Running Google Ads can be a great way to get your business in front of people who are actively searching for your products or services. But getting good results often depends on who is managing the account.
A good Google Ads manager does more than create campaigns and increase budgets. They should understand your business, track meaningful results, test different strategies, and make decisions based on data.
So how do you find the right person?
Here are some important things to look for.
1. Look at Their Experience
Start by asking about their previous experience with Google Ads.
Have they worked with businesses similar to yours? Have they managed campaigns in your industry? Do they understand local businesses, eCommerce, lead generation, or the specific type of advertising you need?
Experience doesn’t necessarily mean someone has worked with hundreds of accounts. What matters is whether they can demonstrate that they understand how to build and improve campaigns.
Ask to see examples of previous results where possible. A good Google Ads manager should be comfortable explaining what they did, why they did it, and what the outcome was.
2. Ask What They Actually Measure
Be careful if someone focuses almost entirely on clicks and impressions.
Clicks are useful, but they aren’t necessarily the goal of your advertising.
For a service business, you might care about phone calls, enquiries, bookings, or quote requests. For an eCommerce business, purchases and revenue may matter most.
Google recommends using conversion tracking to measure valuable actions such as sales, leads, calls, and sign-ups. These metrics can then help guide advertising decisions.
Ask a potential Google Ads manager:
“How will you measure whether my campaigns are actually making money or generating valuable leads?”
Their answer should go beyond simply getting you more traffic.
3. Ask About Conversion Tracking
This is one of the most important questions to ask.
If your Google Ads manager doesn’t properly understand conversion tracking, it can be difficult to know which campaigns, keywords, and ads are actually producing results.
Google Ads can track actions such as website purchases, form submissions, phone calls, and other valuable customer actions.
Ask how they plan to set up and check your conversion tracking before campaigns are optimised.
A good Google Ads manager should want to make sure the data is reliable before making major decisions.
4. Ask How They Optimise Campaigns
Google Ads isn’t something you should simply set up and forget.
Your manager should regularly review campaign performance and look for opportunities to improve targeting, keywords, ads, bidding, budgets, and conversion rates.
Google’s own guidance recommends reviewing important metrics such as conversions, conversion value, conversion rate, and ROAS when evaluating Search campaign performance.
Ask:
- How often will you review my campaigns?
- What will you look for?
- How do you decide when to change a campaign?
- How do you test new ads?
- How do you handle underperforming keywords?
The answers can tell you a lot about how seriously they approach campaign management.
5. Don’t Be Impressed by Promises of Guaranteed Results
Be cautious if someone guarantees that they’ll get you a specific Google position, number of leads, or return on investment before they’ve even looked at your business.
There are too many factors involved in Google Ads for anyone to guarantee a particular outcome.
A professional Google Ads manager should instead explain what they can control, what they will test, and how they will measure performance.
They should also be realistic about your budget, competition, industry, location, and offer.
6. Check Their Google Ads Knowledge
Certifications aren’t everything, but they can be one useful indicator that someone has taken the time to learn the platform.
Google’s Skillshop provides Google Ads training and certifications covering areas such as Search, Display, and other campaign types.
More importantly, ask the person to explain their strategy in simple terms.
You don’t need a technical presentation. You want someone who can clearly explain what they’re doing with your advertising budget and why.
7. Make Sure They Understand Your Business
A good Google Ads manager shouldn’t treat every business the same.
They should understand your customers, services, location, competitors, average customer value, and what makes your business different.
For a local New Zealand business, they should also understand how location targeting and local search behaviour can affect your campaigns.
The better they understand your business, the easier it is to create ads and campaigns that attract the right people.
8. Ask How Often You’ll Receive Reports
You should know what’s happening with your advertising budget.
Ask what kind of reporting you’ll receive and how often you’ll receive it.
A useful report should help you understand things like:
- How much you’ve spent
- How many conversions you’ve generated
- Cost per lead or acquisition
- Which campaigns are performing best
- What has changed
- What will be tested next
You shouldn’t need to be a Google Ads expert to understand your own advertising results.
Find the Right Google Ads Manager for Your Business
The right Google Ads manager should be able to explain their experience, strategy, tracking, optimisation process, and results clearly.
Don’t choose someone simply because they offer the cheapest management fee or promise immediate results. Look for someone who treats your advertising budget seriously and focuses on generating results that actually matter to your business.
Looking for a Google Ads Manager in New Zealand?
If you’re looking for help managing your Google Ads campaigns, Hands Free Marketing works with businesses across New Zealand to create, manage, and improve Google Ads campaigns.
Whether you’re a local service business, contractor, professional service, or growing company, we can help you understand where your advertising budget is going and identify opportunities to improve performance.
If you want clarity instead of guesswork, get in touch.
👉 Book your free 15-minute consult
📞 027 590 9421
📧 jevon@handsfreemarketing.com
🌐 Web Design Hawke’s Bay