Internet Marketing Agencies and their services has become a high demand profession in recent years.  As traditional media continues to fall, Search Engine Marketing has grown at double digit rates and is projected to continue that growth over the next 5 years.  As the Internet is nothing new, the concept of using keywords to advertise your business is new to a lot of companies.  As more and more businesses understand the potential in the market, the need to understand what questions to ask is equally important.

Here are a few things you should ask of any Internet Marketing Agency when shopping around.

1)    What kind of reporting is provided- It is very important to see where your money is being spent.  This will allow you to see how much of your budget is going towards gaining clicks to your website and how much is being charged for the management of your account.  Many companies will package their pricing based on your budget but not disclose how much is going to them and how much is allocated to the search engines.  Asking for a detailed report showing you the keywords used to gain traffic to your site along with the number of clicks, the average cost per click, total amount spent, and if applicable, the number of conversions each keyword generated.  These details will ensure you know where and how your search engine marketing dollar is spent and if it is effective.

2)    Ask if you will have access to your account -  When a Search Engine Marketing Agency signs you up, they should create a new account with the search engine you will be advertising with.  Since you are paying for this, you should have access to the account.  If you were to change companies or bring the management process in-house, you should be able to do so.  Many companies will not provide you with access and the ability to move your account.  The history of an account is very important.  These details will show what has been successful or unsuccessful and could shorten the learning curve if a change in management is needed.

3)     What kind of keywords will be used to drive traffic to your site – This is not who can provide you with the biggest list of keywords, but it is the quality that counts.  You should be able to review and approve of any and all keywords used in your account.  A list of three or four keywords is unacceptable.  Many times, these are the most generic terms with the highest search volume and also the highest cost.  The name of the game is ROI and you should have a keyword list that is monitored and updated to ensure you are receiving the maximum return on your investment.

4)    How often is the ad text being updated-  All keywords should have at least two ads being tested when it is searched.  This allows the ability to monitor which ad is generating traffic and conversions. A major benefit of Search Engine Marketing is that ad content can be changed very quickly.  If one or both ads are underperforming, they should be changed to help get the most of your internet advertising dollar.

Sweet Spot Marketing believes that the more informed and educated potential customers are, the likelihood of their success increases.  It is disappointing talking to clients that have not had good experiences with other agencies and “lose faith” in Internet Marketing.  Many would have had a better success rate if they would have asked the questions listed above and had a better understanding of what they were buying and what services were being provided.

Anyone can get you clicks and traffic to your site, that is the easiest part.  What you should be paying for in an Internet Advertising company is the ability to drive relevant, quality traffic to your site from users that are proactively looking for your product or service and are looking to buy.  You should be paying for someone to proactively manage your account and create positive returns on your marketing dollar.