Choosing a marketing agency is a hiring decision, and it goes better when you treat it like one. You would not hire an employee without a job description, an interview and a trial period. The same applies here. This article sets out a simple process any business owner can follow, from the first brief to the first review of the work.
Marketing Company San Diego is an independent referral service, not a marketing agency. When you send the form, your details go to an independent marketing agency that prepares any proposal and does any work. For the San Diego side of the search, see how to choose a marketing agency in San Diego.
Write a one-page brief
A brief makes every agency answer the same question, which makes their proposals comparable. Keep it to a page.
- What the business does, and which services or products matter most.
- Where customers are: the areas you serve and any you do not.
- What you want to change: more inquiries, a new website, a launch, better results from ads you already run.
- What you have: website, Google Business Profile, ad accounts, social pages, an email list.
- What you spend now, on the agency’s work and on ads, kept separate.
- How you will judge it: the inquiries or sales you will count, and how.
Ask the right questions in the first meeting
Google’s own list of questions to ask an SEO is a good base for any agency: examples of previous work, whether they follow the Google Search Essentials, what results they expect and in what timeframe, how they measure success, their experience in your industry and city, and whether they will share every change they make to your site. Listen for specifics. An agency that answers the results question with a plan and a way of measuring it is more credible than one that answers with a promise. Google says no one can promise the top ranking.
Compare proposals line by line
| Line | What to look for |
|---|---|
| What they found | Specific observations about your site, profile and competitors, not general advice. |
| The work | What is done, in what order, and how often. |
| Who does it | Named roles, and whether any work is passed to another firm. |
| Measurement | How calls, forms or sales are counted, and where you can check the numbers. |
| Fees | The agency’s fee and any ad spend shown separately. |
| Ownership | Domain, website, Google Business Profile, ad accounts and analytics in your name. |
| Term and exit | Notice period and what you receive when the work stops. |
Ask the contract questions before you sign
- How long is the agreement, and what notice does either side give to end it?
- What exactly is included in the fee, and what costs extra?
- Is ad spend paid to the platform directly from my card, or through you?
- Who owns the content, designs, photos and video you make for me?
- Will every account be created in my business’s name, with you added as a user?
- What do I receive if we stop: files, logins, reports?
For legal questions about the contract itself, ask a lawyer.
Check how they handle the rules
An agency’s mistakes can land on your business. The FTC’s Endorsement Guides say advertisers can be liable for deceptive endorsements even when the endorser is not, and that agencies can be liable too. The FTC’s rule on consumer reviews bans fake reviews, review incentives conditioned on a sentiment, and buying fake followers, views or likes. Google’s spam policies rule out buying links and stuffing keywords. Ask each agency how it stays within these rules. A confident, specific answer is a good sign.
Start with access, not handovers
When you hire, give the agency access to your accounts rather than handing them over. Most platforms let you add a manager or user who can work in the account without owning it, and remove them later. Keep the top-level logins yourself. If the agency needs a new account, such as Google Ads or analytics, ask for it to be created in your business’s name.
Review the work, regularly
Agree at the start when you will review the work, and what you will look at: the work done, the changes made to your site, the inquiries counted and the money spent. Check the figures in your own accounts as well as in the agency’s report. If the work is not what the proposal described, say so early. If it is, you have found a partner worth keeping.
If SEO is part of the plan and the budget is tight, read what to ask before buying affordable SEO.
Questions people ask
What should I ask a marketing agency before hiring?
Examples of previous work, whether they follow Google’s Search Essentials, what results they expect and how they measure them, their experience in your industry and city, who does the work, which accounts stay in your name and how the agreement ends.
Should the agency own my ad accounts?
No. Keep accounts in your business’s name and add the agency as a user or manager.
Can an agency promise results?
Be wary if it does. Google says no one can promise the top ranking on Google. A good agency describes the work and how it will be measured.
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