5 Signs Your Marketing Agency Is Ripping You Off

If your marketing agency is doing any of these 5 things, they're ripping you off. And I say that as someone who used to work at one of these agencies.

I'm Kelsey with KaeRae Marketing. Before I started my own business, I built the Google Ads department for a marketing agency. I grew it to over 100 clients.

And I left because I couldn't stomach what I was seeing. Sales tactics that made me cringe. Clients paying thousands for campaigns that were barely touched. Results that were 'guaranteed' when they shouldn't be.

So here are the 5 biggest red flags that your agency might not have your best interests in mind.

Number one — and this is the biggest one — they won't give you access to your own Google Ads account.

If an agency is running ads on YOUR behalf, with YOUR money, you should be able to log in and see exactly what's happening. Period.

If they tell you 'that's not how we work' or 'you won't understand it anyway' — run. That's not protection. That's control.

You own your accounts. If they set it up in a way where you can't see it or take it with you if you leave, that's a massive red flag.

Number two — they guaranteed results. Specifically, they promised you a certain number of leads, a certain ranking, or a specific ROI.

Here's the thing: no one can guarantee results in marketing. Not me. Not anyone. We can make educated projections based on data, but anyone who guarantees results is either lying or defining 'results' in a way that benefits them, not you.

If you signed a contract with guaranteed leads, read the fine print. What counts as a lead? A phone call? A form fill? A wrong number?

Number three — you're paying a monthly fee, but you have no clue what they're actually doing each month.

Every month, you should get a report — or at least a call — that explains:

What was done

What the results were

What's being changed

If all you're getting is a generic PDF with numbers you don't understand, or worse — nothing at all — you're paying for a black box.

A good agency should be able to explain what they're doing in plain English. If they can't, it's either because they don't know, or they don't want you to.

Number four — they locked you into a 12-month contract before you saw a single result.

Look, I get it — marketing takes time. SEO especially takes months to show results. But locking you in for a year before proving they can deliver? That's not confidence in their work. That's job security.

A good agency should earn your business month after month. If they need a contract to keep you, ask yourself why.

And number five — they talk to you like you're stupid.

Marketing can be confusing. Google Ads has a learning curve. But if your agency uses jargon to make you feel dumb, or dodges your questions, or makes you feel like you shouldn't be asking — that's not expertise. That's intimidation.

You deserve to understand where your money is going. And any agency worth working with should be able to explain it in a way that makes sense.

So — 5 signs your marketing agency is ripping you off:

They won't give you account access

They guaranteed results

You don't know what they're doing each month

They locked you into a long contract

They make you feel stupid for asking questions

If any of these hit home, it might be time for a change.