Picking The Right SEM Operation: Legits Vs. Hacks – Search Engine Journal
Hello, my fellow search industry friends.
I hope this article can help distract you for a few minutes and give you some respite while reminding you that not all elements of your search engine marketing (SEM) accounts are the same and thus need different measurements.
For those that watch, follow, and/or troll my Twitter account, youve seen me on #ppcchat bashing things like Pmax, Auto-Apply Recommendations, and Google Analytics 4 (GA4).
(Thats in addition to my usual rants about the New York Jets and social commentary on the Real Housewives franchises.)
But after 17+ years in the SEM industry, I can no longer be silent about a topic that has been bugging me for a long time: being able to identify reputable SEM marketers vs. the dime-a-dozen hacks that also exist.
Full disclosure: I am not a guru (I truly hate that term), nor am I the best thing since sliced bread in the SEM industry.
But Ive been around long enough to identify what it takes to build a great SEM team while also identifying those who likely lack the skills and might cause you more pain than they will help you.
But Jon, why should I listen to you?
Well, what makes me qualified to tell you what you should be looking for in an SEM team (or even just an individual) is subjective.
I feel somewhat qualified to provide insight, having worked in search marketing for 65% of the industrys existence (as an independent consultant and at some of the biggest agencies in the world). Ive presented at industry conferences, written articles (like the one youre reading now), and even have some awards (even a trophy, see the 9-year-old one below).
When I first entered the industry as an intern (before I was hired full-time in 2005), the number of agencies across the U.S. doing this type of work (and publicizing it) was fewer than 50.
In 2022, in the small Connecticut city where I live, there are at least eight agencies, multiple in-house operations, and more than a dozen freelancers/consultants.
So, the demand has risen, as have the skillsets. And with it, so has the number of operations/folks in the industry doing the bare minimum (or even less).
Depending on your situation, there are several variables here. Typically, you go one of three routes (there are other types as well, but much rarer), with overlap and differences between them.
Once you identify which of the three you are hiring for, you must decide what level of experience you need (in years, not trial by fire experience, though that should also be taken into account).
Typically fresh out of school/college, no experience within the industry.
Important: If youre looking for a freelancer or consultant, never hire someone at this level.
Only tap into these if youre building an in-house team or building up your agency team.
Some experience, usually under two years of hands-on work. This is likely their second or third gig since getting into the industry.
Disclaimer: I dont recommend folks hiring freelancers with such little experience. That said, there are occasionally some needles in the haystack, but they are rare.
Once again, I only recommend hiring this level if youre building an in-house team or building up your agency team.
This usually represents a wide range of experience anywhere from 2-10 years with the majority of it being hands-on.
Note: These are often good hires regardless of what operation you are in, and typically, they have the most hands-on experience at this point in their career.
This label often gets applied to individuals in the space for 8+ years. Most of their career to this point is hands-on, but they often give great strategy recommendations as well.
Note: A great hire for any operation, but truly prime for freelancers/consultants.
Truly the saltiest bunch in the space. Id say this typically starts at 12+ years in the industry, and these folks have seen some things.
Note: Great hire for any operation. Likely to be the most expensive freelancers/consultants, but everyone should be able to have some interaction with them.
Once again, this has several variables to it. But here are the things you should know (not applicable for freelancers/consultants):
Having a college degree is nice but not necessary in this day and age.
If you do require a degree, aim for those with one of the following: Marketing, Management, Digital Advertising, Finance, Economics, Data Science, or Math.
Anyone who wants to work with or for you must, at a bare minimum, know how to do a VLookup, Pivot Table, =SUM, =LEN, and Concatenate. Conditional formatting is a plus.
If youre an agency or in-house, and they cant do these, then they likely arent for you.
For anyone looking to build up their skills, I recommend looking into Maven Analytics: great analytics and Excel education operation run by an Excel wizard named Chris Dutton.
This sounds unrelated and weird, but if you cant correctly budget a checkbook, then you cant properly pace an ad budget.
You may only hire them for SEM, but they should be able to think about how it impacts and is impacted by other media and analytics and how that insight can be helpful to one another.
Someone who shows they are adept at note-taking and/or project management.
Having someone confident is great, but having someone with an ego will create problems for you.
They are free to obtain, and someone showing they have at least the search certificate from Google and Bing (I still refuse to call it Microsoft) is great.
It already helps reduce liability for you, as it shows theyve taken the basic training at the very least.
Paid social and self-serve programmatic are very similar to SEM; if someone knows these, they often make good skillset hires.
Part of it really depends on your business size and type, but here is some solid guidance: Make sure the team/individuals working on your business have up-to-date certifications in search at least (analytics, video, display, and Facebook are also great).
If an agency pushes that they are certified beyond just a note on their website, then buyer beware: these are a you should at the very least have this type of thing, not a selling point.
Freelancers and consultants should have them, but you can be more lenient if they tout them vs. an agency.
Having certifications does not make you the best operation out there, but if an agency or freelancer doesnt have them, it tells you that they have failed to do the bare minimum and their knowledge may be questioned.
If an agency (and occasionally a freelancer) is a Bing Elite or Select Partner and/or a Google Premier Partner (rare to have a Bing one without a Google one), it is a plus.
These operations will have more direct access to dedicated search engine reps and other helpful perks like testing betas.
Single-person consultants and freelancers usually do not qualify for these. It isnt a knock against them, but it is a plus if they do have one.
Consider their onboarding approach. This should be a 30/60/90-day game plan and delivered to you when they pitch you. If they dont have one, then accountability quickly goes out the window,
Check references.
It may seem antiquated, but if youre going to pay a lot of money to an operation to manage your advertising funds, you want to ensure they have current or prior satisfied customers.
Some agencies over the years were just hack operations; those who hired them never checked references and now see no return for their payment.
It should go without saying, but people fall for it: Avoid operations or individuals who promise the world at a low price without logic or justification, or if it sounds too good to be true.
Over the years, more than a few shops have done that, from overpromising and underdelivering to lying and misrepresenting themselves. More than a few have been caught, sued, and/or faced federal charges.
Avoid any operation that is not open about or willing to share its start-up and ongoing QA process.
Things happen in this industry; a reactive and ongoing proactive QA process will save headaches and money. If a shop is not open to sharing theirs, I would steer clear.
This is our SEM QA doc. If you want to see the full one, email/tweet me, and Ill gladly share.
For in-house operations, it ultimately comes down to the level of an individual you want.
For entry-level, the requirements are low. Just make sure they can:
If youre hiring for a level above that, youll want to look for:
The red flags of major avoidance are growing every day.
But where to find them and/or how to identify them gets trickier and will take some of your own homework. Some of these are subjective, but youll get the point:
There are many more, but these are the most common issues I run into within the space.
There are various billing methods today; the three most common are commission, hourly/FTE, and retainer.
Now that Ive legitimately scared you, remember that while there are some complete hacks within this industry, there are also many amazing people.
It is all about researching who you hire rather than blindly saying yes to a price.
And please, make sure they know Excel.
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Picking The Right SEM Operation: Legits Vs. Hacks - Search Engine Journal