How to compare PPC management agencies

Give every agency the same brief

List the services you want to sell, the locations you can serve and the jobs you do not want. Describe capacity and how quickly the business can respond. Include the current website and whether campaigns already exist.

Keep the media budget separate from the management budget. An agency cannot make a useful plan if it must guess how much of the total can be spent on clicks.

Ask for a diagnosis, not a forecast dressed as a fact

A useful review explains observed account and landing-page problems. Ask which data supports each point and what the agency cannot yet see. Historic performance may use conversion definitions that need repair.

Projections can help compare scenarios, but they depend on assumptions. Ask what would make the plan fail and what observation would change the next decision.

Inspect the working relationship

Find out who edits the account, who changes landing pages and who verifies tracking. Ask how budget changes are approved and how the business supplies lead-quality feedback.

A single studio can simplify those handoffs for a smaller business. A larger or specialized program may need different staffing. Choose around the actual responsibilities rather than agency size alone.

Check access and exit terms

Retain access to the ad account, analytics and domain. Agree how you receive campaign history and creative assets if you stop working together. Know which tools or landing pages depend on a separate subscription.

Reporting should help you make a decision. Ask to see how the agency explains a week with spend and clicks but few suitable inquiries, rather than only its strongest example.

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