What Questions Should I Ask Before Hiring a Google Ads Agency?

KaeRae Marketing
20 minutes ago
5 min read

Quick Answer: Before hiring a Google Ads agency, ask: Who will manage my account? Do I own the account? How do you track calls and conversions? What does reporting look like? Do you require a contract? Can you show results for similar businesses? These questions reveal whether you're talking to a legitimate partner or a bad deal waiting to happen.

Hiring a Google Ads agency can feel like a leap of faith. The work is invisible, the jargon is confusing, and you've probably already been burned at least once by someone who promised the moon and delivered a confusing monthly report.

The best protection you have is asking the right questions upfront. Here are the ones that matter most — and what the answers tell you.

Question 1: Who Will Actually Manage My Account?

This sounds obvious but gets glossed over constantly. When you hire an agency, the person selling you the service is almost never the person actually running your campaigns.

Ask directly: "After I sign, who is the specific person managing my Google Ads account? How many other accounts are they managing?"

A solo consultant or small boutique agency might say "I will" — and mean it. A larger agency might pass you to an account manager who handles 40+ accounts simultaneously.

Neither model is automatically bad, but you deserve to know what you're getting into.

Question 2: Do I Own My Google Ads Account?

This is the single most important question you can ask, and the stakes are high.

If the agency creates a Google Ads account in their name and you leave — you lose everything. Your campaign history. Your conversion data. Your quality scores. Years of optimization, gone.

The right answer: "Yes, we'll build the account under your Google login and you'll have full admin access from day one."

Any other answer is a dealbreaker.

Question 3: How Do You Track Leads and Calls?

Before you spend a dollar on Google Ads, you need to know which ads are generating actual phone calls. Ask your prospective agency exactly how they track conversions — specifically calls.

What you want to hear: a specific answer about call tracking (whether that's Google's built-in call tracking, a third-party tool like CallRail, or dynamic number insertion on the website).

What should concern you: a vague answer about "analytics" and "reporting" that doesn't specifically address how individual calls are attributed to specific keywords and campaigns.

If they can't tell you exactly how they track which keyword generated a call, they can't optimize your campaign. Full stop.

Question 4: What Does Monthly Reporting Look Like?

Ask to see an example report. A good one answers these questions without you having to ask:

How many leads did the campaign generate this month?
What was the cost per lead?
Which campaigns and keywords performed best?
What changed compared to last month?
What's the plan for next month?

If the sample report is full of impressions, clicks, and CTR graphs with no mention of actual leads or calls — that's performance theater, not performance marketing.

Question 5: Do You Require a Long-Term Contract?

Agencies that are confident in their results don't need 12-month contracts to keep clients. Ask about the contract structure upfront, before you're sitting across from a contract and your enthusiasm is talking you out of reading the fine print.

Reasonable: Month-to-month with 30 days notice to cancel.

Worth scrutinizing: 3–6 month minimums, especially if there's a large upfront setup fee.

Walk away: 12-month lock-ins with steep early termination fees and agency ownership of your accounts.

Question 6: Do You Work With Other Home Service Companies?

Home service Google Ads has its own set of rules, behaviors, and best practices. Emergency keywords. Seasonal bidding strategies. Call-only campaigns. Lead quality issues. Service-area targeting nuances.

An agency with no home service experience will learn on your budget.

Ask for specific examples of home service clients they've worked with and results they've generated. Not just category names — actual metrics. "We took a plumbing company from 20 leads/month to 65 leads/month at a lower cost per lead" is specific and meaningful.

Question 7: What's Your Keyword Strategy?

You don't need to become a Google Ads expert to understand the basic answer here. Ask: "How will you decide which keywords to target, and what match types will you use?"

A good answer includes mention of exact match and phrase match keywords, a negative keyword list, and the rationale for how they'll decide which service types to prioritize.

A concerning answer: "We'll target broad terms related to your industry" with nothing more specific. That's a budget-burning approach dressed up as a strategy.

Question 8: What Happens to My Account and Data If I Leave?

Know the exit before you enter. If you part ways with this agency, what exactly happens?

Who owns the Google Ads account?
Who owns any landing pages they build?
Who owns any creative assets or copy they create?
What's the notice period?
Are there termination fees?

Get these answers in writing.

Bonus Question: Why Shouldn't I Hire You?

This one surprises people, but it's one of the most revealing questions you can ask. A confident, honest agency will give you a real answer — maybe their pricing is higher than budget shops, maybe they specialize in certain markets, maybe they have a wait list.

An agency that can't think of a single reason you shouldn't hire them is either not self-aware or not being straight with you.

FAQ: Hiring a Google Ads Agency

How much should I expect to pay a Google Ads agency?

Management fees typically run $500–$2,000/month depending on campaign complexity and agency size. This is separate from ad spend. Be wary of agencies charging less than $500/month for full management — that usually means your account is getting minimal attention.

Should I get multiple quotes before hiring a Google Ads agency?

Yes. Talk to 2–3 options. Not just for pricing comparison, but to hear how different agencies talk about strategy and results. The differences in how they answer these questions will be illuminating.

How do I know if an agency is legitimate?

Ask for references from current home service clients. Look for a Google Partner badge (it means they've passed exams and meet spend thresholds). Read reviews on Google. Look for a track record of specific, real results — not just testimonials.

Is a freelance Google Ads manager better than an agency?

Sometimes. A skilled freelancer often means more direct access, more personal attention, and lower fees. The tradeoff is less backup if they get sick or overwhelmed. For home service businesses, a specialist freelancer or small boutique agency often outperforms a large generalist agency.