In-House or Outsource PPC: Which is the Best to Choose?
In-house vs. PPC outsourcing – the dirty debate continues! Advertisers often find themselves stuck amid this dilemma. Having an in-house team brings better control but it can significantly increase your costs. On the other hand, paid search outsourcing ensures measurable outcomes and lower costs but you may lose track of the campaign if you do not hire wisely.
In this blog, we will discuss whether you should have an in-house team or outsource PPC management.
Reasons Why You Should Keep PPC In-House
Are you apprehensive about doing PPC on your own? You shouldn’t be because there are plenty of reasons why you should do in-housing. It is an industry trend today with top-notch brands like Vodafone and P&G taking a major segment of their PPC initiatives in-house.
According to a report published by IAB, 18% of marketers now follow systematized media buying in-house. Another 47% have partly begun internalizing the process, with goals to take it even deeper.
If you have the resources and time, and you’re satisfied with the current PPC results, doing it in-house can be a great option. Discussed here are some scenarios when you may consider doing in-house than outsourcing to a PPC agency.
(1) You have a highly skilled team with vast experience in PPC
If you have a team that has knowledge in PPC and is competent in delivering optimum results, you may want to manage your campaigns in-house. When you have an in-house PPC team, they would dedicate their entire time to your campaigns (and not managing multiple accounts at a time like a PPC outsource agency). Therefore, you can expect better results from them.
However, make sure that you hire Adwords specialists who are Google Ads certified and have good experience in handling high-performing campaigns. We also recommend investing in PPC training to ensure the team can deploy proven strategies, track campaign performance accurately, and report.
(2) You have a small monthly budget for PPC
PPC outsourcing services are not for everyone, especially when the monthly budget is less. When you outsource to a PPC agency, you will require a minimum ad spend plus additional fees. This amount is often not insignificant for top-notch PPC agencies. So with a small budget, you may not afford to hire a reputable PPC company to generate quality results.
(3) You can meet all recurring monthly expenses related to having an in-house PPC team
Having an in-house PPC team is easy said than done. Not only you require hiring expert professionals but you also need to consider the costs involved in the same. Before deciding to do PPC on your own, did you take the monthly salaries, perks, and incentives into account? What about the setup cost and recurring investments in the latest tools and technologies? It is also important to evaluate these factors against your seasonal PPC demands.
(4) You have a small target market or audience base
If your business is hyper-local or belongs to a niche category with a smaller target market, you may find Adwords outsourcing unworthy.
Smaller markets or localized audience would mean fewer keywords, lower search volumes, and less competition. Spending dollars in hiring a PPC agency would seem unjustified in such situations and you can try doing it in-house rather.
(5) You want more control over your PPC campaigns
One of the best reasons why you would want to do PPC in-house is the ability to have better control over your ad campaigns, brand messages, and overall cost. You can get daily updates about campaign performance and ensure the PPC strategy is in line with your brand value and goals.
Reasons Why You Should Outsource PPC
Let’s face it: if you do not outsource PPC management to an agency that is experienced, highly skilled, and 100% transparent, then you might do it in-house. That is because spending hundreds and thousands of dollars in hiring the WRONG agency is just the beginning of messing up your PPC.
In the meantime, let’s understand why you should consider Google Adwords outsourcing.
(1) Leverage unmatched expertise of PPC specialists
The PPC industry is evolving at a rapid pace. As such, it is important for advertisers to always stay on top of the current industry trends and developments.
PPC outsourcing to India can help you leverage the knowledge and experience of professionals who continuously upgrade their skills to provide industry-proven PPC services. Mostly, they are trained in Google Adwords and regularly attend PPC events or conferences. So, they are more updated about the latest news and changes, which they can integrate into your campaigns better than an in-house team.
(2) Helps save time and costs
Another primary reason why you should outsource PPC to India is the ability to save your valuable time and money. By outsourcing your PPC campaigns to an expert, you can save time and effort in managing complex result-driven advertising campaigns, especially when it is not your forte.
You can also cut down your costs significantly, particularly those related to hiring, training, and retaining an in-house PPC team. A reputable Adwords outsource agency would typically charge you on a fixed-cost or hourly basis, or as a percentage of your total ad spend. You can also hire them as-need basis. This helps you reduce your recurring expenses in having an in-house PPC team.
(3) Greater Flexibility
When you do PPC in-house, you have to continue investing after your team whether or not you have live campaigns or budget in hand. On the contrary, outsourcing to a PPC agency gives you more flexibility to hire as per your business requirements. Have seasonal demands? Hire on an hourly or as-need basis. And if you have multiple PPC campaigns to manage, outsource PPC services on the full-time, monthly-retainer system.
Plus, you can increase or downsize project requirements as your business scales.
(4) Better results; greater ROI
Though it might sound counterintuitive, outsourcing PPC can help you save money and deliver greater ROI in the long run.
They are PPC experts and can get the project live and performing in a fraction of time as compared to an in-house team. This can help reduce your costs and time to market. Additionally, they will leverage their in-depth PPC knowledge and proven techniques to deliver immediate and measurable results.
(5) Better Reporting
An expert outsourcing PPC agency also specializes in campaign tracking, performance analytics, and reporting. They can provide actionable insights to help optimize the campaigns for better results.
The Final Verdict: In-house or PPC Outsourcing?
Unless you have the confidence or the budget to invest in a full-time in-house PPC, it is better to outsource a PPC team. They have the time, expertise, and technologies to devise a PPC strategy that helps drive instant traffic, boost sales, and increase your ROI.