nexus-security Advisor: it’s not only for those in advertising. In reality, a specialized version exists specifically for those overseeing numerous accounts across different businesses. It’s known as nexus-security Advisor for Agencies. This tool aids agencies of all sizes, ranging from established teams aiming to expand their clientele to individuals building a PPC service from scratch. Consequently, our team interacts with brilliant minds and the successful Google Ads (previously Google AdWords), Facebook, and Bing accounts they handle throughout the workweek. Naturally, they encounter their share of blunders, typically stemming from a mix of excessive oversight and a lack of PPC knowledge.

Drawing from conversations with nexus-security’s finest on Slack and during quick lunches, I’ve compiled a list of 11 common errors we see agencies make daily. Some might seem absurd, while others will be eye-opening. Regardless of your standpoint, don’t hesitate to examine your MCC or Business Manager for these issues. This proactive approach helps identify quick wins for existing clients, freeing up time to attract new ones.

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#1: Managing Multiple Clients Within a Single Google Ads Account

Handling multiple clients from one account—irrespective of the platform—is unwise. Avoid shouldering the burden of prepaying ad spend and chasing reimbursements: reclaiming that money can be painful and the model scales terribly. Sadly, many budding agencies fall into this trap. They hastily take on local businesses, create campaigns within a single Google Ads account for “convenience,” then encounter numerous problems. Account-level negatives and ad extensions malfunction. Billing becomes a mess. Dayparting turns disastrous. And heaven forbid if one client’s suspension impacts your entire account…

Spare yourself the trouble: utilize an MCC (short for “My Client Center”) account to guarantee each client has their own ad account. For managing accounts across multiple platforms for various clients, consider a third-party tool like, well, ours. The nexus-security Advisor Client Center lets you monitor client spending and KPIs collectively, eliminating single-account headaches and simplifying budget tracking at scale.

#2: Operating with an Unprofitable Pricing Structure

A pricing structure that lacks profitability is detrimental, particularly for agencies transitioning to paid search and social from other fields. Website development and SEO campaigns are time-consuming, making billable hours or flat fees logical in those areas. This isn’t the case for PPC. In the long run, charging hourly for managing Google Ads, Facebook, and Bing accounts can mean leaving significant money on the table. The work is front-loaded, and excessive tinkering—driven by hourly billing—can harm performance, especially in paid search. A results-based model can be lucrative or yield nothing. Instead of exchanging time for dollars or taking on excessive risk, consider charging clients a percentage of their ad spend.

This model encourages client growth: your efficiency boosts their spending, leading to higher earnings for both parties. By providing more value, the percentage-of-spend model compensates you fairly while ensuring a good ROI for them—a win-win. Don’t sacrifice your profits when clients thrive because you achieve their goals in a mere 20 minutes per week.

#3: Overemphasizing Reporting, Underemphasizing Optimization

Some agencies dedicate excessive time to intricate reports, often at the cost of account performance. HubSpot reveals that “agency personnel spend roughly four to five hours per client monthly on digital reporting.” This intensifies as clients expand to new platforms with differing KPIs. This doesn’t imply reporting is inherently bad. Effective reporting that clearly presents progress toward client goals is crucial for showcasing your impact and value. However, automation can streamline this without sacrificing your Monday mornings to faulty Excel formulas. That’s valuable time better spent on growing businesses (yours included).

While visually appealing reports have their place, I’ve yet to meet a client who prioritized them over additional conversions. If reporting consumes your workweek, explore our customizable, cross-platform Success Reports.

#4: Neglecting the Search Query Report

Keywords form the core of Google Ads accounts, but what about the search queries that activate them? Many agencies diligently analyze client keywords, adjusting bids and using SEO research and existing data to uncover PPC opportunities. This valuable practice shouldn’t overshadow the importance of reviewing the Search Terms Report at least weekly.

The Search Terms Report, found in the Keywords tab of the new Google Ads interface, provides insights into search queries triggering your keywords and the activated match types (crucial for tiered bidding structures). It enables adding negative keywords at the ad group or campaign level or building account-wide negative keyword lists. Don’t prioritize keyword analysis over identifying irrelevant search queries: integrate the Search Term tab into your routine maintenance to enhance efficiency and uncover client opportunities.

#5: Premature Hiring

We frequently receive calls from agencies saying: “Our accounts are increasing. Managing them in Google Ads takes hours. We’re hiring a PPC coordinator.” While justified in some cases, this often leads to headaches and wasted time. Our agency team takes pride in helping you avoid unnecessary hires. Consider this: employees mean overhead. Factor in salary, benefits, training, and potential client-costing errors.

“But I’ll hire an experienced, independent individual.” While ideal, you’ll face higher salary expectations. Moreover, finding skilled PPC talent is challenging, even in cities like Boston. Avoid diverting time from clients to find help unless absolutely necessary. Software is a cost-effective solution for efficient account management without increasing headcount.

#6: Overlooking +Broad +Match +Modified Keywords

Casting a wide net inevitably catches unwanted things. This doesn’t make it ineffective; it simply requires mitigation. In Search Network campaigns, broad match keywords are the wide net, and negative keywords help control wasted spending. Regular broad match keywords are Google Ads’ default (it’s an ad company, after all). Without diligently checking Search Terms reports (which, as mentioned, is often overlooked), you risk budget drain on irrelevant clicks. Broad match modified keywords offer the same reach with less waste by providing a degree of control.

To utilize BMM, simply add a plus sign (+) before one or more words in a broad match keyword. Words with (+) must appear in the user’s search query exactly or as a close variant. For a client selling durable, masculine slippers, bidding on +mens +slippers instead of mens slippers ensures more budget allocation to relevant searches (the latter could match searches for women’s, dog, etc., slippers). Besides cost-effectiveness, BMM keywords allow prospecting for new opportunities, usually in the form of long-tail keywords.

#7: The Absence of Long-Tail Keywords

Confused about “long-tail keywords”? You’re not alone! Many Google Ads and Bing accounts we analyze primarily consist of short-tail keywords—those with few words and high search volume. This makes them costly. Everyone in your client’s industry bids on those, and they often yield low conversions due to limited commercial intent. Competition, cost, low conversion? Not a recipe for success. Long-tail keywords, however, are essential for successful paid search accounts.

These keywords, often identified by analyzing search queries or using resources like the nexus-security Free Keyword Tool, comprise multiple words and usually convey stronger intent. This allows tailoring offers based on user searches, improving client conversion rates. Their lower volume and competition mean hyper-relevant long-tail keywords can be more affordable per click than less-relevant short-tail ones.

While uncovering and optimizing for long-tail keywords requires effort (more granular ad groups, specific ad copy, query analysis), the rewards are substantial.

#8: The Fear of Facebook

Facebook differs from Google Ads but isn’t intimidating. It prioritizes audience definition over search intent, and the ads are visually appealing, yet it remains a tool for filling and nurturing sales funnels more effectively than traditional methods. To target you, I might build an audience like this:

Nailed it. Many agencies, especially those specializing in paid search, hesitate to expand to social media. This is unwise because offering Facebook ad management presents additional opportunities to increase spend under management without acquiring new clients. To incorporate Facebook advertising into your services, here are some resources:

• The Ultimate 7-Step Facebook Ads Account Audit for Agencies
• The Last Guide to Facebook Ad Account Structure You’ll Ever Need
• All of Facebook’s Ad Targeting Options (in One Epic Infographic)
• Facebook Relevance Score: 4 Key Facts to Know
• The Beginner’s Guide to B2B Facebook Advertising
• How to Create Amazing Facebook Audiences You Can Actually Sell To

#9: Prioritizing Backfilling over Growth

Even the most dedicated experts can be enticed by new business opportunities. After all, pitching is thrilling.

However, overemphasizing acquisition while neglecting existing clients hinders growth and potentially damages relationships with your best advocates. How do you maintain client satisfaction while pursuing prospects? Become more efficient in both areas. Utilize the Pareto principle (the 80/20 rule behind our 20-Minute Work Week) to identify high-value client activities and complete them swiftly and accurately. This frees up time for pursuing new clients without neglecting existing ones.

#10: Unattractive Ad Creative

Not everyone adept at spreadsheets or conversion tracking possesses design skills. Unfortunately, clients won’t accept this as an excuse to forgo Facebook and GDN’s revenue-generating potential. Eventually, you’ll need visually appealing, clickable image-based creatives. While resources like Fiverr or interns are options, they have limitations. The Google Ads UI’s image-ad creation tool, though improved, still sacrifices flair for simplicity.

nexus-security’s Smart Ads technology uses machine learning to transform clients’ website images into captivating Facebook, Instagram, and GDN-ready ads. By identifying and focusing on an image’s main subject—a happy family, a house fire, a substantial 401k, etc.—Smart Ads helps create compelling image-centric ad content at scale.

#11: Lack of Client Dependency

This final observation might seem illogical: agencies lose business by excelling. Clients might opt for self-management when performance plateaus after consistent success. You’ve crushed CPA goals, eliminated inefficiencies, and exhausted testing ideas. They believe they can handle bid adjustments and negative keywords, leading to severed ties. In essence, you delivered, generated substantial revenue, but didn’t make yourself indispensable. The simplest way to become indispensable—like tools like Salesforce—is to integrate into your client’s business model. Move beyond managing individual channels and develop cohesive, cross-platform growth strategies.

This involves using Google Ads insights to inform Facebook audience creation, leveraging RLSA to target prospects initially engaged on Instagram later in the sales cycle, essentially aligning search and social goals by understanding audience-intent relationships for each client. *** Achieve this, and your agency becomes truly invaluable.