What an advertising agency service should deliver

Agency fees pay for work you usually cannot see. This list shows what that work should include, so you can check it.

At the start

• A written plan with your goal, budget, channels and timeline.
• Tracking for calls, forms and sales, with a test showing it records correctly.
• Ad accounts created in your name, or access granted to you as an administrator.
• Ads and landing pages reviewed with you before they go live.

Every month

• Review of search terms and negative keywords where search ads are used.
• Changes to budgets, targeting and bids, with the reasons recorded.
• At least one test of an ad, offer or page.
• A check that tracking still works.

In the report

Look for spend, leads, cost per lead, customers if known, cost per customer and what changed. Reports full of impressions and clicks with no leads are a warning sign.

Who you should be able to reach

You should know who works on your account and how to contact them. Ask how quickly questions are answered.

What is often extra

New websites, creative production, social posting, video and call handling are often outside a management fee. Ask for a scope list that says what is in and what is out.

A simple test

Ask: if we parted ways tomorrow, would I keep my accounts, my data and my ads? If the answer is no, the agency owns your marketing, not you.