AdWords Account Consultation

[AutumnFireflyDesign]

I keep getting calls and emails about my google adwords account. Apparently they are from google, but the fact that they are continually trying to pester me and (to be honest) are obviously calling from an indian call centre/branch, I'm wondering whether or not they are legitimate.

The email talks about 'performance based reports to share with (me)', and asking to schedule a consultation. The signature appears to be google related, although a few of the images don't work and I assume that a google representative would have properly working pictures with using their email client (it's not exactly hard).

The email tends to be '(firstname).(lastinitial)@ google . com'.

There's nothing wrong, really, with Indian call centres but with a company as large and global as google I would have expected a UK call centre. In fact, I wouldn't expect to be pestered at all in the first place. Plus the fact that there are lots of Indian SEO services, I do wonder if this is a scam to try push us towards using their services (like if they 'recommend' speaking to X company).

Is this legitimate? Or is it a scam?

(A quick googling of the number they provided - 0800 028 1779 - comes back with no results linked to google).

 

[quikshop]

Any business that cannot afford its own domain name and email accounts, instead relying on free to use and abuse google mail or similar should be ringing large noisy alarm bells!!

The most frustrating thing about these calls is that you know they've clicked on your Adwords link and cost you money to get to your website and contact details.

Ignore them all, if you need help with Adwords try one of the several excellent and knowledgeable sorts on these forums instead (not including me)

 

[OldWelshGuy]

It is genuine if they are using an @google.com email address.

Google have their Uk adwords help in ireland, why not give them a call. you can ask them to take you off their call list if you want.

But I would say there is a fair chance they are genuine.

OTOH they could be spoofing the email. try replying to it

 

[AutumnFireflyDesign]

The biggest alarm bell for me is the fact that they are from India, when the UK call centre is in Ireland, and that the number is not accounted for. I checked the number for the Indian adwords help centre and it's not the same.

I've sent a screenshot to google adwords reporting on phishing. Hopefully we'll find out soon whether this is legitimate or not, straight from them. (I did say though that if this is legitimate, they definitely have to change their strategy).

 

[webgeek]

If you think your PPC needs a review, you're probably right.

Are you running quality score 9 or 10 on almost everything active?
Have you monitored conversions so that you know what it costs to acquire a paying customer?
If you know cost per acquisition, have you broken it down by device type, day of week, time of day, location?
Are you flat rate bidding on groups of keywords, so that you normally appear higher up the page on lower priced keywords and lower down the page for higher priced ones?
Have you identified the money words that convert profitably and those that don't?


From what I can tell, in a 30 second assessment, you've been driving everything to the homepage, flat rate bidding on groups of keywords so the expensive highly contested (and most valuable, most often) keywords get the lesser numbers of clicks in an effort to gain some efficiency, just as bidding is intentionally not targeting the #1 position, thus reducing the impulse clicks who often are tire kickers and not buyers.

If that sounds familiar, then there's some good and not so good. You're on the right track, but need a bit of refinement to the approach. Little things like 1 keyword per 1 ad group per 1 landing page per 1 advert can turn an average quality score 5 glob of campaigning into something up in the 8 or 9 range, pretty easily, That alone could save you 20-30% on your spend, without changing anything else.

If you're putting 24+ keywords into 1 group, running 1 single ad and no variations, pointing to the homepage as the landing page, then you've got room for improvement.

A few negative keywords, some device bidding preference modifications, some keyword expansion (dynamic or otherwise), dumping unprofitable and adding some new, then the addition of several new ads (with benefits, calls to action, attention getting use of @! symbols, location extensions, and suddenly you're moving from unprofitable but getting some sales, to at least doubling if not tripling your efficiency.

If none of the above sounds like you, then you're probably fine and shouldn't let it worry you

 

[intelligentppc]

The biggest alarm bell for me is the fact that they are from India, when the UK call centre is in Ireland, and that the number is not accounted for. I checked the number for the Indian adwords help centre and it's not the same.

I find that it's like Russian Roulette when you call Adwords these days.

Half the time I'll get a really helpful Irish guy/girl who really knows what they are doing (relatively) and understands 100% what I ask them.

Other times I clearly reach a foriegn call centre with poor reception, poor English, long hold times and it's generally like banging my head against a brick wall.

A helpful chap at Google confirmed to me yesterday that they do have overflows in different parts of the world to cover timezones, so I think it must be to do with the time of the call but I haven't spotted a pattern yet....