The most common responses we hear from small businesses are, “We get most of our business from personal referrals” followed by “We do our own google Adwords.” Don’t get us wrong, we believe both of those statements as much as you do. However, we’ve seen enough small businesses plateau and fall short of bigger goals without getting past those hurdles.

Referrals vs Paid Advertising
Word-of-mouth referrals are important and make a huge impact on purchasing decisions. People trust the opinions of their friends. However, people also do their own research. Prospective clients have access to websites, social accounts and review sites. If you aren’t there, you lose credibility. If you aren’t doing it well, you lose credibility. If your competitors are there, they are likely to get a shot at the business, too. Make sure your online presence speaks as highly about you as your best customers do.

Google Display Network vs PPC Partner
Anyone can log in to Google Adwords and place paid search ads. There are tutorial videos and blogs with tips and tricks to make you just dangerous enough. At the end of the day, Google algorithms and optimizations make it rather difficult to beat the system – even if you are dedicating significant time to keep an eye on your performance.

Using a paid search vendor – who has access to software platforms and their own algorithms to keep up with Google’s ever-changing landscape – will ensure you are fighting fire with fire and free up your time to spend on other marketing and business needs.