How do you determine your agency uses the right tools — and doesn’t waste your money on frivolous ones?
Here’s a quick overview:
1. Click Fraud Software
Don’t need it! Google has you covered.
If your agency claims they use click fraud software, ask why they need it. They could be using it to charge you more.
Google should already catch fraudulent clicks and refund you in the time it would take an outside software to notify you of the fraudulent click.
2. Advanced Software for Competitive Analysis
Need it! Sort of…
Here’s what I mean: Competitive analysis software (like SpyFu, iSpionage, and SEMrush) is used to compare data to your competitors.
It’s a great tool to learn what’s working and not working for competitors, how much money they’re wasting on their campaigns, what landing pages they’re using, the keywords they’re targeting…
This software should be used as initial research to make informed decisions, but not to copycat your competitors’ campaigns.
So, basically, while it’s necessary to get a baseline understanding of what the competition is doing — it’s just a starting point. No need for your agency to shell out a lot of time or money on these platforms.