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dinoyoongi · 5 years ago

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Confirm or Deny (4)

SYNOPSIS: You’re a member of the rising group FRNZEE. You’ve been dating Namjoon for years when Dispatch releases an article exposing your relationship. Your company confirms the relationship. Big Hit denies it.

PARTS: ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE

PAIRING: Namjoon x Reader

GENRE: Romance, Angst

WARNINGS: Strong language

WORD COUNT: 4819

AUTHORS NOTE: Finally - so sorry about the long wait! Fall was an extremely busy season for me both work and personal wise. There will only be one or two more parts left depending on how I choose to wrap the story up but there won’t be toooooo long of a wait for it this time. Please make sure to like/comment/reblog if you enjoy the story! Thank you! ❤️ (P.S.- this is totally unedited so any mistakes are my own)

_________________________________________

“Are you sure that this a good idea?” Ji-na asks from the doorway, arms crossed over her chest as she watches you pull a sweater over your head. “Things are still bad, Y/N. They're still pulling vandalized advertisements from-”

From everywhere.

Since you've become the laughing stock of the k-pop industry, fans (ARMY mostly, you'd wager to guess) have begun making you into the clown that they obviously believe you are. All around the city, advertisements featuring your group have been vandalized wherever they're posted – soju posters in restaurants, fashion billboards in the train stations, album promotions on the side of city buses. The damage can be as little as a small mustache scribbled above your upper-lip to something as extreme as animal feces being smeared across your face.

“I'm aware, Ji-na. The company makes it a point to send me every video and photograph of every reported incident,” you tell her, unable to restrain the edge in your voice. “I just want to support you. I want to be there … I can't hide in this building for another minute.”

Ji-na's face softens. “Won't it be difficult for you, though? To watch us perform? To watch us stand on that stage without you? We already know that you support us – you don't have to make yourself uncomfortable to show it.”

You pause, your fingers stilling on the laces of your shoes. She's absolutely right – it was going to be uncomfortable. More than that, it was going to hurt insanely bad. You were aware of this, you were prepared for this. But as masochistic as it was, you needed to be there. Just to be in the building, surrounded by the frantic bustling of groups and managers and stylists … if that would make you feel normal – even for a minute – you would take the tradeoff.

“I want to go, Ji-na,” you stress, rising upright and turning to face your concerned friend. “Please just let me be there. I need to be there. I'll be okay – I promise.”

Her eyes roam the expanse of your face for what feels like minutes, searching for any kind of twitch or frown or quiver that might expose a wariness on your face. But when she finds nothing, she slumps her shoulder with a sigh of finality, giving up and nodding with an accepting smile.

“We leave in ten minutes. You know the drill – hat and face mask on. Be ready or we go without you,” she warns, a finger pointing in your direction. You're not given a chance to respond before she's turning on her heel to exit the room.

_____________________________________

Pulling into the parking garage of the KBS building, you're overcome with an overwhelming sense of nervousness. Lifting your hand from your lap, you're startled to see your own fingers trembling.

“Ugh, I need soju right now. I'm so nervous,” one of your members cries from the backseat. There's a chorus of agreement among the residents of the van. You'd like to join them because you also feel like throwing up, but you know it's not for the same reason.

This parking garage … this cold, dimly lit, nothing-but-concrete parking garage … how does it immediately trigger so many memories? Like the time that BTS invited you to the taping of their debut Music Bank performance and told the crew that you were one of their makeup artists so you could hang out in their dressing room – you remember a game of hide and seek in this garage before their performance that ended with Taehyung falling directly onto his face and bruising his chin. The real makeup artist had to apply four layers of foundation to cover the red and darkening splotch of skin. Or there was the year that FRNZEE and BTS were promoting at the same time. After having an argument with Seokjin, Namjoon had convinced you to sneak away from your group and the two of you hid out in his company's car with the tinted windows for almost an hour.

Out of everything, you definitely did not expect a fucking parking garage to conjure up thoughts of Namjoon.

It's been nearly one month since he abruptly ended your relationship. You want to say that you've been a strong, independent woman – that you took the breakup in stride and were moving on with your life.

That'd be a very laughable lie, though. You were – and still are – the definition of a hot mess.

You've sent texts – oh, god, you sent so many texts. You've left voicemails, of both the drunk and sober variety. You've sent emails asking him to return your texts and voicemails. You've even written a few letters but you're positive that instead of the mailing the parcels as requested, your manager probably shredded them.

Namjoon was yours for almost ten years. Ten fucking years. How could he just be done with you so quickly? How could he just stop all form of contact? Did these past ten years not matter? Did he fall out of love with you?

Maybe since he's Grammy nominated now, he knows he's capable and deserving of being with someone more beautiful than you, more talented than you, more successful than you.

Someone else. Not you.

A sharp pain in the palm of your hand makes you wince. You look down to see that at some point during your self-deprivation, you've gripped hard onto the charm of the necklace that Namjoon had given you. Designed for you. You let it go and exhale a breath to expunge the gross thoughts from your head. There's a massive part of your heart and your brain that's telling you how much Namjoon loved you, how much he respected you, that he would never do that to you. But the small portion of your broken heart and your fizzled brain are louder, screaming and screeching that you aren't good enough to be the leader of BTS' girlfriend. In a dark, dusty corner of your self-esteem, he always seemed to be too good for you. And now your insecurities have been unleashed on the possibility that it was absolutely true.

He's embarrassed of you. The other boys are embarrassed of you. They literally don't want to be associated with you.

What else are you supposed to think?

“Alright, girls, it's time!” your manager yells from the driver seat, his loud claps startling you. “Remember that you need to pose for some photos outside before you can go in. If you want to fix your makeup, do it now and be quick, please. Y/N, you'll be standing off to the side with me. Make sure your mask is pulled up, okay?”

Your sigh is exaggerated as you watch your members pull their compacts from their clutches, reapplying lip tint, pressing eyeshadow pigment onto their lids, fixing flyaway hairs. They're dressed casual but they look beautiful. They look like idols.

It doesn't escape you that as you're pulling your hat down and your mask up – you don't feel anything of the sort.

You follow behind your manager as the girls trail ahead, strutting out of the parking garage and into the designated photograph spot. A large crowd of people behind barriers excitedly call out member names as they get into position, prompting rehearsed giggles from the girls. You don't realize you're whimpering as they perform the group greeting until your manager pats your shoulder.

“Try not to look upset, okay? I'm sure some of them have already recognized you and they'll be scrutinizing your every move,” he whispers in your ear. You nod once to affirm that you've heard him, keeping your eyes locked on the group.

They pose silly, they laugh among themselves, they look like a complete group. They look perfect. They … they don't look like they miss you at all.

“She's here! I knew it!” a voice screeches not far from where you stand. You lift your head, craning your neck to see what member the excited fan was yelling for. There's a group of girls in school uniforms loitering the side of the building but their attention isn't on the group, instead on a large trash can that sits against the wall. Everyone in the vicinity startles when one of the girls knocks it over, scattering bits of trash and discarded items across the entire lot.

You turn to face your manager. “Isn't there KBS security here? Are they going to allow them to garbage pick right in front of the talent?”

He shrugs. “I don't know. That's not my problem though. We're gonna wrap this up and go instead in just a few-”

��Stay away from Namjoon, you delusional whore!”

You don't have time to search for the source of the threat before something is hurled into the side of your head. You cry out, nursing the sensitive patch of scalp as you glance down at the offending object. A half-eaten, dirty apple?

“We won't let you get away with it!” another voice shrieks. The voice is followed by a flying cup – a large tumbler that you might get at a coffee shop – that smacks you right in the center of your face, the remaining contents of the cup soaking your gray sweater in dark brown splotches. Your manager shoves you behind him as he begins to scream.

“Don't any of you move a muscle! You will be sued for assault – I promise!” he warns. On the other side of the lot, the cameras that had been capturing your members are now turned on you. You watch as more girls surround the fallen trash can, filling their arms with garbage to use as weapons. Nobody stops them.

“We should sue her for slander! She tried to ruin Namjoon's reputation with her lies!”

There's a brief cheer of agreement before more garbage is being pelted in your direction; a broken hair brush, empty snack containers, more half-drunk coffee cups that have soaked not only you but your poor manager. He's lost his grip on you, stepping forward to push at any of the girls who dare to come too close. Unfortunately, this leaves you wide open.

Banana peels, cigarette buts, more fucking coffee cups – doesn't this country ever finish their damn beverages? – discarded makeup, used tissues … they hit you with precision. You curl your body into the wall, a feeble attempt to protect your face. You tilt your chin up to glance at your group; the spot where they stood is clear now and when you look farther down, you see their backs as they rush into the building.

They left without you. All of them. Even Ji-na.

They left you here. To be drenched in garbage.

Your manager is still fighting off a horde of the girls, screeching into his cell phone for help. When one of them gets a good grip on your hair and yanks you to the ground, the group of photographers finally realize the seriousness of the situation and begin to chase them off. Above you, though, is two of the meanest faces you have ever seen. One has your ponytail in a dangerous clutch and the other sneers at you from behind her phone, another cup in her hand. They glance at each other briefly before the cup tips, dousing you in more questionable liquid.

You're not a weakling – you could fight back. You could kick her right off of you. You could kick that phone right out of her hand. It would be so easy for you.

But this … this is it. This is where you break. There is where you realize that you don't have anymore fight left inside of you. You don't have the heart or the willpower or the mental resolve to get back up on your feet right now.

“That's enough!” a deep voice booms. “Get your hands off of her right now!”

Before the girls can even react, they're being pulled from you. Because your hair is still wrapped around her fist, you're yanked upwards with them. You holler in pain, smacking at her hands for release. It isn't until a large man wearing a KBS security shirt forcibly grabs her hand from your hair does she let it go.

With vision blurred by tears, you watch through watery eyes as the girls are shoved into police cars. When did those get here?

“Oh my god, Y/N. Are you okay? Where are you hurt?” your manager asks frantically, his eyes roving your form for any scratches or bruises or blood. “I'm so sorry – I didn't see them sneak behind me. I thought … I thought you left with the other girls. I motioned for them to bring you … I thought ...”

Oh. It makes sense.

Even your own group is embarrassed of you.

You open your mouth to speak but your chin trembles too violently to form any words.

“Come on, we have to meet the police at the hospital. I'll call another manager to watch the girls here on the way.”

His arm wraps around your side, noticing your wobbling legs. You take only one step forward before he notices something on the ground. “Oh! Isn't this your necklace? You were wearing it earlier.”

It's broken, the chain completely snapped in half. The moon gem is scratched and scuffed from where it was probably stepped on. You don't remember feeling it break loose in the scuffle but in all fairness to yourself, you stopped feeling anything after the fifth piece of garbage hit you in the face.

“No, that's not my necklace. It's just garbage. Leave it.”

__________________________________

An hour and twenty-eight minutes is all it takes for news to spread that troublemaker FRNZEE member Y/N was assaulted by BTS fans at the taping of Music Bank. The incident even made the afternoon news. When your manager attempts to turn the hospital room's television off, you refuse, keeping your eyes locked onto the humiliating videos that are now being broadcast to the entire country.

“The doctors said to keep your stress levels down, Y/N. You've lost thirteen pounds in less than a month and you haven't even been dancing,” he pleas, sinking down onto the chair next to you. Stressed. Stressed, stressed, stressed. It's a word that's been thrown around multiple times since you've arrived but you know what it really means. You know what it's code for, what they don't want to outright tell you.

You're having a fucking breakdown.

“The company is releasing a statement today. Soon, probably within the hour,” he tells you hesitantly.

You roll your eyes. “Let me guess – I'm on an extended hiatus from all group activities to work on my mental health?”

“Pretty much word for word,” he confirms solemnly.

You scoff, feeling another rising pressure on your chest. You didn't do anything. You haven't been doing anything. You've been hiding out in your dorm like a hermit crab for over a month just as they wanted you to do and you're going to punished because a group of psychotic sasaengs attacked you?

“They're going to kick me out of the group, aren't they?” you ask, your voice small. Your manager is silent and the sound of nothing only makes your chest throb even harder. “I … I don't- I don't understand … what did I do to deserve this? I worked just as hard as anyone else. I did what they told me and laid low. Those girls are going to get a slap on the wrist and I'm going to lose my group? Is this what's going to happen?”

Your manager sighs heavily before breaking his silence. “I'm sure everything will work out for you, Y/N. Please don't worry too much about it.”

Blinking back the pooling moisture behind your eyes, you divert your attention to your phone. Although your manager's phone has been ringing and buzzing non-stop since you arrived, yours has not. The media doesn't know your personal phone number so you didn't expect any messages from them but … what about the group?

“Were the members' phones taken away in their dressing room?” you ask hesitantly. Please say yes, please say yes.

Your manager shakes his head. “No, not that I know of.

“Oh,” you exhale. Sensing the dark shift in your breath, Manager glances at the screen of your phone on your lap. When he sees the text display “No new notifications,” he immediately realizes his error.

“Do you know what? My texts have been kind of delayed. Maybe we just don't get good service here. Let me take your phone downstairs and see if the messages come through, okay?” he talks so fast that you can barely make out the words that he's throwing at you. He doesn't offer you any chance to argue before he's quickly shuffling out of the room, your phone in hand.

_________________________________________________

“That's a wrap for now, Namjoon. Great job! Take an hour to eat and rest and we'll have your new wardrobe ready when you're finished,” the director of photography suggests, lifting his camera from the tripod. It's been an extremely long morning of photo and video shoots for next few chapters of BTS World – the group's successful mobile game. Namjoon bows respectfully before turning to rush to the catering table. He has spent the last hour so hungry that he knows everybody in the room could probably hear his stomach grumbling. After fixing himself a plate of assorted foods – kebabs, kimchi, sliders and some french fries – he sighs in relief when he's able to drop himself onto the sofa.

“Namjoon,” his voice is called but not loudly. Mouth stuffed with fries, he glances up to where Yoongi stands in front of him, phone clutched tightly in both hands.

“What's up, hyung?” he garbles through his food. He fights to swallow it down when he notices Yoongi's furrowed brows, the corners of his lips tilted downward in a worried frown. Something has happened. “What's going on? Are the boys okay?”

“It's not the boys,” he mumbles and Namjoon swears he hears a crack in the elder's voice. Yoongi stares at the screen of his phone for a few hard seconds before hesitantly turning the screen, holding it at Namjoon's eye level. “You need to see this.”

Namjoon is confused at first – the video begins with FRNZEE – minus Y/N, of course – engaging in silly poses in the parking lot of the KBS building. Loud voices and cheers for specific members infiltrate the audio but that's normal – there are always fans present when idols arrive to music show recordings. He's one second away from questioning his hyung on why this particular video has him so upset when it happens. There's indecipherable screaming before the shaky camera pans away from FRNZEE to the side of the building where a group of people are whipping garbage at somebody. The person in question is huddled against the wall with her hands around her head, her howls and pleas for them to stop cutting through the shouting. When the cameraman gets closer and closer, Namjoon's stomach drops to his knees when he realizes who the cowering, defenseless victim being attacked with garbage is.

The plate of food falls to the carpet.

“Namjoon -” Yoongi begins but he snatches the phone of out his hands, holding it close to his face as if the nearness of the video will make the contents stop. The video just keeps going. Nobody stops the attackers, nobody pulls you away from the scene. He's so close to Yoongi's phone that his nose brushes against the screen, his eyes wide as he watches somebody yank you by the hair. The screech of pain that follows pierces Namjoon who emits a tearless sob of anguish.

The finale of his heartbreak comes when one of the girls is violently pulled off of you by a security guard. In the scuffle, the necklace – his necklace, the one he spent months designing just for you – is ripped from your neck.

“Pick it up, pick it up,” he chants desperately, eyes trained on the small, neglected piece of jewelery on the ground by your feet. And then the video ends. The last frame it freezes on is you – hysterical, bruised, bloody and dirty – leaning against your manager for support.

When he lifts his head in shock, he's surprised to see the other five members next to Yoongi, eyes downcast and phones in their hands. They've seen it too.

“I did this,” he wheezes in disbelief. There's a painful swell in his chest and his heart is beating so hard that he can almost hear it. “I did this to her. This is all my fault.”

“Hyung, no,” Jimin admonishes, rushing to join Namjoon on the sofa. He wraps a comforting arm around his shoulder, squeezing. “You didn't do this. Those terrible girls did this.”

“They're ARMY though,” Jungkook's voice is almost a whisper. “Those are our fans that did this. To Y/N.

“No, I did this,” Namjoon snaps, shoving at Jimin's grasp and rising to his feet. “I denied our relationship to the public. I got her pulled from the comeback. I broke up with her. This is all on me.”

He's suddenly overcome with an overwhelming need to see you. To touch you. To know that you're okay with his own eyes. To get down on his hands and knees and beg for forgiveness. Maybe if he wouldn't have broken up with you, maybe if he would have just answered one of your many calls or texts, maybe … maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe.

Before he realizes what he's doing, his jacket is already on his shoulders.

“Namjoon, where are you going?” Jin sighs.

“Where do you think I'm going? That's my fucking girlfriend that they attacked. I need to see her.”

“She's not your girlfriend anymore,” Yoongi corrects softly. Namjoon feels a hand pull at the sleeve of his jacket, guiding him back toward the sofa. “And unless you're planning on getting back together with her, it's a very bad idea for you to visit her.”

Lowering himself back down onto the cushions, he drops his head into his hands. Does he want to get back together with you? Without a fucking doubt. You were his Sweets – the love of his life. But he didn't deserve you. No, you deserved someone who wasn't a coward, someone who would give you the world without any hesitation.

Namjoon was only somebody who broke your heart and your spirit. And now his fans – his fans, they supported him, they fought an unwanted fight for him – were breaking you in his name.

How could he ever expect you to want him back? How could he ever let you take him back?

“I heard that she's in the hospital, anyway. You know that place is swarming with cameras. You'll only make it worst,” Hoseok adds.

Namjoon's head pops up, his bottom lip quivering. “Hospital? Was she seriously injured?”

“I don't think so, hyung,” Taehyung murmurs, lowering himself to wrap his arms around his neck from behind. “I heard she's only getting a few bumps and bruises checked out. It's mainly to record evidence so they can sue the fans.”

“The fans ...” Namjoon trails off. He's suddenly assaulted with visions of cackling girls whipping things at you, menacing snarls on their faces as they yanked you by your hair. These fans … he doesn't know them but he hates them. He feels dirty, knowing that people like them are devoted to him, to the group. “Can somebody get me a pen and some paper? I need to put an end to this.”

________________________________________

“Manager said the girls are getting sued to the fullest degree. They might end up in a juvenile detention center for a few months,” Ji-na prattles, watching you with nervous eyes as you purge the contents of your closet, holding garments to your chest to examine in the mirror before tossing into one of two piles – keep or donate.

“The international fans have been really, really supportive. Even the BTS fans overseas have been rallying for you,” she continues, her eyes firm on your back as you study a stain on the sleeve of a dress. When it's clear that you're not going to respond, she sighs, dropping her chin onto her hands. “Has management spoken to you about this? How long are they going to have you on hiatus?”

Ji-na gets an answer this time – not with words, but with an empty suitcase being dropped onto your bed.

She sits up immediately, alarmed at the sight of luggage. “Y/N? Why do you have that? Why are you packing? I thought you were just organizing your closet.”

You fold a blouse, laying it down neatly. And then another. And another.

“Y/N, will you just fucking talk to me?” Ji-na screeches from her side of the room, launching herself off of the bed. She reaches out to slam the suitcase shut just as you're about to stack more clothes inside. “Why are you packing? Where are you going?”

You sigh – the first sound that Ji-na has heard you make since you got back from the hospital.

“I'm going home,” you say matter-of-factly. Ignoring her hand on the suitcase, you pull a duffle bag out from underneath your bed and begin to pack it instead.

“What do you mean? You are home,” Ji-na says confusedly.

“No, I'm going home, Ji-na. I'm going back to Daejeon,”

“Like … for good? Were you kicked out of the group?” she asks, shifting her body closer to you in an effort to distract you from shoving more garments into your luggage. “Please tell me what's going on.”

“Not that you care but I'm on an extended hiatus for my mental health. The company doesn't think it's a good idea for me to stay here right now so I've been sent home until they can figure out what to do with me. I don't know how long I'll be gone. I don't even know if I'll be allowed to come back. The good news is that I'll be gone so nobody has to worry about delusional little Y/N to bring them down anymore – I'll be out of your hair by tonight.”

“Not that I care? I – I can't even … why are you acting as if I'm happy about this?” Ji-na snarls, her hand smacking down onto the suitcase in frustration. “One of our members is leaving. One of my best friends is leaving – how can you accuse me of being glad?”

“Aren't you?” you drawl, arms crossing over your chest. “I'm a disgrace, remember? A laughing stock to the k-pop industry? Aren't you happy that you I won't be sullying FRNZEE's reputation anymore?”

“That's your insecurities talking, Y/N. Do not put words in our mouths. We would never leave a member behind-”

“You already did!” your voice is loud and shrill and it startles Ji-na who stumbles a few steps backward. “Today … when I was being attacked, all I wanted was for somebody to whisk me away. All I wanted was somebody to take my hand and pull me inside that building. But you – all of you – you just left me there. Even after Manager told you to take me!”

Ji-na opens her mouth to defend herself but she can't find the right words.

“We … Y/N, we didn't purposely leave you there. It was … it was fucking chaos. There was screaming and there was a crowd and we weren't able to even see you properly over all of the people recording. We just – we, I mean, I don't think-”

“Can you just leave me to pack? I'll come say goodbye to everyone when I'm finished.”

“Y/N,” she murmurs through wet, blurry eyes.

“Please,” you squeak, your plea breaking as you try to hold on to your composure. You just want to wait until she's out of the room before you allow yourself to fall apart.

Eyes trained on nothing, you wait until Ji-na's sniffling and soft footsteps are completely out of earshot before you slump to the floor. Glancing around the room, you study everything – the color of the walls, the placement of the furniture, the softness of the carpet. You want to believe that you'll be back here again soon but in your heart, you know that this is the end.

It feels like just yesterday you were blowing out the candles on your birthday cake, wishing for an everlasting happiness that included your boyfriend, your group and your music. And now, just months later, you've lost all three.

Where do you go from here?

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richellecampa · 7 years ago

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Why You Should Never Let Google Set Up Your AdWords Account

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a wise investment for any law firm looking to make a strong impression with prospective clients in search. And, according to Google, there’s a lot of money to be made from those paid advertising efforts if you use Google AdWords.

Google estimates that advertisers stand to earn $8 for every $1 spent in AdWords. That, of course, is assuming you have done everything you can to properly optimize your firm’s paid search ad campaign.

And therein lies the problem.

While Google does offer tools like AdWords Express and startup guides like this setup checklist to get business owners started, there is a tradeoff with those cheaper, quicker, and more hands-off options. But what exactly do you sacrifice when you allow Google to set up your AdWords account for you? And would it eventually pay off in the end?

Let’s dig into why you should never let Google set up your AdWords account and what you can do instead that won’t leave you intimidated, disgruntled, or broke from the whole pay-per-click system.

Why You Should Never Let Google Set Up Your AdWords Account

Look, it’s not as though Google is working against you and your law firm. In fact, they’re rooting for you to stay in business and to do well. Because the more success you see from your paid search advertising efforts, the more you’re going to use them—and that’s what keeps Google the #1 search engine.

But think of the default AdWords account settings (or the AdWords Express service) the same way you would a casino. You dump all your money into the slots or lay it out on the poker table, only to allow the machine or luck of the draw to determine what your winnings are, if any. Why gamble with your law firm’s hard-earned money if there’s a tried-and-true way to do PPC marketing?

What it ultimately boils down to is this: if you have the right AdWords account structure in place, you can win in search. But you need to take control of the game; you can’t allow the house to determine whether you win or lose.

So, let’s talk about what actually makes for a good AdWords account structure and what can happen if you don’t set it up the right way.

The Importance of an Optimized AdWords Account Structure

In an article written by Wayfair’s Brian Wood, he talks about how more search clicks are shifting from organic search results to paid. While his team’s findings pertain specifically to ecommerce companies trying to rank in search, the same likely holds true for local businesses—like your law firm—battling for the top spots in search.

With so many paid ads occupying prime real estate at the top of search—especially on mobile devices which require users to scroll numerous times in order to even find organic listings—it’s important now more than ever to get a solid PPC program in place.

PPC advertising is a fantastic way to drive traffic to your site as it ensures your law firm appears within the coveted top slots in search… but it will cost you. And this is why having an optimized AdWords account structure is essential.

If you want to do AdWords the right way, then you need to have control over:

Your keyword set (including negative keywords).

The kind of match you want keywords to make (Google sets the default to “Broad”, which generally doesn’t lead to the best results).

The grouping of keywords and allocation of them to your ads.

What kinds of ad extensions are appended to your listing (like customer ratings, physical address, relevant links to your site, and so on).

With whom your ads are shared.

When exactly those ads are shared with them.

The positioning of your ads in search.

Rules that keep your ad budget from becoming unwieldy.

Without a well-thought-out structure in place, you risk allowing your ad budget to leak away on bad search matches. In other words, the more poorly your ads match with users, the more expensive it becomes to run your ads… and then what’s the point?

Obviously, I don’t mean to disparage what Google has done here. They’ve given us a fantastic tool in AdWords. It’s just that the quick-and-dirty way of using it is totally ineffective and costly for companies like yours that want to make the most of their paid search investment.

How to Make the Most of PPC Advertising

Alright, so here’s the part where I talk about what you can do to make PPC advertising work for you. In other words, hire a PPC advertising agency with extensive experience handling paid search marketing campaigns for attorneys and law firms.

Here are the 7 things you need to look for:

Google Partner

The very first thing to look for when shopping around for a search marketing agency is their Google Partner status. These individuals and agencies are trained by Google to become proficient experts in all matters related to advertising.

Without entry into the Google Partner program, a marketing agency cannot become a certified expert in Google AdWords, so this is the very first thing that needs to be in place. And, if you’re curious about whether or not Trial Law Digital is a Google Partner, we are indeed. Specifically, we have attained Google Premier Partner status.

Google AdWords Certification

Next, you’ll want to look for Google AdWords Certification. As Google Partners complete training in the various basic and advanced search modules available, they become accredited to offer those search marketing services to clients. With this certification in place, Google then acknowledges these partners as trusted experts.

Trial Law Digital is currently certified in the following areas:

AdWords

Display

Mobile

Video

Experience

Once you have identified an agency as a certified Google partner and expert, it’s time to look over their qualifications.

Every industry and business niche has a different way in which they win in search, which is why PPC advertising can be so difficult to do well. With the guidance of a marketing agency that has experience managing PPC advertising for lawyers, you’ll be in good hands.

Trial Law Digital has experience managing AdWords campaigns for lawyers all over the country, with some budgets as small as $1,000 per month and others as large as $75,000 per month.

We successfully manage multiple AdWords & Bing campaigns and have extensive experience managing campaigns for the following areas of practice:

Adoption

Asset protection

Bankruptcy

Criminal (all types)

Disability

Divorce

DUI/DWI

Family/Child Custody

Immigration

Nursing Home Abuse

Personal Injury

Trademark

White Collar Crime

Cost

Obviously, if you’re already planning to spend a lot of money to get greater exposure in search, taking the cheap, automated route of letting Google set up your AdWords account might seem like the wise choice. However, as we’ve already discussed, Google doesn’t always have advertisers’ best interests in mind when devising these settings. Sure, you might make some money, but they won’t be the optimal settings to get you the biggest payoff for your efforts.

If you work with Trial Law Digital, we offer flat fees starting at $1,000 for setup, and a flat 25% rate based on the total spend amount, so we keep costs predictable and manageable on your end.

Ease of Use

Similar to the Google quick-setup option, working with an expert marketing agency makes the process of setting up and running PPC ad campaigns for your law firm a cinch.

We understand your industry. We know what your audience is looking for. So, let us take care of making the most out of your PPC advertising campaigns.

Analytics

When you put your PPC advertising in the hands of a trusted third-party like Trial Law Digital, we take care of the analytical side of Google AdWords, too. This means integrating with your Google Analytics in order to track leads and conversions, as well as integrating call tracking with your website.

Reporting

And, of course, you want proof that the money you’re investing in paid search will net you that 8-for-1 return on investment, as Google estimated.

When you work with Trial Law Digital, we take care of providing you with detailed reports that outline your campaign performance. In addition, we provide recommendations on how to improve your account setup in the coming months to maximize your campaign’s performance.

What You Get When You Choose Trial Law Digital

Remember: Google is like a casino. Yes, they want you to win, but only enough so that you keep coming back for more. While it might seem like the economical choice to use their automated setup and services, you’re not going to see the best (or even very good) results if you go that route.

If you want to get in front of new clients—and the right kinds of new clients who not only click on your ads, but also convert—then you need to work with a trusted partner who knows the Google paid search system inside and out. And that partner is Trial Law Digital.

For those of you looking to get started with Trial Law Digital’s PPC Advertising services, give us a call today at (205) 451-3376. If you’re still on the fence and wondering what it is we can do for you, have a look at what you get with our PPC Advertising Services below.

Trial Law Digital: PPC Advertising

Setting Up Your AdWords Account

By the time you’ve appointed us for PPC management, then we’ve already had an initial look at your website, your ad space competitors, and your search space, and will have developed a rough idea about your account structure in connection with giving you a PPC Quote.

Appropriate PPC Campaign Structure

The first step in the management engagement is to plan your initial PPC account structure in terms of campaigns. To do so, we have to know your overall ad budget, and forecast some costs per click for your account. So, if we haven’t already done so during the PPC Quote process, then we may ask you some questions, and possibly even ask you to complete a questionnaire initially.

We also use our extensive library of law firm search marketing data to build out your campaigns quickly and efficiently.

Preliminary Keyword List

Once we’ve identified your PPC account structure, then we begin building a preliminary keyword list. Since we already have clients in quite a few industries, we may already have a pretty good idea about what keywords may work for you. Regardless, we customize a keyword list for you by analyzing your website, your competitors, and through our own research techniques.

Optimal Ad Groups

As we develop your keywords, we also begin categorizing the keywords into ad groups. Determining the appropriate ad groups for your account is critical to creating a successful campaign. We apply our research, judgement, and experience in determining which ad groups will work best for you. The final decisions for ad groups is always made by one of our most senior qualified PPC Professionals.

Initial Keyword List

Once we have established the appropriate ad groups for your account, then we begin buffing out the keywords within those ad groups. This generally involves increasing the number of keywords by a factor of 5x the preliminary lists. During this process we also develop a negative keyword list.

Initial Ads

Once the keyword research is done, and we fully understand the relative keyword values within each ad group as well as your competitors’ ad text, then we plan your positioning within your own ad space and begin writing your ads. Your own website will give us ideas for your ads.

Aside from that, we have our own survey tools which help us catalog ads which have been used across the U.S. by similar companies. We write a minimum of four ads per ad group. This enables us to perform ad split testing as a means of improving your ad content over time. We often maintain themes for ads across ad groups; however, every ad within a single campaign is unique.

Replication and Campaign Settings

Once the work at the ad group level is completed then we may replicate ad groups across campaigns, if necessary, adjust your campaign-level settings and test all of your ads as the final step in setting up your new PPC account.

Account Approval

Depending on what we have agreed in advance for the PPC management engagement, once we have completed the setup, we may offer you a chance to review the account before turning on the campaigns. Activating your ads, requires entering your credit card information within your Google / Bing account. So, if we haven’t already done so, then this would be completed before your ads can run.

With the increase in average CPCs over the last few years, you have to really be careful with your money. All the more reason to hire a team with experience!

The post Why You Should Never Let Google Set Up Your AdWords Account appeared first on Trial Law Digital.

Why You Should Never Let Google Set Up Your AdWords Account published first on http://triallaw.digital

#local seo for law firms #law firm website design #ppc management for law firms

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trialdigitallaw · 7 years ago

Text

Why You Should Never Let Google Set Up Your AdWords Account

And therein lies the problem.

Let’s dig into why you should never let Google set up your AdWords account and what you can do instead that won’t leave you intimidated, disgruntled, or broke from the whole pay-per-click system.

Why You Should Never Let Google Set Up Your AdWords Account

So, let’s talk about what actually makes for a good AdWords account structure and what can happen if you don’t set it up the right way.

The Importance of an Optimized AdWords Account Structure

If you want to do AdWords the right way, then you need to have control over:

Your keyword set (including negative keywords).

The kind of match you want keywords to make (Google sets the default to “Broad”, which generally doesn’t lead to the best results).

The grouping of keywords and allocation of them to your ads.

What kinds of ad extensions are appended to your listing (like customer ratings, physical address, relevant links to your site, and so on).

With whom your ads are shared.

When exactly those ads are shared with them.

The positioning of your ads in search.

Rules that keep your ad budget from becoming unwieldy.

How to Make the Most of PPC Advertising

Here are the 7 things you need to look for:

Google Partner

Google AdWords Certification

Trial Law Digital is currently certified in the following areas:

AdWords

Display

Mobile

Video

Experience

Once you have identified an agency as a certified Google partner and expert, it’s time to look over their qualifications.

Trial Law Digital has experience managing AdWords campaigns for lawyers all over the country, with some budgets as small as $1,000 per month and others as large as $75,000 per month.

We successfully manage multiple AdWords & Bing campaigns and have extensive experience managing campaigns for the following areas of practice:

Adoption

Asset protection

Bankruptcy

Criminal (all types)

Disability

Divorce

DUI/DWI

Family/Child Custody

Immigration

Nursing Home Abuse

Personal Injury

Trademark

White Collar Crime

Cost

If you work with Trial Law Digital, we offer flat fees starting at $1,000 for setup, and a flat 25% rate based on the total spend amount, so we keep costs predictable and manageable on your end.

Ease of Use

Similar to the Google quick-setup option, working with an expert marketing agency makes the process of setting up and running PPC ad campaigns for your law firm a cinch.

We understand your industry. We know what your audience is looking for. So, let us take care of making the most out of your PPC advertising campaigns.

Analytics

Reporting

And, of course, you want proof that the money you’re investing in paid search will net you that 8-for-1 return on investment, as Google estimated.

What You Get When You Choose Trial Law Digital

Trial Law Digital: PPC Advertising

Setting Up Your AdWords Account

Appropriate PPC Campaign Structure

We also use our extensive library of law firm search marketing data to build out your campaigns quickly and efficiently.

Preliminary Keyword List

Optimal Ad Groups

Initial Keyword List

Initial Ads

Replication and Campaign Settings

Account Approval

With the increase in average CPCs over the last few years, you have to really be careful with your money. All the more reason to hire a team with experience!

The post Why You Should Never Let Google Set Up Your AdWords Account appeared first on Trial Law Digital.

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