Questions to ask before hiring an ads agency.
A checklist you can run against every agency on your shortlist, including us. The answers predict the next two years better than any case study.
The problem with choosing an ads agency is that the sales process tests the wrong skill. A polished pitch measures how well an agency pitches, which is unrelated to how well it runs an account through a bad quarter. The fix is to ask questions that are falsifiable — where a weak answer is visibly weak — and to ask the same ones of everyone on your shortlist, including us. What follows is that list, grouped by what it reveals.
Measurement: how will we know if this is working?
Ask it before any contract and demand the answer in writing. A serious agency responds with a measurement plan: which metric governs, how they separate brand from non-brand demand, how they reconcile platform-reported results against your actual revenue, and what the honest evaluation window is. A weak agency answers with a ROAS number from someone else's account. If they take platform reporting at face value rather than triangulating against back-end truth, they will confidently report success while your bank balance disagrees — the exact problem in MER vs ROAS.
Incentives: what does your fee pay you to do?
Pricing is an incentive system, so ask what theirs rewards. If the fee is a percentage of spend, ask directly: "When is the right move to spend less, and would your fee ever recommend it?" The answer reveals whether they have thought about the conflict or hope you have not. There is no wrong model, but there is a wrong answer — the one that pretends no incentive exists. The trade-offs are laid out neutrally in PPC management pricing models compared.
Ownership: what happens to my accounts and data if we part ways?
The only acceptable answer is that you own the ad accounts, the pixels and Conversions API setup, the audiences, and the full historical data, and that offboarding is documented. Anything else — agency-owned accounts, a pixel on their Business Manager, data you cannot export — is a hostage arrangement with a monthly retainer. This is independent of price and non-negotiable.
The falsifiable set
- "Walk me through a client you lost or fired, and why." Everyone has them; the answer tests honesty under mild social pressure — the same skill as honest reporting under bad-quarter pressure.
- "Who exactly will work on my account, and how many accounts do they carry?" Pitch teams and delivery teams diverge at most agencies. Ask for the operator, not the org chart.
- "Show me a report you send when performance is bad." The single most revealing artifact an agency has. If every sample is a victory lap, you are looking at a marketing department, not a reporting function.
- "On Meta, how many net-new creatives will you produce per month, and who owns them?" Because creative volume is the new targeting, a Meta engagement without a real creative answer is a media buyer hoping three assets last a year.
- "What would you not do for us?" Operators with a methodology have refusals — channels they think are wrong for you, spend levels they will not endorse. Agencies without refusals are selling capacity, not judgment.
Run these against us too. An agency that flinches when you apply its own recommended questions has just answered the most important one.
For the broader selection framework, see how to choose a performance marketing agency and the in-house vs agency comparison. To pressure-test an incumbent before you switch, the free audit shows what a genuinely independent read of your account looks like.
What should I ask a Google Ads agency before hiring them?
Ask how they will measure success in writing before any contract; how they separate brand from non-brand demand; who exactly will work on your account and how many accounts that person carries; what happens to your accounts and data if you leave; and to see a report they send when performance is bad. The answers to these falsifiable questions predict the relationship far better than a case study or a pitch deck.
What questions reveal a bad ads agency?
Questions that create mild pressure reveal the most: asking about a client they lost and why, asking to see a bad-news report, and asking what their fee pays them to do. Agencies that answer only with victory laps, cannot name a real refusal, or will not let you own your accounts and data are showing you the next two years of the relationship.
Should I ask about account and data ownership?
Yes, and it is one of the most important questions. You should own the ad accounts, pixels and Conversions API setup, audiences, and historical data, with documented offboarding. Agency-owned accounts or a pixel living on the agency's Business Manager is a hostage arrangement that makes leaving costly regardless of performance.
How is hiring a Meta agency different from a Google agency?
On Meta, creative is the main lever because targeting has consolidated into the algorithm, so you must ask specifically about creative volume — how many net-new concepts and iterations per month, and who owns the assets. On Google search, the equivalent questions center on account structure, brand/non-brand separation, and bidding philosophy. The measurement, incentive, and ownership questions apply equally to both.
Written by The ADSRUNNER team. If this resonated and you want to apply it to your own account, you can book a strategy call or run a free audit.