---
title: "How to Choose a Google Ads Agency: Key Questions"
description: "The exact questions to ask a Google Ads agency before you sign: management, reporting, contract terms, fees, account ownership, and audits."
url: "https://steviemorris.com/ppc-paid-ads/how-to-choose-a-google-ads-agency/"
canonical: "https://steviemorris.com/ppc-paid-ads/how-to-choose-a-google-ads-agency/"
type: article
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category: ppc-paid-ads
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primary_keyword: how to choose a google ads agency
keywords:
  - choose a google ads agency
  - questions to ask ppc agency
  - google ads agency contract
  - hiring a ppc consultant
blueprint: 0
audience: UK business owners
date_published: 2026-07-14
date_modified: 2026-07-14
author: Stevie Morris
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  - Article
  - FAQPage
  - BreadcrumbList
record_id: article__how-to-choose-a-google-ads-agency
word_count: 1829
---

# How to Choose a Google Ads Agency: The Questions to Ask Before You Sign

Ask who actually manages your account day-to-day, how often they report, what the contract length and notice period are, how they charge, whether you'll own your own Google Ads account, and whether they'll show you a real (anonymised) audit. Vague answers to any of these are the red flag.

## Why this decision is harder than it should be

Most Google Ads agency websites look identical: a stock photo of a dashboard, a claim about ROI, a form asking for your email before you can see anything real. There's very little to actually compare a prospective agency against until you're already on a call with them — and by then you're talking to whoever is best at sales, not necessarily whoever is best at managing an account.

That matters because the two skills aren't the same, and the person who runs the pitch call is often not the person who'll be inside your account making bidding, budget and keyword decisions six months from now. The sales process is designed to build confidence quickly; the account management process is what actually determines whether your budget is spent well. Confusing one for the other is how businesses end up in a contract that looked great on the call and delivers very little afterwards.

The fix is to go into that call with a fixed list of questions and actually listen to how specifically they're answered. A good agency or consultant will answer every one of these directly, with no hedging. A weaker one will talk around the question, redirect to a case study, or give you an answer that sounds confident but tells you nothing concrete. This article is that list — the same questions I'd want a prospective client to ask me.

## Who actually manages your account day-to-day

- **Ask by name** — who, specifically, will be logging into your account and making changes week to week? Not 'our team' — a name.
- **Ask about their experience level** — is this person junior and newly trained, or senior with years of hands-on management? Big agencies commonly sell you on the founder or a senior strategist in the pitch, then hand day-to-day execution to a junior once you've signed.
- **Ask how many other accounts that person manages** — a specialist juggling twenty-plus accounts has far less time per account than one managing a handful.
- **Ask what happens if that person leaves** — is there a handover process, or does your account effectively restart with someone new?

## Reporting cadence and what you'll actually see

- **Ask how often you'll get a report**, and whether it's a real conversation or an automated PDF nobody reads.
- **Ask [what the report actually covers](/data/how-to-read-a-google-ads-report-2/)** — spend and conversions is the bare minimum. Does it explain what changed in the account, why, and what's planned next?
- **Ask for a sample report** before you sign, not after. If they can't show you one (anonymised, from an existing client), be cautious.
- **Ask whether you can request an ad-hoc call** outside the scheduled reporting cycle if something looks wrong, or whether you're locked into a fixed monthly slot.

## Contract length, notice period, and how they charge

- **Ask the exact contract length** and the exact notice period to leave. Get it in writing, not verbally on a call. A confident agency that genuinely delivers results has no reason to lock you into a long minimum term — the work should be what keeps you, not the contract.
- **Ask exactly how [the management fee is calculated](/ppc-paid-ads/google-ads-management-cost-uk-what-you-actually-pay-in-2026-2/)** — a flat monthly fee, a percentage of ad spend, or a hybrid. Ask what happens to the fee as your spend grows or shrinks.
- **Ask whether there's any markup on your actual ad spend**, or whether every pound you budget for ads goes straight to Google with the management fee charged separately and transparently.
- **Ask what's included in the fee** versus what's billed as an extra — landing page changes, tracking setup, creative, additional campaigns.

### The single most important question

> Ask: 'If I leave, do I keep my own Google Ads account, with all its history and data, or does the account belong to you?' This is the one question that tells you the most about whether an agency is built to keep earning your trust or built to make leaving expensive. Your Google Ads account should be created under your own Google account (or given full admin access to yours) from day one — not built inside the agency's own manager account where you're effectively locked in. If losing your click and conversion history is the cost of leaving, that's not a coincidence.

## Ask to see a real audit — and read how they talk about problems

Before you commit, ask whether they'll [run an audit of your current account](/ppc-paid-ads/how-to-audit-a-google-ads-account-the-complete-checklist-2/) (or a competitor's public ad activity, if you're new to Google Ads) as part of the pitch. What matters isn't just what they find — it's how honestly they talk about it. Be wary of anyone who tells you everything is broken and only they can fix it; that's a sales tactic, not a diagnosis. A genuinely useful audit will tell you plainly what's working, what isn't, and won't manufacture urgency where none exists. If an agency can't or won't tell you your account is doing fine in places, they're selling, not advising.

It's also worth asking what they'd flag as a red flag in someone else's account management — tracking gaps, unclear conversion definitions, campaigns left untouched for months, broad match with no negative keyword strategy. Someone who genuinely knows the platform will answer this instantly and specifically. Someone who doesn't will speak in generalities.

Ask, too, whether the audit findings come with a prioritised list of fixes or just a list of problems. A list of problems is easy to produce and mostly serves the pitch. A prioritised list — what to fix first, what can wait, and roughly why — tells you they're thinking about your budget the way they'd think about their own.

## Weigh the answers, not just the pitch

None of these questions are trick questions — they're the basic terms of a working relationship, and any agency or consultant worth hiring should answer them plainly, without prompting a second or third follow-up. If you come away from a call having had to chase down a straight answer on contract length, account ownership, or who's actually doing the work, treat that as information in itself.

It's also worth noticing the shape of the whole conversation, not just the answers to individual questions. Did they ask about your business, your margins, and what a genuinely qualified lead or sale looks like to you — or did the conversation stay entirely on their side, focused on their process and their results? An agency that's going to manage your account well usually wants to understand what you're actually trying to achieve before they start talking about how they'll do it.

I'll answer all of the above directly on a call, including the parts that don't flatter a sales pitch — where my model doesn't suit you, or where your current setup is actually fine as it is. That's deliberate: I only take on accounts where I can genuinely add value, and I'd rather tell you that upfront than after you've signed.

### Related services

- [Get a PPC audit](/ppc-audits/)
- [Talk to a PPC consultant](/ppc-consultant/)
- [PPC management](/ppc-agency/)

### Related reading

- [PPC Agency vs Freelance PPC Consultant: Which Is Right for Your Business?](/ppc-paid-ads/ppc-agency-vs-freelance-consultant-2/)
- [In-House vs Outsourced Google Ads Management: The Real Trade-offs](/ppc-paid-ads/in-house-vs-outsourced-google-ads-management-2/)
- [When Should You Fire Your PPC Agency? Red Flags to Watch For](/ppc-paid-ads/signs-you-should-fire-your-ppc-agency-2/)
- [What's Included in Google Ads Management? A Realistic Scope of Work](/ppc-paid-ads/whats-included-in-google-ads-management-2/)

## Frequently asked questions

### How long should a Google Ads agency contract be?

There's no single right length, but be sceptical of anything that locks you in for a long minimum term with a lengthy notice period on top. Ask for the exact figures in writing and weigh whether the length is protecting the agency from churn or protecting you from a bad fit.

### Should I let an agency build my Google Ads account inside their own manager account?

Ask directly whether the account will be created under your own Google account, or under theirs with you granted access. If it's built inside their manager account, ask what happens to your history and data if you leave — you want a clear answer, not a vague reassurance.

### What's a reasonable reporting frequency for Google Ads management?

It depends on your spend and how hands-on you want to be, but you should always know, in writing, before you sign: how often you'll hear from them, what the report will actually contain, and whether you can request an ad-hoc call if something looks off between scheduled reports.

### Is a percentage-of-spend fee better than a flat fee?

Neither is inherently better — what matters is that you understand exactly how the fee is calculated and what happens as your spend changes. Ask for the calculation in plain terms and get it in writing before you sign anything.

### How do I know if an agency's audit of my account is honest or just a sales tactic?

A genuine audit tells you what's working as well as what isn't, and doesn't manufacture urgency where none exists. If every finding is framed as a crisis only they can fix, treat that as a sales technique rather than a diagnosis.

### What red flags suggest an agency is hiding poor account management?

Vague answers about who manages the account day-to-day, no sample report available on request, reluctance to state the exact contract length and notice period in writing, and account ownership sitting with the agency rather than you.

## Want a second opinion before you sign anything?

I'll answer every one of these questions directly, including where my model isn't the right fit for you. Start a conversation and I'll give you an honest read on what to look for — and, if you want, an honest look at your current account too.

**Call 07410 907 104**