Choosing a digital marketing agency is a significant decision, and the glossy proposal rarely tells you what working together will actually be like.
Most businesses compare agencies on price and portfolio. Neither predicts whether the relationship will work. What predicts it is how an agency answers direct questions about ownership, staffing and measurement.
After 15+ years in the industry, here are the seven questions we believe every business should ask before signing — and what a good answer sounds like. If you’re specifically weighing up Shopify specialists, our guide to choosing the best Shopify agency in Sydney covers the platform-specific checks as well.
1. Who owns the ad accounts and the data?
If the agency runs your Google Ads from their own account, you lose your entire campaign history the day you leave. That includes conversion data, audience lists and the machine learning that has built up over months of spend.
A good answer: every account is created under your business, with the agency added as a user. You keep everything if the relationship ends.
A warning sign: vague explanations about “our managed account structure” or reluctance to put ownership in writing.
2. Who will actually work on my account?
The senior strategist in the pitch meeting isn’t always the person doing the work. In larger agencies, accounts are frequently handed to junior staff or offshore contractors once the contract is signed.
A good answer: a named day-to-day contact, their experience level, and who covers when they’re on leave.
A warning sign: “you’ll have a whole team behind you” with no individual named. The same principle applies when hiring a Shopify developer in Sydney — know who does the work.
3. What does your reporting show?
Ask for a sample report before you sign. This single request tells you more than any pitch deck.
| Activity reporting | Results reporting |
|---|---|
| Impressions | Enquiries or sales |
| Clicks and click-through rate | Cost per lead |
| Keywords added | Return on ad spend |
| Hours worked | Revenue attributed |
Activity metrics aren’t useless — they help diagnose problems. But if the report contains nothing from the right-hand column, the agency is measuring effort rather than outcome.
4. What are your contract terms?
Long lock-in contracts protect the agency, not you. A confident agency doesn’t need 12 months of contractual insurance to keep a client.
A good answer: a reasonable notice period, a clear exit process, and confirmation that assets and accounts transfer back to you.
A warning sign: minimum terms of 12 months or more, or exit clauses that aren’t in the written agreement.
5. Can I speak to a current client?
Case studies are curated. A five-minute conversation with an actual client tells you far more about communication, responsiveness and what happens when something goes wrong.
Ask that client one specific question: what happened the last time results dropped?
6. What happens in the first 90 days?
A good agency can outline a concrete plan — audit first, then quick structural wins, then longer-term strategy. Vague answers usually indicate a templated approach applied identically to every client.
Be particularly wary of any agency proposing to launch campaigns in week one without auditing your conversion tracking first. If tracking is wrong, everything built on top of it is guesswork. Our guide to driving sales with Google Ads for Shopify explains what that setup should include.
7. What do you need from me?
Marketing fails without input from your side — product knowledge, approvals, access to analytics, feedback on lead quality. An agency that asks nothing of you is planning to work in isolation, and isolated marketing rarely reflects how your customers actually buy.
How to Run the Comparison
This week: Write down your current cost per enquiry. If you can’t calculate it, that’s the first problem to solve, regardless of which agency you choose.
Before you sign: Ask all seven questions of at least two agencies and note which ones answer directly. Request a sample report from each.
First 30 days: Confirm in writing that accounts are in your name, and check that conversion tracking matches the enquiries actually arriving in your inbox.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should a small business expect to pay for agency management?
In the Australian market, management fees typically sit between 15% and 20% of ad spend, with minimum monthly fees for smaller budgets. Some agencies charge a flat retainer instead, which suits businesses with stable spend.
Is a bigger agency better than a smaller one?
Not inherently. Larger agencies have more specialist resources; smaller ones usually give you more senior attention. What matters is who works on your account, not the size of the letterhead.
How long before I can judge whether it’s working?
Search advertising usually shows direction within four to six weeks and structural improvement by month three. SEO takes longer — three to six months before meaningful movement.
What if I’ve already signed with an agency I’m unsure about?
Start by requesting account ownership confirmation and a results-based report. How an agency responds to those two requests tells you whether the relationship is worth continuing.
Should I hire in-house instead?
In-house works well once ad spend is large enough to justify a dedicated salary and the channel mix is stable. Below that, agencies are usually more cost-effective because you’re buying experience across many accounts.
Related Reading
- Best Shopify Agency in Australia: What to Look For and Why It Matters
- What to Expect When Working With a Shopify Expert in Sydney
- How Much Does a Shopify Website Cost in Australia?
The right agency will answer all seven questions without flinching. If any answer feels evasive, keep looking.
HHP Design is a certified Shopify Partner in Sydney and a certified Google Partner. Get in touch for a free, no-pressure consultation.