Client relationships are all about setting proper expectations early and this week I’m breaking down what the first 3 months will look like with a new PPC client. Let’s dive in!
#1 Churn Reason: Performance Expectations Are Out of Alignment
One of the number one reasons we see other agencies lose clients is because they didn’t set performance expectations correctly at the beginning of the relationship.
Your client is worried because they’re spending money on Ads and your management fees from day one. And if they’ve been sold on Google Ads by comparison to SEO, they might expect immediate results.
Yes, Google Ads are faster than SEO…but they are not instant. An ideal CPA takes time to achieve. Here’s how you should explain it to the customer:
- Weeks 1-2 are for getting impressions and clicks (especially in brand-new campaigns)
Google throttles the traffic to a new campaign, so it might take up to a few days or even an entire week for traffic and clicks to show up. This period helps validate the entire flow of the live account. Any changes here will send the account back into learning mode. - Weeks 3-6 are for gathering data
When your ad campaigns start, leads will come in early on… but they’ll be sporadic and likely outside your acceptable CPA range. This is 100% normal and shouldn’t sound any alarms. IMPORTANT: Depending on the budget being spent, this initial period can be extended.
- Weeks 7-12 are for finding patterns & exploiting initial learnings
The account will start getting more consistent leads, and the CPA should begin to lower into the more acceptable range. However, it will still be on the higher end of that range. - Weeks 13 and beyond are for optimizing & maintaining consistency
There should be enough data at this point to give the team the necessary tools to keep your campaigns within an acceptable CPA range. It’s important to note that PPC performance is volatile – there will be good and bad weeks…it’s the overall trend that matters.
So next time you sell PPC to a client, ensure they know an account does not start out as a well-oiled conversion machine. Best-in-class PPC accounts require time, money, and an expert pulling the levers.
Set Yourself Up for Google Ad Success by Hiring the Contractor Bear PPC Team
We also offer White Label PPC Services so reach out!
While Google Ads aren’t instant, a surefire way to be confident in performance early on is to have an airtight ad setup process.
We have The DEFINITIVE Local Biz Ad Launch Checklist.
