Transferring the ownership of a Google Ads account can be a hassle, especially for managers who have so much on their business plate. In addition, it can cause a nuisance both for the business owners and the clients as well.
However, if the process is carried out efficiently, it can add value for your client. And this is especially true if you get the job done right the first time of asking.
In addition, this can lead to a stronger mutual relationship between your PPC agency and your clients. Keep reading as we elaborate:
Did you know, an average person is estimated to encounter over 10,000 Ads every single day
One of the most significant advantages of taking over a client’s existing Google Das account is that there is already something you can work on.
It does not matter how bad the existing ad campaign is. Taking over an existing Google Ads accounts gives you a foundation to work from.
When you take over a client’s Google Ads account and start working on it, there’s always a protracted bedding-in period where you align everything according to your way.
Unfortunately, you may get impatient when you don’t know where to start. However, it is integral to remember that it’s all about your relationship with the client.
Before jumping into managing a client’s Google Ads account, the first thing you need to consider is that it’s all about business-client relationships.
In agencies, you cannot build successful relationships with your clients before learning the ins and outs of account management.
However, the steps listed above will help you build successful, long-term relationships with your clients.
You may wonder that you can impress your client with your initial setup, but this is a common mistake every beginner account manager makes.
Your client will not appreciate all the changes to the old campaign because all they seek are positive results.
Therefore, your client pays you to get positive results without making specific changes to the initial campaign.
But this doesn’t mean that you can’t and shouldn’t make any changes. If you think that your client’s initial campaign requires specific changes to make it better, go for it.
However, if the existing campaign is decent enough, you should not make any changes to impress your client.
The most important step o add value to your client is learning everything about their business.
While understanding the products and services of your clients is equally beneficial, understanding the long-term goals of your clients is way more important.
Ask yourself these questions. Does my client want to go public? Do they want to expand their business to specific demographics and markets shortly?
How does your client perceive the industry landscape? You can better understand the context your client is working on by putting up Google alerts for your client’s brand and that of their competition.
Moreover, you can conduct annual business reviews to illuminate the previous and current goals. Additionally, it will help you elucidate previous strategies that you can still implement.
Tracking is one of the most crucial things you must advocate for. However, when you start a new campaign, always set a specific goal for for-profit and other metrics you need to achieve.
Tell your client that their campaign ad needs to run for at least seven days with the entire tracking installed. This will give you an idea of what the campaign is doing and see which parts should be kept.
Before installing tracking when running campaigns, you may have occasionally received calls from angry clients complaining about decreased leads and sales soon after you launched a particular campaign.
There may have been times where you saw increased conversions and sales from the new campaign, but due to a drop in another source of marketing, it may have made it seem like you were responsible for the decline in leads.
Hence, make sure you take steps to avoid these situations in the future. For instance, installing tracking before launching the new campaign will help you back up your statements when you argue with a client.
For instance, you have been running your campaign for a while b just making minor changes. Yet, you have an excellent overall campaign with essential metrics.
However, you notice that a PPC manager changes your campaign’s bidding, structure, and metrics. Therefore, the algorithm of Google Ads will take time to examine whether these new changes will be effective or not.
While you should have the same score as before, even after making a few changes, Google tends to lose a substantial amount of money if your new campaign is not as good as before.
In addition, there may be a possibility that your audience will click on lesser expensive Google ads. Therefore, if you are planning to make a certain amount of changes to your campaign, make sure you roll them out over tie instead of making those changes all at once.
When relaunching your client’s new campaign, make sure you change the bidding according to the new and existing data. Do not take extra time to rethink whether a specific keyword will receive a higher bid.
Although your client’s old Google ads will not last them much longer and new Google ads will take over, the previous ads may control and enable you to troubleshoot.
Changing the keywords or the entire ad completely may not give you an idea about the source behind a particular problem when the CTR, conversion value, and conversion rates show a significant drop.
Nevertheless, old Google ads can have a substantial impact on the results of your new campaign.
You must reuse your client’s negative keywords list. There are chances your client may have done in-depth negative research for keywords that hold much value for your new campaign.
However, you must avoid copying and passing the entire list as it is. It may deteriorate the performance of your ad if it has a vast range of negative keywords.
Instead, use as much of the existing data, and negative keywords list you think will be enough for your campaign but do not overdo it.
Research shows that 68% of online experiences start with a search engine that has high-quality keywords.
Every beginner Google Ads accounts have used broad match for many years with little success. However, there have been cases where specific campaigns have performed better just using broad match.
Google conducts checks on quality keywords for broad match. Ultimately, this means that if you put a broad match keyword, Google will decide whether it is relevant enough.
Therefore, if you open a clint’s Google ads account that has good quality broad match keywords, be considerate when including broad match keywords because it is unpredictable whether you will get the same results or not.
When managing a client’s Google Ads account, make sure to communicate on daily, weekly, or monthly reports.
For instance, if your bid modifier for a specific location produces a higher ROI, send your client an email right away.
Communicating with your clients ad keeping them updated is key to building successful, loyal relationships.
Keeping your clients in the loop will build trust and prevent them from wandering into their accounts, making assumptions about how well the advertiser is handling the account.
However, some clients can be challenging to deal with, and once they are disappointed with something, it gets tough to turn things around.
Sending performance reports to your clients is a great way to keep them I the loop. Additionally, make sure you grant them full access to any services or tools you use to run the campaign.
For example, PPC accounts and site analytics. Finally, staying clear ad transparent with clients is a great way to build trust.
Clients can explore the tools you use to understand better how you are making things work.
It is essential to openly discuss the goals and expectations of your campaign with the client. Hear out what your client expects from the campaign and present them with suggestions accordingly.
Remember, the conversation needs to be honest. It is terrific to lower the expectations of your client. However, it is better to tell them everything honestly when setting goals for the campaign rather than justifying why it performed a certain way later on.
Don’t let your clients get locked into unrealistic goals. Instead, explain the entire process of investigating and researching the account to your client.
The client may have higher expectations, assuming that you will quickly take over the account that the previous marketer left. Ence, it is essential to elucidate your approach towards the campaign.
It is essential to address that every client is different. For example, you may b appointed by an organization with an entire marketing team to lend a little helping hand.
On the other hand, a single person could also hire you to help them with their campaign. In both cases, do not leave your creativity behind.
You may likely have a better idea for the client’s campaign to move their marketing strategy to the next level.
It would help if you spent extra time on keyword research. You must know what keywords perform better and generate the majority of your results and conversations.
Moreover, it is vital to address keywords that you think are hurting the performance of your campaign. Conduct extensive keyword research.
Remember, there’s always a possibility of valuable keywords that the old agency could not target.
Every time you get a new client, you have a fresh opportunity to begin from. A new client means you have a new and better chance to generate revenue for your advertising agency or you as a marketer alone.
Moreover, it can provide you with a unique learning experience as a marketer.
However, it can be hard to manage things when taking over a client’s Google Ads account. For example, picking up a campaign that an old PPC marketer left can be a hassle. This is especially true if they violated terms of service (even unwittingly) and got the client’s Google Ads account suspended.
Take your time to understand the intricacies of the new account. It is essential to maintain a good relationship with your client to run the campaign successfully.
Follow the steps above to effectively manage a new Google Ads account and take your marketing portfolio to the next level!
Throughout his extensive 10+ year journey as a digital marketer, Sam has left an indelible mark on both small businesses and Fortune 500 enterprises alike. His portfolio boasts collaborations with esteemed entities such as NASDAQ OMX, eBay, Duncan Hines, Drew Barrymore, Price Benowitz LLP, a prominent law firm based in Washington, DC, and the esteemed human rights organization Amnesty International. In his role as a technical SEO and digital marketing strategist, Sam takes the helm of all paid and organic operations teams, steering client SEO services, link building initiatives, and white label digital marketing partnerships to unparalleled success. An esteemed thought leader in the industry, Sam is a recurring speaker at the esteemed Search Marketing Expo conference series and has graced the TEDx stage with his insights. Today, he channels his expertise into direct collaboration with high-end clients spanning diverse verticals, where he meticulously crafts strategies to optimize on and off-site SEO ROI through the seamless integration of content marketing and link building.
Throughout his extensive 10+ year journey as a digital marketer, Sam has left an indelible mark on both small businesses and Fortune 500 enterprises alike. His portfolio boasts collaborations with esteemed entities such as NASDAQ OMX, eBay, Duncan Hines, Drew Barrymore, Price Benowitz LLP, a prominent law firm based in Washington, DC, and the esteemed human rights organization Amnesty International. In his role as a technical SEO and digital marketing strategist, Sam takes the helm of all paid and organic operations teams, steering client SEO services, link building initiatives, and white label digital marketing partnerships to unparalleled success. An esteemed thought leader in the industry, Sam is a recurring speaker at the esteemed Search Marketing Expo conference series and has graced the TEDx stage with his insights. Today, he channels his expertise into direct collaboration with high-end clients spanning diverse verticals, where he meticulously crafts strategies to optimize on and off-site SEO ROI through the seamless integration of content marketing and link building.
When this apartment complex client partnered with PPC.co, their goal was clear: generate more qualified leads through Google Ads. In just 60 days—from January to March 2025—we transformed their paid acquisition performance. Total conversions more than tripled, jumping from 10 to 32, while the overall conversion rate soared by over 300%. At the same time, we drove down the cost per conversion by 44%, delivering significantly more leads at a much lower cost.
By strategically combining Performance Max and high-intent Search campaigns, we not only increased lead volume but improved overall efficiency and ROI. This rapid and measurable improvement underscores the value of data-driven optimization and expert campaign management.
This case study is a testament to what can happen when a well-structured campaign meets expert strategy and continuous optimization. Whether you're launching a new property or looking to boost occupancy in a competitive market, PPC.co delivers real results—fast.
Ready to grow your leads and lower your cost per conversion?
Contact us today to schedule a free audit and discover how we can help you achieve similar results.
Click on the following link if you would like to see more PPC case studies!
If you’re running an e-commerce or retail business, you already know that visibility is everything. The best product in the world won’t sell if no one sees it. That’s where paid ads for ecommerce comes in.
Done right, they drive traffic, conversions, and repeat customers.
Done wrong, they drain your budget and leave you wondering what went wrong.
Whether you’re spending $500 a month or $50,000, your goal is the same: profitability. Not just clicks, and certainly not just impressions. You want to turn ad dollars into real, predictable revenue.
So how do top-performing e-commerce and retail brands make their paid ads work?
What are they doing that you’re not?
This guide breaks it down step-by-step, so you can start running profitable ads with confidence.
Before you launch a single campaign, you need clarity on your audience and goals. Are you trying to boost first-time sales? Increase average order value? Each objective requires a different strategy and metrics for success.
Don’t fall into the trap of launching ads just to “see what happens.” Paid media works best when it’s part of a bigger strategy. So before you log in to Google Ads or Meta Ads Manager, get specific about what success looks like.
If you want to run profitable paid ads, knowing your numbers is the foundation of your entire strategy. Without a clear understanding of your margins, break-even points, and how much you can afford to spend to acquire a customer, you’re essentially gambling with your ad budget.
And in e-commerce, that can get expensive fast.
Let’s start with the most critical numbers you need to know:
Your break-even ROAS tells you the minimum return you need on your ad spend to not lose money. It’s calculated by dividing 1 by your gross profit margin.
So if your margin is 50 percent, your break-even ROAS is 2.0. That means for every $1 you spend on ads, you need to make $2 in sales just to break even.
For example, let’s say you’re running Facebook Ads and spending $1,000 on a campaign. If your break-even ROAS is 2.0, you need to generate at least $2,000 in revenue to avoid losing money. Anything above that is profit. Anything below that eats into your cash.
Once you know your numbers, you can reverse-engineer your ad strategy instead of throwing money into the void and hoping for results. For instance, if your AOV is low (say $25), you might struggle to profit from ads unless you have a very low COGS or high conversion rates. In that case, you might want to:
On the other hand, if your AOV is $150 and your margins are strong, you have more room to compete in ad auctions, bid more aggressively, and test multiple audiences and creatives without instantly wiping out your profit.
A lot of beginner advertisers focus entirely on immediate return from ads. That’s understandable – but short-sighted. If you’re breaking even or slightly losing on the first sale, that might still be a smart move if you’re building long-term customer relationships.
That’s where Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) comes in. If you know that your average customer places three orders a year, each worth $60, then their LTV is $180. If you spend $40 to acquire that customer with your first ad, but earn $140 more over the next 12 months, that ad was extremely profitable in the long run.
Top e-commerce brands build their paid strategies around LTV-to-CAC ratio – how much they earn over time compared to what they paid to acquire the customer.
A healthy ratio is usually 3:1 or higher. So if you’re spending $50 to acquire a customer, you want to earn at least $150 from that customer over time.
Once you understand your numbers, you can plan your ad spend with precision. You’ll know exactly:
Let’s say you want to make $5,000 in profit this month, and your product has a 50 percent gross margin. That means you need $10,000 in sales. If your target ROAS is 2.5, you can spend up to $4,000 in ad spend to hit that goal. With those numbers in hand, you now have a roadmap for campaign budgeting, not just a shot in the dark.
Every ad platform has strengths. But if you try to use them all at once, you’ll burn through your budget without learning much. Instead, pick one or two that align best with your business model and customer behavior.
If you’re selling visually appealing products like apparel, skincare, or home goods, platforms like Instagram and TikTok can deliver strong returns – especially with the right creative. If you’re focused on high-intent buyers, Google Search and Shopping Ads are goldmines. And if you’re targeting professionals or B2B retail buyers, LinkedIn may offer surprising results.
Test channels strategically. Start with the one that matches where your customers spend their time and scale from there. The best platform for you is the one where your ideal customers are already shopping, scrolling, or searching.
One of the biggest mistakes retailers make is casting too wide a net. You don’t want everyone to see your ad – you want the right people to see it.
On Google, this means targeting high-intent keywords that signal buying behavior. Focus on terms like “buy,” “best,” “free shipping,” or product-specific searches. On Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, you’ll want to dial in your custom audiences using demographic data, lookalikes, interests, and behavior.
Don’t forget retargeting. Most people won’t buy the first time they visit your site, but retargeting brings them back when they’re ready. Set up ads that follow people who viewed a product, added to cart, or engaged with your brand but didn’t check out.
The more relevant your targeting, the more efficient your spend and the higher your return.
Creative is the make-or-break factor in most e-commerce ad campaigns. You can have perfect targeting and the right product, but if your ad doesn’t grab attention in the first two seconds, it won’t convert.
Your creative needs to do three things quickly:
Use high-quality product photos or videos. Show your product in action. Highlight a clear benefit or solve a specific problem. Incorporate customer reviews or user-generated content to build trust.
For paid social, test multiple creatives at once – video vs. image, UGC vs. branded, short-form vs. long-form – and let performance data guide your iterations. On search platforms like Google, focus on copy that’s compelling and packed with relevant keywords. Test different headlines and descriptions to see what gets the best click-through rate.
Sending paid traffic to your homepage is a rookie mistake. You want every click to land on a page that’s designed to convert. That means fast load times, mobile optimization, and a clear call-to-action.
If you’re promoting a specific product, send users to that product page and not your full catalog. If you’re offering a bundle or a seasonal deal, create a dedicated landing page with copy, visuals, and layout tailored to that offer.
Remove distractions. Reduce friction. Make it stupid-easy for people to buy. The less effort it takes, the more sales you’ll see. And don’t forget to A/B test. Sometimes a simple tweak to your headline or CTA can double your conversion rate overnight.
Once your ads are live, your job isn’t done. In fact, this is where it really begins. You need to monitor performance regularly, looking at more than just the surface-level metrics.
Click-through rate (CTR) tells you how well your ad is capturing attention. Conversion rate shows how well your landing page is sealing the deal. ROAS tells you how profitable your campaign is. And CPA helps you compare efficiency across different products or audiences.
Watch for early indicators of success – or failure.
Treat your campaigns like living systems. Tweak, test, and improve them continuously.
Once you find a winning combination – an ad, offer, and audience that works – it’s time to scale. Increase your budget gradually while keeping an eye on performance. Scaling too fast can tank your results, so go step by step.
Duplicate high-performing campaigns to test new audiences or creatives. Experiment with upsells, bundles, or time-limited offers to increase AOV. Layer in email or SMS marketing to retarget paid traffic and drive repeat sales.
And just as importantly, don’t be afraid to kill underperforming ads. If something isn’t working after a reasonable test period, cut it. Your budget should be flowing to what works – not what you hope will work.
One of the biggest mistakes in paid advertising is chasing one-off sales without thinking about the bigger picture. Winning e-commerce brands think in terms of customer lifetime value.
If your first sale breaks even, that’s fine. (As long as you have a plan to turn that customer into a repeat buyer. ) You can use post-purchase emails, loyalty programs, and retargeting ads to bring people back.
At the end of the day, when you view paid ads as the beginning of a customer relationship – not the end – you unlock real long-term profitability. And at PPC.co, that’s where we want to help you! We offer industry-leading PPC management services for ecommerce and retail brands who want to stop wasting ad spend and start generating real ROI.
Contact us today to learn more!
Get Latest News and Updates From PPC.co! Enter Your Email Address Below.
For nearly 15 years, PPC.co has provided expert pay-per-click consulting services to SMEs and Fortune 500 companies alike. Let us make your paid campaigns shine!
© 2024 PPC.co, All rights reserved.