PPC Agency Checklist Before You Hand Over Your Budget
A PPC agency spends your money every day. Make sure you keep control of your ad accounts, see every report and understand every fee.
What a PPC agency does
A PPC agency builds and manages paid search, shopping and paid social campaigns. It writes ads, chooses audiences, sets bids and reports on cost and return.
PPC company or freelancer
A PPC company brings a team and process, a freelancer brings focus. Either way, the same questions apply: who works on the account, how often do you talk and what happens if they leave.
Red flags in a PPC proposal
- The agency runs campaigns inside its own ad account and you cannot take them with you.
- A fee based only on a share of your spend, with no cap or review.
- Reports that show clicks and impressions but not cost per result.
- No conversion tracking set up before launch.
Questions to ask
- Will the ad accounts be in my name?
- How do you decide when to change a bid or pause a campaign?
What proof to ask a PPC agency for
Ask for results from accounts with a similar budget and sales model, stated as cost per lead or cost per sale after the management fee, not as clicks. Ask which channels the team runs daily (search, shopping, Meta, LinkedIn) and who actually logs into your account. A strong PPC agency can describe the last three changes it made to a comparable account and why. If the answer is a tour of the dashboard with no decisions in it, you are buying reporting, not management.
Matching the agency to your budget
Small budgets suit a freelancer or a flat fee agency that works with a few clients at once. Mid sized budgets suit a specialist team with a named lead. Large budgets justify a percentage model, but only with a cap, a review date and a written rule for when the agency may move money between campaigns. For vertical fit see ecommerce marketing agencies and B2B SaaS marketing agencies.
Contract terms worth negotiating
- Ad accounts, pixels and conversion data stay in your name.
- Notice period of thirty days after a short initial term.
- A monthly report that shows spend, cost per result and what changed.
- A written rule for approval of budget increases. Read PPC management pricing for how each fee model works and marketing agency retainer pricing for monthly scope.
Fees and terms
Common models are a flat fee, a share of spend or a mix. Choose the one that matches the size of your budget and make sure it comes with a short notice period and full access.
Check the proposal before you sign
Paste the agency proposal into Pitch Check. It flags promises without proof, missing account access and long contracts with no exit, and gives you questions to ask. Compare with the SEO companies and the lead generation agencies guides. Agencies that want briefs from brands that read guides like this can see what agencies get.
Read the fine print before it reads you
Paste the offer, see the flags and walk into the conversation ready.
Check the offer