Guide

What should you check when choosing an ad agency?

The questions to ask in the first meeting, and the promises that should make you cautious.

Published 29 October 2026 · Updated 29 October 2026

In short

Accounts (Google Ads, Business Profile, domain) should be opened in your name.
The agency should tell you in writing what it will report and how often.
How the contract ends should be clear from the start.
A firm promise of a ranking or result is a warning sign.

In whose name will the accounts be opened? The Google Ads account, Business Profile, Search Console, domain and hosting should be in your name; the agency is given access. When you leave, you remove the access and the history stays with you.
What will you do, and in what order? Ask for a task list for the first month and the months after.
What will you report, and how often? The report should show the work done, the budget spent and the measured results (searches, clicks, calls, forms) separately.
Is the management fee separate from the ad budget? The ad budget goes to Google; the agency fee should be written separately.
How does the contract end? Notice period, penalty terms and handover conditions should be in writing.
Have you done this work in my industry? Ask for a real piece of work shared with the client's permission.

A firm ranking promise such as "we guarantee first place on Google". Google states plainly that no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.
Claims of a "special relationship with Google" or "priority submission".
An agency that does not explain what it does, or talks about "secret methods".
Opening the account in the agency's own name and not handing it over.
Suggestions to buy reviews, create fake profiles or open pages in someone else's name.

If your customers come from nearby: start with the Google Business Profile and reviews. The top 3 results on Maps are often at the very top of the page.
If you want searches and work right away: Google Ads; the budget is yours, and when you stop, the ads stop.
If you want organic visibility in the long run: SEO; results take months and depend on your site's content.

To know what should come first, ask for your current situation to be measured; an offer made without measuring is a guess.

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