Question

Topic: E-Marketing

Getting Login From Our Ppc Agency

Posted by KathyAd on 3/6/2012 at 11:10 AM ET 250 Points
My company has a PPC agency that handles our paid search, and they have been working with us for quite a while. Our VP of Marketing is getting insistent on us getting more control, but the agency is balking. I am wondering:

(1) Getting the login -- I believe our contract shows that we 'own' the account, but the agency will not give us the login. They say the login is in their MCC, which includes all their client campaigns. In other words, they say they physically can't give us a login. Is that true?

(2) Billing -- It is my understanding that Google (and Bing) view the "owner" of the account as the one who is invoiced. Right now, the agency bills us, and then the agency pays Google. To be viewed as the "owner," do we need to set up a separate account and get invoiced directly by Google? What are the pros and cons?

(3) Quality score -- If we leave the agency, and need to rebuild the account in Google with another agency, are there any downsides to this? (Ex. will we lose our quality score? Our past metrics?) We have all the data to start a new account (keywords, ad groups, campaigns) in spreadsheets.

Thank you!
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by AdsValueBob on 3/6/2012 at 12:06 PM Accepted
    1) This is how a PPC agency protects "their" intellectual capital. If they set up the initial Google PPC account, then they own the account.

    You paid them for a service to provide (relevant) clicks. Yes - the fine line of owning an account can infer that the account's output is yours, but Google won't see it that way.

    If they are using your Google account (your company gave them the email / password, then you might be successful pleading your case to Google. The fact that they are accessing the account through MCC is minor.

    2. Yes - Google sees the person paying the bill as the owner.

    3. Quality Score - yes there are downsides to starting over. Years of fine tuning the account leads should have led to decreased CPC, more relevant clicks, and increased CTR, defined keyword niches, etc.

    Our company specializes in inexpensive PPC management, and from the beginning INSISTS that the client owns the account, has 100% administrative access, provides training, and is familiarized with good account management practices. Our company name AdsValue means that we add value to the PPC account (any service) and not hold you hostage by contracts or withholding account access.

    Whomever initiated your current AdWords situation for your company could, as a minimum maintained Admin access and provided the management company Standard access to manage the account. That way - when the honeymoon is over, you just delete their access.

    I suggest you contact Google and plead your case with finite details. They are the judge and jury, however I feel that, if you insist on further control, then you may have to start over because they (in Google's eyes) created the account and pay the bill.

    Starting over doesn't need to be horrific. Can you ask for detailed keyword reports or ad performance reports? Get as much as you can if you decide to move on.

    Call me (see profile) if you wish some one-on-one guidance.

    Bob





  • Posted by AdsValueBob on 3/6/2012 at 4:26 PM Member
    KSA

    1) a PPC account manager helps insure a (long) revenue stream for the contract period by not providing access, and ultimately, if they do a good job, companies will be focused on running other aspects and leave the smooth-running AdWords account management to someone else. As their marketing becomes more sophiticated, they may want to bring it in-house and bang - they got ya !!!

    2) Google is very strict on account ownership management. With very few exceptions, they keep a tight control on this. It's like trying to probate an estate to get your account back. Their position is they provide a service and your ownership problems and bad contracts are not their concern.

    3. The link you provide is excellent IF she has the email / password login - hence the problem. Kathy doesn't have it, and the account manager won't give it up.

    Bob

  • Posted by KathyAd on 3/6/2012 at 5:29 PM Author
    Oh, thank you. This is really shedding some good light so far. I have also been reading about the MCC umbrella account in Google Adwords help. (Our agency says we are part of the MCC umbrella account, housing different clients). The more I read, the more I feel they are just pulling the wool over our eyes.

    But I feel I will not get the login from our agency, no matter how much I stamp my feet. :-( My agency is the one that "pays the bill," so I think Google views them as the owner of the account. (In other words, I cannot go to Google to get the login.) :-(
  • Posted by AdsValueBob on 3/6/2012 at 5:36 PM Member
    Consider offering a buyout - say 6 months of management fees for full access (and they immediately lose access). You both walk away with something and your company can chalk it up to an expensive lesson.

    Bob
  • Posted by mgoodman on 3/6/2012 at 7:26 PM Accepted
    If your agency knows you're prepared to walk away and "start over" (on your own or with another agency), they will probably find a way to renegotiate their deal with you in order to keep the account.

    But don't threaten that unless/until you're really prepared to follow through.

    It sounds like they probably ARE pulling the wool over your eyes, but what's done is done ... and the Google rules are on their side. They own the account. If you're getting what you want out of the relationship, maybe you learn to live with less control. Otherwise, it's time to walk away from them.

    FWIW, our deal with clients is that THEY own the account and pay the Google bill. We just manage it for a fee. (Fee is mostly fixed, with a small variable component.) They can dump us whenever they think we are not earning our fee and delivering the results they need.
  • Posted by darcy.moen on 3/6/2012 at 10:45 PM Accepted
    Sounds like this PPC company is holding your account hostage. When I set up a client, I set up the account with an email address that the client gives me, or i create an email account using a free service like Hotmail and then send log in details to the client. I also have a separate process for handling payment on behalf of the client. If the relationship goes sideways, the client can simply change the password on the Google account and email account, and we can part ways, the client keeps their data and reports.

    There are systems out there that 'agencies' can use that can integrate Bing, Yahoo, Google and more into one system complete with reporting.

    On the whole, it sounds like this company is just crying sour grapes and want to make you suffer for leaving them.
  • Posted by darcy.moen on 3/6/2012 at 11:00 PM Member
    Here is a link to one such service that provides 'agency' accounts.

    https://affiliateprogram.keywordspy.com/n/fXAivq1BAAMHNkMAAAbGQgAAYNZmMQA-A...

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