Finding a pay-per-click ad manager can be a major commitment. The PPC sphere can be both incredibly costly and intensely competitive, and your guiding light will be a great PPC manager – an outsourced independent freelancer or agency.

There is a huge benefit to using an external resource to run your PPC campaigns. They get the chance to work with several different companies, which means they get to see what works and what doesn’t across multiple A/B experiments. And you don’t have to have a large budget for it to make sense, even if you’re working with a smaller budget; a great PPC manager can be worth their weight in gold.

If they’re a great PPC manager, you’ll notice in the way they respond, interact and manage your account; and produce results. In the end, your PPC manager should be an extension of your marketing team, passionate about helping your team to achieve its business goals.

So how do you know if you have a PPC rockstar? Here are a few ways to tell whether you’ve got yourself a PPC manager worth bragging about:

They’re genuinely interested in the industry.

Do they read about the industry regularly? Do they keep up with changes in the big platforms, particularly Google and Facebook? One way to test this is to keep abreast of such developments yourself and ask them what they think of the developments every so often. Gauge their answer to see if they’re informed and curious, or if they merely view running PPC for your business as just another day job.

The truth is work sucks when you don’t like the industry your in, and it is magnified tenfold when you’re an outsourced firm and need to drive results for someone else. When your PPC manager is excited and happy with the work they are doing, they do a better job; when they do a better job, you’re happy; when you’re happy, they’re happy.

They handle your account in a proactive way.

Changes in the paid advertising space happen at a rapid pace. A smart PPC manager will have their finger on the pulse of any updates made by Google, in their targeted keywords, changes in their client’s’ business, and shake up necessary keywords preemptively. If you have a PPC manager that is purely reactionary, that’s a big red flag and a tell-tale sign that you will be playing catch-up to your competitors.

Being a proactive PPC manager doesn’t just stop with being on top of changes to Adwords or Facebook, frequent tests of your ad copy and landing pages will ensure keeping ahead of the curve. BTW: If you notice your click-through rates are a little low when testing new campaigns or keywords don’t freak out, a rockstar PPC manager knows precisely what needles to move in your campaigns in order to optimize conversions.

They’re always asking questions.

A curious PPC manager is an invested PPC manager. They should continually be asking questions about the data they’re working with. They should be analyzing spends, reflecting on top-spending campaigns, checking ad positions and investigating new keywords.

And their questions shouldn’t stop at the technical aspects of your business. Their curiosity should extend to your business, too. A curious PPC manager is an engaged PPC manager. While they’re guiding you through the weeds, you’re guiding them on a broader scale, and they should recognize that.

The results here? You’ll be in regular communication, weekly at least, with a flexible direction that shows their interest in helping you and keeping you in the loop. You’ll be well-informed about where your money is going and new channels to test to help boost results.

They stay calm under pressure.

A good PPC manager will not react hastily to a crisis. Given the speed at which some digital marketing departments move, you may be tempted to value speed in high-pressure situations. In reality, there is always time for reflection. Campaigns can be paused for a day if need be. If a problem comes up, they should be willing to take the time to solve it for good.

Similar to a stockbroker, you’ll see fewer wild fluctuations in day-to-day operations with a cool-headed PPC manager. You want someone who’s able to respond quickly, but who will also consider alternatives and make a wise decision. The long-game wins are more important in PPC advertising.

They’re organized.

Most PPC managers and digital marketing agencies are juggling multiple accounts at a time. While you want someone who’s cool under pressure and responsive, you also want someone who can communicate quickly and clearly and who is on top of their clients.

If you’re hiring a PPC manager, you’re likely a business owner yourself. Think about the traits you’d want to boast to your own clients, then look for those qualities in your own PPC partner.

They are results-driven.

A great PPC manager will check your campaigns multiple times per week if not daily. You should establish clear ROI goals from the outset. There are various ways to measure PPC ROI, and you’ll find the best results if you and your PPC manager hash out and agree on specific numerical targets per ROI category.

The results will speak for themselves. Even if your PPC campaigns don’t match your targets every time, when your manager is communicative and transparent, you’ll better understand where your dollars are going, and how your campaigns can be optimized into the future.