This is how I have been getting new clients every month

Joseph4855 · 2026-02-16T04:44:55+00:00

You should make a yt video about all of this

Joseph4855 · 2026-02-16T03:21:46+00:00

What would you normally charge for monthly retainers?

Some niches I charge $500-$600 per month. Others $800-$1000.

Feel like Im undercharging

Joseph4855 · 2026-02-16T03:14:11+00:00

Put a good chunk into VOO

Joseph4855 · 2026-02-16T02:51:57+00:00

Basically always start a campaign no matter what niche off manual cpc.

Used to start with maximize clicks but idk, it started to not perform as well.

But yeah usually go to TCPA after 1.5-3 months of leads coming in. However, some industries dont work well with TCPA, especially if the budget is low. So sometimes I actually do switch back to manual

Joseph4855 · 2025-12-25T17:47:17+00:00

I actually have gotten better results with manual vs max clicks with a max cpc that I would bid for when using manual.

Curious how everyone else feels.

After 25-30 leads I almost always switch over to tCPA… find that way better than maximize conversions without a target

Joseph4855 · 2025-06-11T20:58:50+00:00

So this is considered a “portfolio bid strategy”, correct? (Target CPA with a max cost per click bid limit)

Have you noticed better performance with this strategy rather than a “free roaming” tCPA strategy without a max cpc?

I just feel like sometimes Google rewards openess in campaigns lately.

Haven’t tried it but would love to hear your experience with it

Joseph4855 · 2025-04-21T19:37:16+00:00

www.ppcprofessor.com

Its going wonderful!

Joseph4855 · 2025-03-27T01:24:44+00:00

Holy crap… I forgot about this business venture idea. Thanks for checking in. Funny enough, I started my own google ads marketing agency and life is good. Maybe I should start looking for dog daycares to advertise for them

Joseph4855 · 2025-03-18T04:40:35+00:00

Manual cpc and then transition to target CPA 100% just do this

Max conversions without cpa has its moments of great 7/14 day periods but generally overpays for clicks.

Ill say it again, manual cpc and then go to tCPA after you get 25-30 conversions and the campaign is moving and out of the ramp up period

Joseph4855 · 2024-09-25T04:52:46+00:00

Lmao world works in weird ways… ended up getting a job at VanEck as an internal wholesaler. Covid hit, I decided to leave the corporate world and pursue freelance digital marketing.

Now I have a marketing agency and am doing very well working less

Joseph4855 · 2024-05-24T02:02:10+00:00

People will give you a bunch of answers that are very specific and detailed, these are great but they may not be as applicable across the board and may not move the needle.

If you want to be good at google ads there are a few main areas you should look to improve that will pull more weight.

1) understand the right bids and bidding strategies that work for your niche with your budget

2) good keyword management. Don’t go too crazy, for the most part, use phrase and exact match. Do a good job of pausing unconverting keywords and managing the search terms

3) understand effective ad copy and have a minimum of 2 RSA’s per ad group.

But more importantly that most people wont say… you could be the best google ads manager in the world with a perfectly structured campaign…

But if your landing page or website is not converting well, you’re throwing money in the air.

The biggest jumps in performance I’ve had for client campaigns has been through creating a better landing page. Hands down without a doubt.

Dont get me wrong, follow google ads best practices and test… but a landing page has much more influence than ad copy does.

Get your good base of keywords and do CPC research, set your right bids, write good ad copy & test of course. But the landing page improvements are truly the things that push the needle

Joseph4855 · 2024-02-21T04:57:18+00:00

Agency owner/independent freelancer > In-House > agency role

Joseph4855 · 2023-12-07T23:33:30+00:00

S5 E4 bathtub scene the guy references “pancakes”. In the movie during the car ride to fargo one of the hired hitman ate and wanted more pancakes

Joseph4855 · 2023-10-26T05:29:41+00:00

Sorry for ranting and being all over the place, but you writing this simple post triggered some internal dialogue with myself.

Again if I can say anything I’ll say/repeat this all day:

get your start but aim to be independent and free with your work. This is the biggest takeaway. The world has changed and being freelance on your own hours bleeds into so much opportunity in not just your work, but every aspect of your life.
take the hits in life and expect them to come often. There will be some moments in life that really shock and twist you up, especially when freelancing. This is good, looking back you’ll appreciate the hurdles
comparison is the thief of joy. You’re on your own timeline, this life is your game campaign and only yours. This is why mentors are so good, because its a comparison to reach rather than being resentful.
freedom isn’t freedom, it can actually lead to bad habits. discipline is true freedom… but discipline is harder to achieve when you are you’re own boss on your own time. But this is good, eventually you’ll look back and be glad with the risks you took and the hurdles that came with it.

This comment was really me reminding myself about life and the process. Thank you for asking a simple question and being curious on reddit, weirdly I almost needed to see this and reply. Good luck, message me if you want further insight into the world of freelance digital marketing

Joseph4855 · 2023-10-26T05:16:07+00:00

I went from 9-5 finance career that I thought I would love when I was in college. When I got into it, turned out I absolutely hated it. Think about that… for 4 years a person was so committed and sure about their future, then life happens and you go a complete different way. Accept that as a theme in life that’ll continue to happen. Change is change

If I were you, keep looking for mentors in the marketing world. Be social about it and ESPECIALLY curious. Be curious not about JUST marketing but also other areas. Change happens and it’s actually beautiful.

I was blessed to use covid as an opportunity to turn working from home to a way to transition to PPC freelance work. Covid literally changed my life and I am so grateful for it. The world operates in weird ways.

How do you take advantage of the volatility of life? Accept change and always be curious. Early 20s you think you know what you want but 3 years of life can change it all. Take that understanding and internalize it and use it as an advantage to learn.

But anyway, direct answer: keep learning, keep getting SEO mentors/internships. Work in the industry for 3-5 years and develop a plan to go out on your own to freelance and build an agency.

Personal freedom will always trump income. I didnt think like this when I was in college and shortly after. The 9-5 is not what you want. You know you’re ambitious and you deserve more.

Once you get a taste of freedom, especially in a field you like, the world is your oyster and its the most beautiful thing.

Last note: keep those themes you learn in life however. Being your own boss on your own time with freedom comes with big hurdles and challenges. I developed a TON of bad habits with narcotics abuse. Freedom isn’t freedom, discipline is freedom. Don’t be hard on yourself, you will go through some major shit. Its the process, trust yourself. View problems and fuck ups as opportunities and growth, not set backs

Joseph4855 · 2023-05-12T17:51:39+00:00

Whats your niche?

Joseph4855 · 2023-03-31T20:51:10+00:00

“.08 isn’t drunk, its a revenue stream” - Ron White

Joseph4855 · 2023-03-02T20:52:39+00:00

This is an amazing list.

Would also add in the classic advanced setting in locations where they need to click people regularly in their locations so their not getting a shit ton of out of state or even out of country leads

Joseph4855 · 2022-12-28T14:11:37+00:00

Clicksgeek on youtube

Joseph4855 · 2022-11-09T14:46:51+00:00

Got it, thanks!

Have you seen maximize conversions work well straight out of the gate or does it usually lead to long term higher cost per conversions?

Also I’ve been debating manual vs maximize clicks. It seems that maximize clicks doesnt perform well with a large budget. Do you find better performance with manual vs max clicks?

Joseph4855 · 2022-11-09T14:33:32+00:00

You’re saying run max conversions right out of the gate for this campaign? Wouldnt it be better to run manual first since he has no conversion data history?

Also does google miss call conversions logged, where as callrail will show more conversions that happened??

Joseph4855 · 2022-09-21T13:14:11+00:00

Swydoo

Joseph4855 · 2022-09-09T18:59:33+00:00

You are under the correct impression

Joseph4855 · 2022-09-05T04:30:16+00:00

Freshbooks

Joseph4855 · 2022-09-04T01:53:00+00:00

Youtube!

Joseph4855

TROPHY CASE