of the points most often ignored by clients is the professional’s availability. Availability can mean the time to reply to your emails, the time to answer the phone, and the frequency of touchpoints.
Delay in starting the mandate
Ask your PPC freelancer when exactly he can start managing your account. A well-organized professional knows how many hours they can handle at each period. If the time to start managing your campaign is too long, it may be a sign that he has too much on his plate. If it happens to you, ask how many hours he works per week and why it will take so long.
Time to reply
Time to reply to your e-mails, SMS, or return your phone calls. This can make a difference when dealing with a highly dynamic industry or campaign.
Holidays and vacations
Although it sounds strange to clients, freelancers also take time off. The questions here are:
When?
When does your PPC freelancer normally take vacations? If you rent out chalets for families, maybe you should discuss with your freelancer that taking December off is a good idea, because it is one of the best times to rent out chalets for families.
How often?
Digital nomad is a trend among digital marketers. But imagine if your PPC freelancer is always travelling from one place to another to work remotely or just for fun. You’ll most likely have communication issues with him from time to time. Be clear about your expectations upfront.
Ways to reach out to:
If your PPC freelancer ignores all your phone calls and only answers your e-mails, try to be honest upfront if this is something that bothers you. I’ve seen so many hyper-busy PPC freelancers that sometimes they’ll only reply to the tickets you open in their desk software. This is to save time and allow them to take on more clients and maximize revenue.
Substitute?
What happens if your PPC freelancer gets hit by a truck, gets sick or something else? Who’ll take care of your campaigns? Try to find out if the PPC freelancer has a solid network to hand your account off to someone he trusts to keep the show running.
Point 9: Timezone
Pay attention to where you source your freelancers. I used to (and still do) some outsourcing overseas. The not-so-cool part is staying late at night replying to emails to get things done. The worst: sending an email you know will just get a reply in 12 hours, at least. This can be a source of frustration for you. Of course, the freelancer can handle this, especially during important dates, such as the launch of a new campaign, but this is undoubtedly a factor to consider when choosing your PPC freelancer.
Point 10: Referrals
Last but not least, referrals are super important. A referral is the most popular way to find experienced professionals to work with for one simple reason: people don’t want to deceive those who are referred. This is especially true when you handle your money. These days, thanks to the power of the internet, you don’t need to have someone referred by one of your close friends. Just go online, type the professional’s name, and find the clients he worked with. Pick up the phone and ask one of his past clients about the professional. There’s not much someone can hide on the internet these days. Take advantage of it.
Where to find PPC freelancers?
To know more
17 Things to Look for When Hiring Freelancers
How To Scope A Consulting Project In 4 Steps
If you need a hand with your PPC accounts, let me know and contact me at the link below.
