How to choose a Google Ads agency: 7 questions that tell you if it's worth the money

A bad Google Ads agency costs you twice: once for the budget wasted on poorly built campaigns, and again for the clients you'd have had if you worked with someone serious. The good news: you can rule out 90% of weak agencies with 7 questions, before you sign anything.

1. „Does the account stay mine?”

The right answer is yes, always. Some agencies build the campaigns in their own MCC account and don't give you real access — so you can't leave. If you hear „leave it to us, we handle everything”, explicitly ask for admin access on YOUR account. The data, history and algorithm learning must stay with you.

2. „How is the fee calculated — fixed or percentage of budget?”

The „percentage of spend” model has a fundamental problem: the agency's incentive is to spend more, not more profitably. A fixed fee, or one tied to the work rather than the spend, aligns interests. Ask directly and listen for whether the answer is clear or evasive.

3. „What do you report — and what do you judge me on?”

If the report is full of impressions, clicks and CTR, but lacks cost per lead, cost per client and attributed revenue, the agency is distracting you from the only numbers that matter. Ask for a sample report before you sign.

Simple rule: a good agency talks in money and clients, a weak one talks in impressions and „awareness”.

4. „Who actually manages my account?”

Many agencies sell with a senior and deliver with a junior you never see. Ask who touches the account daily, who you talk to when there's a problem, and how often. At small firms, the best answer is often: „the same person who's replying to you now”.

5. „How do you check that tracking is correct?”

This is where the most expensive mistake hides. If tracking counts conversions wrong, Google's algorithm optimizes toward clients who don't exist — and you pay for it for months. A serious agency checks tracking before any optimization: server-side conversions, real order values, consent mode.

6. „What happens in the first 30 days?”

The good answer is structured: audit, tracking fix, restructuring, first tests. The bad answer is „we launch the campaigns and see”. The lack of a clear plan for the first month is the sign that there's no process, only improvisation.

7. „Can you show me results for businesses like mine?”

Don't ask for generic „success stories”, but results from an industry or business model close to yours. An agency with real experience gives you concrete numbers and context, not just client logos on a slide.

The red flags that should make you run

• Guarantees of rankings or „first page in X days” — in Ads you pay for position, so the „guarantee” is just budget; in SEO it's simply a lie.
• A 12-month contract with no trial period — an agency confident in itself accepts a month or two of testing.
• Refusal to give you account access.
• Reports that never mention profit.