Manage PPC Campaigns In-House?

Outsource PPC campaign management, versus manage PPC campaigns in-house?

Let’s rephrase the question as “can we manage our PPC campaigns in-house at some point after launch, or should we have them managed?”. Here’s a key aspect thing to consider: accumulating the understanding to operate PPC campaigns is not a matter of learning how to operate the controls in response to what you see.

This is the decision to manage PPC campaigns in-house can lead to frustration. A change in a campaigns that seems logical more often that not may be based on an assumption that is incomplete or incorrect. If the assumption was wrong, the campaign may lose efficiency, reduce conversion volume, raise costs, or create confusing performance changes that are difficult to diagnose later.

Why PPC Management Isn’t Intuitive

Much of what seems intuitive in paid search can work against the desired result. For example, increasing bids, adding keywords, pausing underperforming terms, changing match types, shifting budget, or even adding a negative keyword may seem obvious in the moment, but each decision should be considered within the larger campaign structure and performance data.

Experienced paid search managers learn to treat assumptions as “possibilities” until they are more closely examined. They look for statistical validation in any perceived pattern, isolate variables when possible, and test changes before assuming the answer is clear. Almost every meaningful assumption can and should be evaluated against performance data before it becomes the basis for campaign direction.

What may appear to be true is often an illusion. When looking at data and metrics, individual data points are often misleading. A common PPC mistake is reacting to isolated metrics rather than waiting for a statistically reliable sample. Applying basic statistical principles is essential to avoid false conclusions leading to changes that set performance back.

It’s a System

Especially with the arrival of automated bidding, there are a number of different natural time constants in play, inside of PPC campaigns. From quality scores to automated bidding learning curves, any change made may disrupt the natural rhythm in a campaign and require a period of re-stabilization. That’s important to understand before making changes.

The Net

The challenge isn’t operating Google Ads. It’s understanding the system well enough to know what the data actually means.

Much of what seems intuitive, turns out to be in opposition to what should be done. Many changes that at first would appear obvious, may lead to unexpected or frustrating outcomes.

Experienced paid search managers, over time learn different ways of thinking and acting with campaigns, taking advantage of methods to isolate and measure the impact of any adjustment or change.

Many times, “the obvious” conclusion one could draw, when looking at a PPC campaign’s performance, will actually be incorrect. That’s more difficult to learn and consistently understand in practice, than it might first appear.

What’s the best way to consider this?

We advise periodically asking the question:

“What’s the most profitable and time-efficient way keep these campaigns operating well, make strong use of the ad spend, and account for other possible uses of our time?”?

Some businesses eventually build the internal knowledge and team capacity to manage PPC campaigns themselves. Others find that 3rd party management remains a better use of time because paid search is specialized, detail-sensitive, and closely tied to campaign performance.