Google Third Party Compliance Policy

Finally, Google have taken steps to raise awareness of what you should be able to expect as a minimum when working with a third-party PPC management agency like ourselves, by launching their Google Third Party Compliance Policy. As a Google Ads Agency we need to ensure we adhere to these policies and several times each week we speak to people who have been taken advantage of by some ppc agencies who don’t act in the client’s interest which often leaves them in a very painful situation, sometimes without access to the adwords account that their whole business depends on.

Google have now published guidelines so that AdWords clients should be able to identify a third-party ppc management agency that does work in their interest rather than fall prey to one just trying to make a fast buck. The policy covers what to watch out for such as :

Not sharing information about the cost and performance of AdWords campaigns – We believe Any genuine ppc agency should be happy give you full access to the AdWords account that your business is depending on. Google feel that they should at least give you full campaign spend and cost per click performance data etc.

Guaranteeing ad placement – You should always be wary of guarantees of specific positions, Google is a dynamic environment with many companies changing match types, bids, bid rules etc. so nobody can really guarantee any ad positions.

Deceptive pricing – We believe you should own your account and be able to see all the costs, Also you are then free to move to another agency if we don’t pull our weight! Also partners must pass on the correct cost per click; which may will upset those agencies who pad clicks out to inflate the costs!

Claiming to have a special relationship with Google – Nobody does, Google account managers are an unswayable bunch, we have agency account managers who help us but nobody has a “special” relationship with Google that guarantees favourable outcomes, everyone is treated the same!

If a ppc agency is found to be contravening the third party policy then they can face actions such disqualification from the Google Certification Program, Google Engage for Agencies, AdWords API preferred pricing, AdWords API access, and/or terminating the agencie’s AdWords accounts if violations of these policies continue. So the repercussions are not something any genuine ppc agency would want to risk so this third party policy can only be a good thing.

You can view the policy guidelines here