A Beginner’s Guide to Outsource Adwords to a Freelancer

The importance of discoverability

When it comes to running an online business — whether it be a website, a blog, or an ecommerce store –one of the most important factors you need to consider is discoverability.

With millions of other websites to contend with, being easily found can prove to be a huge advantage.  Being discoverable is easier said than done, however.  People aren’t going to just magically come to your website as soon as you publish your first blog post or upload your first product.

There are a variety of strategies you can implement to increase site traffic and visits.  You can share content on social media, do guest posts, or build relationships with influencers.  While these strategies are mostly free, they do take time before you can actually see favorable results.

It is for this reason that brands and companies invest in PPC (pay-per-click) advertising and when it comes to PPC, the best way to jumpstart your marketing effort is to go with the world’s number one search engine — Google.

What is Google AdWords?

Google AdWords (now known as Google Ads) is Google’s very own advertising system that allows advertisers to bid on specific keywords so that their clickable ads appear on Google’s search results.

If your goal is to increase website traffic and bring your brand in front of more people, this is the advertising platform that can help you do it.  With the right keywords and accurate audience targeting, you should see positive results in a short amount of time.

For an AdWords account to be successful, however, active monitoring and management are required.  You’ll need someone to set up your ad campaigns, conduct keyword research, and create ads, among other tasks.  As you can imagine, these tasks take a lot of work and time.  With a business to run and a lot more on your plate, it would be wise to outsource AdWords tasks to a freelancer.

Outsourcing AdWords to a Freelancer

Entrusting an AdWords account to someone else will always be a risk especially when there’s money involved.  The good news is that the freelance market is filled with AdWords experts and specialists who are more than qualified to take up the mantle.

If you’ve made up your mind to outsource AdWords tasks to a freelancer, below is a simple guide you can follow to make the transition smoother and easier.

1.  Identify the tasks you want to take off your plate

Before you begin the process of searching for the right freelancer, you need to decide on the tasks you’ll be outsourcing.  Depending on your budget, you’d like the freelancer to cover as many of the tasks required as possible, but this also depends on your priorities.

You also need to gauge how involved you’d like to be when it comes to the different tasks the entire process entails.  Would you like the freelancer to perform keyword research on your behalf or would you rather do it and let them do the rest?

Would you like to be the one to manage your bids or will you let the freelancer do it?

These are just some of the factors you need to consider especially if you’re not comfortable letting other people manage your advertising budget.

Whatever decision you make, what’s important is to realize that when you outsource AdWords, you’re not only freeing yourself up, but you’re also getting the services of a freelancer who can perform the tasks better than you can.

2.  Who’s the perfect person for the task?

Before hiring someone, it’s important to have an Avatar of the perfect freelancer to handle the task.  You need to have a clear picture of the person who will take care of your AdWords account.

How many years of experience does he or she need to have?  What’s his or her track record in terms of improving ROI?  How good is he or she in finding the right keywords?  Can he or she work in the same time zone as yours?

Apart from the technical competencies, you also need to determine how much value you put on the intangibles like attitude, professionalism, and work ethic.  While skills will always be a major consideration, finding the candidate who also possesses the intangibles you’re looking for is a very big plus.

These are just some of the questions you need to be able to answer before you formally outsource AdWords to a freelancer.  Once you have established the qualities and traits you’re looking for, you should be ready to finally start interviewing applicants.

3.  Find and interview qualified applicants

The great thing about outsourcing today is that there’s plenty of freelance marketplaces to explore.  Each marketplace offers its own unique method of filtering candidates and processing applications.

Upwork is obviously the biggest market today and you’ll probably get a lot of qualified candidates by doing a simple search.  What makes Upwork a good freelance source is that once you’ve hired the freelancer of your choice, you can easily manage them with built-in tools that let you monitor their activity.

Choosing to outsource AdWords tasks via Upwork also gives you added flexibility.  The marketplace provides you the option to choose how you pay a freelancer.  You can set a project’s payment to either be on an hourly or fixed rate.

There are also marketplaces like FreeUp that offer another way of hiring freelancers.   With FreeeUp, you’ll be sent candidates that are already pre-vetted.  You don’t have to sift through countless resumes because FreeUp has already done all the dirty work for you.

Upon sending your request, all you have to do is wait for FreeUp to send you a candidate who has already undergone a tedious interview process.  The only thing left to do is to determine if you and the freelancer are a good match.

There are, of course, several more freelance markets you can check like Freelancer, GetCredo, Guru,  and Toptal just to name a few.  It’s a matter of choosing which one you are most comfortable with.

4.  Set clear expectations

Once you’re ready to hire, the next thing to do is to set very clear expectations in terms of the coverage of the project and deliverables you’re expecting to get from them.

This is also the best time to talk to them about important schedules they need to take note of.  Are you expecting weekly or monthly reports?  Which metrics do you need to see in those reports?  Does each of the keywords and campaigns they run require your approval?  Do you expect them to work in the same time zone as you are?  Will there be weekend work?  How many hours does your budget allow per day?

These are just some of the things that need to be clarified before you begin working with each other.  It’s important to get all of these out of the way as early as possible to avoid misunderstandings in the future.

If you are on the same page from the very beginning, there’s a better chance for the project to become a success.  Having clear expectations also allows for less adjustment, which saves you time and effort.

5.  Set up communication and management standards

While working remotely does have its benefits, it also poses a number of challenges.  One of the challenges it presents is communication.  With the freelancer you’re working with possibly sitting on the other side of the world, getting in touch can be a bit difficult without a streamlined process.

Fortunately, there are apps available online that can help you overcome this barrier.  Tools like Slack, Skype, and Google Hangouts are just some of the best options to choose from.  These programs allow you to talk, chat, or even share screens and files, making the collaboration easier and faster.

These apps can also be installed on smartphones so even if you or the freelancer you hired is out and about, the lines of communication remain open.

Managing large projects can be overwhelming, which is why using tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello can go a long way.  Giving the freelancer access to these project management tools will not only help you monitor their progress but also help them manage their tasks more efficiently.

Final Thoughts

Google AdWords is without a doubt a worthy investment.  If faster growth is one of your goals, using this advertising platform is the best decision you’ll ever make.  Finding the right keyword and running successful campaigns isn’t as easy as it sounds, though.

There are a number of other tasks that need to be done for a Google AdWords campaign to work its magic.   From keyword research to ad creations to A/B testing, it would definitely take a lot of time.  Something you don’t really have a lot of when you’re running an online business.

Deciding to outsource AdWords tasks is definitely the way to go.  By getting someone with the skills and experience to get you in front of more eyes, you are giving your business the opportunity to grow at a much faster rate.

If you are looking to outsource AdWords tasks to a freelancer, we suggest you begin by getting a pen and a piece of paper.  We’d like you to begin writing down the AdWords-related tasks you’re looking to pass on to an expert.

Be as detailed as you can if possible because this is the same list you will give the freelancer you’ll hire.  We’ve already provided you the rest of the steps so think of this as a way for us to help you jumpstart the outsourcing process.

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