Last email, I told you how most PPC companies are drop-dead awful at reporting.

To recap: They give you very little (or no) information about your campaign’s numbers so you can know whether or not it’s, you know, actually working.

Today I want to show you the kind of report you should be getting from any PPC company.

I snagged one of the weekly PPC reports we send to our clients and screenshotted some of the most important pages.

On those pages, I’ve highlighted the unique data we report on that almost no other company does (for example: online chat logs, transcribed phone calls, and leads vs. non-leads).

Why almost no PPC companies provide this level of detail, I have no idea.

Maybe they don’t have the resources. Maybe they’re lazy. Maybe they’re hiding something.

Whatever the reason, you’re handing your money to someone who has zero accountability. Someone who’s taking your money and spending it on… well, who knows?

Stop it.

Accept nothing less than the level of reporting I’m about to show you.

Strap yourself in.

Campaign Summary

This is the page with all of the “nerd numbers” (cost per click, impressions, etc.). We take things a step further and provide details on chat leads, lost opportunities, and the all-important cost per lead.

1.    Cycles – We break your campaign down into bite-sized chunks called “cycles” to help give you deep detail on how it’s progressing.

2.    Calls – Not every call is a lead. We separate calls and leads, so you know how many potentially profitable calls you’re receiving. Unlike a lot of PPC companies, we don’t count things like telemarketing calls and wrong numbers as leads.

3.   Chat Leads – We document the PPC leads that come via chat and transcribe them on a separate page.

4.   Total Leads – Once we determine which calls are real, bona fide leads, we add them up in this column.

5.   Cost Per Lead – This is how much you’re spending per lead—possibly the most important number in the report.

6.   Lost Opportunities – We also track leads that were improperly handled by the client. If we see a pattern developing, we step in and help the client fix the problem.

Cycle Summary

On this page, we break down your leads into different categories.

1.    Cycle – Each cycle, we determine which leads were good (green), which were lost (gray and yellow), and which weren’t really leads to begin with (basically, all the other colors).

2.    Lead, Repeat Lead, And Chat Calls – These rows are the “money makers.” Leads that show up here were either booked for an appointment or provided their contact info.

3.    Lost Opportunities And Unanswered Calls – The amount of leads the client either mishandled on the phone or did not answer. Note: We do not count voicemails as leads. If you don’t answer the first time a PPC lead calls, or don’t call them back within 5 minutes, you’ve almost always lost them for good.

4.    Totals – The amount of leads you acquired in each cycle, along with actual Cost Per Lead and potential Cost Per Lead (a.k.a. “Lost Opportunity”) lost due to call issues.

Call Transcripts

We document, transcribe, and audio record all of your phone calls. This lets you see how well you’re closing leads over the phone and if there are issues you need to iron out.

Chat Log

We retain copies of all web chats. We classify each chat under a different Lead Type Name, so you can easily see which ones are leads and which ones aren’t.

Chat Log (Zoomed)

Here’s a closer look at a transcribed online chat.

Now that’s PPC reporting.

If you aren’t getting that level of detail from your current PPC provider, you’re getting jipped. Plain and simple.

If you’re not sure if your current PPC campaign is pulling its weight, we can tell you. Click here for a free, no-strings website lead-generation audit. We’ll review your PPC and SEO efforts and let you know how they stack up to your competitors’.

Talk to you soon,

-Rich

P.S. In my next email, I’ll explain why we don’t consider every phone call a lead. A lot of PPC companies try to pull a fast one and make you believe that 33 calls = 33 leads. It’s a load of crap. I’ll tell you why tomorrow.

© 2016, Rich Harshaw. All rights reserved.