This post covers the 8 most common signs of agency coasting: minimal change history, copy-paste reports, no new ideas, reactive instead of proactive, declining results without urgency, auto-applied recommendations, short calls with no substance, and no competitive awareness.
1. Minimal Change History
Google Ads has a built-in change history that shows every modification made to your account. Go to Tools > Change History and filter by the last 90 days. If all you see is bid adjustments and budget changes, your agency is on autopilot.
Active management looks like new ad copy uploads, new keyword additions, negative keyword updates, audience adjustments, campaign structure changes, and asset group modifications. If none of those appear in the last 90 days, nobody is actively working on your account.
Some agencies will argue that "the account is optimized and does not need many changes." This is sometimes true for mature accounts. But even stable accounts need regular search term hygiene, creative refreshes, and competitive monitoring. No change at all is never the right answer.
2. Copy-Paste Reports
Pull up the last three monthly reports side by side. Do they look like the same template with different numbers filled in? Are the "insights" section and "recommendations" section nearly identical month to month? That is a report generated by a tool, reviewed for about 5 minutes, and sent.
A real report includes context specific to that month: what happened, why, what was tested, what was learned, and what changes next month. If your reports could have been written by someone who has never looked at your account, they probably were (or close to it).
3. No New Ideas or Tests
When was the last time your agency came to you with a new idea? Not a response to your question, but a proactive recommendation they identified on their own. If you cannot remember, that is a sign.
Good agencies are constantly testing: new ad formats, new audience segments, new bidding strategies, new creative approaches. They bring you ideas because they are genuinely thinking about your account. Coasting agencies wait for you to ask and then respond with "we can look into that."
Ask directly: "What are you testing right now on my account?" If the answer is nothing, or if they cannot name specific tests with clear hypotheses, they are not doing active management work.
4. Reactive Instead of Proactive
You notice a spike in CPA. You email your agency. They get back to you 48 hours later with "we are looking into it." You follow up again. They say CPCs went up and they adjusted bids.
This is reactive management, and it is the hallmark of coasting. A proactive agency would have noticed the CPA spike before you did, investigated it, and either already made changes or emailed you with an explanation and plan.
If you are consistently the one noticing problems in your account before your agency does, something is wrong. You are paying them to watch the numbers. If you are watching them instead, what exactly is the fee for?
5. Declining Results Without Urgency
Performance dips happen. Seasonality, competition, market changes. The issue is not the dip itself. It is the response. A coasting agency treats a decline as normal and waits for it to resolve on its own. An active agency treats it as a problem to diagnose and fix.
Watch how your agency responds to a bad month. Do they come to you with analysis and a plan? Or do they mention it casually in the monthly report and move on? The urgency (or lack thereof) tells you everything about how invested they are in your success. If your agency shows multiple signs from this list, it might be time to consider the red flags that indicate a bigger problem.
6. Auto-Applied Google Recommendations
Google Ads has an "auto-apply" feature that automatically implements Google's recommendations. Some of these recommendations are helpful. Many are designed to increase your spend (because Google makes money when you spend more).
Check your account: go to Recommendations > Auto-apply. If your agency has turned on auto-apply for recommendations like "raise your budget," "add broad match keywords," or "use Smart Bidding," they are letting Google manage your account instead of doing it themselves.
A good agency reviews each recommendation manually and only applies the ones that align with your goals. An agency that auto-applies everything is not managing. They are delegating to an algorithm that does not have your best interests in mind.
7. Short Calls With No Substance
Your weekly or biweekly call lasts 15 minutes. The agency reads through the numbers from their report (which you already have), asks if you have any questions, and wraps up. No strategic discussion. No test results. No competitive insights.
Good calls have an agenda. They cover what changed since last time, what tests are running, what the agency learned, and what decisions need to be made. If your calls feel like a check-the-box exercise, the agency is not putting thought into the time.
8. No Competitive Awareness
Ask your agency: "Who are our top competitors in the auction right now, and what are they doing differently?" If they cannot answer, they are not looking at auction insights, not monitoring competitive ad copy, and not tracking impression share against specific competitors.
Competitive awareness is basic account management. Google Ads provides auction insights data. Third-party tools show competitor ad copy and landing pages. An agency that never discusses the competitive landscape is managing your account in a vacuum.
Use a free Google Ads audit to see your account from an outside perspective. Sometimes a second opinion is all you need to confirm what you are already feeling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some accounts need fewer structural changes than others. But even mature accounts need regular search term management, creative refreshes, and competitive monitoring. If the change history shows almost nothing for 90 days, the account is being neglected regardless of its maturity level.
Go to Tools and Settings then Change History in Google Ads. Filter by the last 90 days. You can see every change made, who made it, and when. This is the most objective way to see how actively your account is being managed.
Yes, but approach it as a conversation, not an accusation. Present the specific signs you have noticed (minimal change history, templated reports, no tests running) and ask for their perspective. A good agency will acknowledge the issue and present a plan. If they get defensive or make excuses, that tells you something too.
Run an independent audit. If the audit finds wasted spend, missed opportunities, structural issues, or untested strategies, your account needs more active management than it is getting. Even accounts performing well usually have room for improvement.
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