This guide gives you 11 specific questions to ask any Google Ads agency before signing. Covers experience and track record, reporting and communication, pricing structure, and contract terms you should push back on.
Questions About Experience
1. "How many accounts at my spend level are you currently managing?"
This matters more than total accounts managed. An agency that handles fifty $2K/month accounts is a very different operation than one managing ten $50K/month accounts. You want an agency that is familiar with the dynamics, challenges, and opportunities at your spend level.
A $5K/month account and a $100K/month account are not just different in budget. They require different bid strategies, different campaign structures, and different testing methodologies. Make sure your agency has relevant experience at your scale.
2. "Can you show me results from a client in a similar industry?"
Not a polished case study on their website. An actual walkthrough of what they did, what challenges they faced, and what results they drove. A good agency will be able to anonymize client data while still showing you the specifics: starting CPA, ending CPA, testing methodology, campaign structure decisions.
If they can only speak in generalities ("we improved ROAS by 40%") without explaining how, that is a yellow flag. The "how" is what you are paying for.
Questions About Process
3. "Walk me through your first 30 days with a new client."
The answer reveals how structured (or unstructured) they are. A good answer includes: account audit, tracking verification, competitor analysis, campaign restructuring plan, and a clear timeline for when you will see the first changes go live.
A bad answer: "We will review the account and start making improvements right away." That tells you nothing about their actual process.
4. "How many tests do you run per month on a typical account?"
Testing is where real improvement comes from. An agency that is not testing is not improving. Expect at least 2-4 active tests at any given time: ad copy tests, landing page tests, audience segment tests, bid strategy experiments.
Questions About Reporting
5. "What does your reporting look like? Can I see a sample?"
Ask for a real report, not a template. You want to see what metrics they prioritize, how they explain changes, and whether the report includes actionable insights or just numbers. The best reports explain the "why" behind the numbers and include a clear plan for the next period.
6. "How often will we talk, and who is on the call?"
Weekly or biweekly check-ins are standard. The person on the call should be the person actually managing your account, not a project manager relaying information secondhand. If the strategist is never on your calls, you are getting filtered information.
Questions About Team Structure
7. "Who will be working on my account day to day?"
You want a name, a title, and their experience level. Some agencies pitch with senior talent and then hand the account to a junior analyst. That is not necessarily bad (junior people with good training can do great work) but you should know upfront.
8. "How many accounts does my strategist manage?"
This is the question most agencies do not want to answer. If your strategist manages 30+ accounts, they have roughly 5-6 hours per month for yours. That is barely enough for reporting and basic bid management, let alone testing and strategic work. The sweet spot is 8-15 accounts per strategist.
Questions About Pricing
9. "How is your fee structured, and does it change as my spend increases?"
Understand whether you are paying a flat fee, percentage of spend, or hybrid. A percentage-of-spend model means the agency makes more money when you spend more, which can create a misaligned incentive. Flat fees are more predictable but may not scale with your needs. Read more about the different models in our PPC agency pricing guide.
Questions About Account Ownership
10. "Will I own my ad accounts, tracking data, and audience lists?"
The only acceptable answer is yes. If an agency insists on owning your accounts or running ads under their MCC without giving you admin access, walk away. Your data, your audiences, your conversion history: these are your assets. If you ever leave the agency, you should take everything with you.
Questions About Contract Terms
11. "What are the contract length and termination terms?"
Month-to-month is ideal. Three-month minimums are reasonable (agencies need time to show results). Six-month or twelve-month contracts should include performance clauses that allow you to exit if agreed-upon KPIs are not met. Never sign a long-term contract without a performance exit clause.
Red Flags in Agency Responses
Watch for these signals during the evaluation process:
- They guarantee specific results. No honest agency can guarantee a specific CPA or ROAS because there are too many variables outside their control.
- They refuse to share references. Any agency worth hiring has clients willing to vouch for them.
- The sales process is all about them. A good agency asks about your business, your margins, and your goals before talking about themselves.
- They use too much jargon without explaining it. Jargon can be a shield. If they cannot explain their approach in plain language, be cautious.
- They push for a long contract before auditing your account. An agency that wants to commit before seeing what they are working with is selling on process, not results.
If you want to see where your account stands before talking to agencies, running a free Google Ads audit gives you a baseline to compare proposals against.
Frequently Asked Questions
Three to five is the sweet spot. Fewer than three and you lack comparison data. More than five and the evaluation process drags on so long you lose momentum. Request proposals from your top three, do a deep call with each, and decide within two weeks.
Industry experience helps but is not always necessary. An agency that knows Google Ads deeply can learn your industry. An agency that knows your industry but struggles with advanced Google Ads features is a bigger risk. Prioritize platform expertise, then look for relevant vertical experience as a bonus.
90 days is standard. The first 30 days go to auditing, restructuring, and setup. Months two and three are where you should start seeing directional improvement. Avoid agencies that lock you into 12-month contracts without a performance clause.
If they are genuinely strong at both, yes. Having one team manage Google and Meta reduces coordination overhead and enables cross-platform budget allocation. But if the agency is a Google specialist who added Meta as an upsell, you might get better results with a dedicated Meta partner.
See Where Your Ads Stand
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