Short answer: before hiring a marketing agency, ask questions in five areas: whether the agency understands your business, who will actually do the work, how you will be billed, who owns your accounts and data, and how results will be measured. The answers that matter most are the ones most checklists skip. Google's own policy for agencies requires them to give clients their Google Ads customer IDs on request, to report ad costs as "the exact amount charged by Google, exclusive of any fees," and to disclose management fees in writing before the first purchase. An agency that hesitates on any of those points is telling you how the relationship will go. The stakes are real: in Setup's sixth annual Marketing Relationship Survey, 40% of clients said they planned to switch agencies within six months, and dissatisfaction with delivery was the top reason, cited by 48%.
Most published lists of questions to ask an agency were written before generative AI reshaped marketing production. They address culture, team size, and meeting frequency, which remain relevant, but they seldom address account ownership, the undisclosed use of AI, or how to interpret an evasive answer. The questions below are grouped by what they protect, and each includes what a good answer sounds like.
Why agency relationships fail
Setup's survey of more than 400 brand and agency marketers found that the reasons clients leave have shifted. Dissatisfaction with delivery rose 14 points to 48%. "Agency did not understand our business" rose 10 points. Dissatisfaction with strategic approach and with value tied for second place. The survey also found that agencies consistently underestimate how much delivery and strategy matter to clients.
Nearly every one of those failures is detectable before a contract is signed, provided the prospective client asks the right questions. Delivery problems generally originate in an ambiguously defined scope of work, and misunderstanding generally originates with an agency that presented its recommendations before investigating the business it was pitching.
Questions about fit and understanding
What do you think is costing my business money right now? A good agency has looked at your website, your Google Business Profile, and your reviews before the first call, and can name a specific problem. An agency that answers with its own service menu has not done the homework.
Which businesses like mine have you worked with, and what changed for them? Ask for specifics you could verify: the type of business, the problem, and the result. Be wary of results presented without context, and of case studies that never mention a timeframe.
Do you work with my direct competitors? Some agencies specialize by industry, which can be an advantage, but you should know before sharing your pricing and strategy.
What would make you turn down my business? The answer shows whether the agency has a clear idea of who it serves well. "Nothing" is not a reassuring answer.
Questions about the work and the team
Who will actually do the work, and will I talk to them? Many agencies conduct the sales process with senior strategists and then assign the day-to-day execution to junior employees or offshore subcontractors. Neither arrangement is inherently problematic, but the client is entitled to understand the staffing model before committing to it.
What exactly is included, and what costs extra? Ask for the scope in writing: the number of revisions, the deliverables per month, and what happens when you request something outside the agreement. Unclear scope is where most delivery disputes begin.
How do you use AI in your work, and do you disclose it? Nearly every agency now relies on generative AI for drafting, research, or production. The consequential questions concern oversight and confidentiality: whether a qualified person reviews the output before publication, whether proprietary customer information is entered into external tools, and whether AI-generated creative is disclosed where advertising platforms require it.
Questions about pricing and billing
Can I see your prices before a sales call? Most agencies quote only after a discovery call. An agency that publishes its prices lets you compare before investing an hour, which is why Velora Media lists every price on its site; the reasoning is explained in why we publish our prices.
Is my ad spend separate from your fee? It should be. Google's third-party policy requires agencies that charge a management fee to "clearly inform customers" and, at a minimum, to disclose it in writing before the first purchase and on every invoice.
Will your reports show exactly what the ad platform charged? Under the same policy, agencies sharing Google advertising cost data must report "the exact amount charged by Google, exclusive of any fees." A report that blends spend and fees into a single figure makes it impossible to judge either.
How do I cancel, and what happens to the work if I do? Ask about the notice period, early termination fees, and whether you keep the creative, landing pages, and content produced during the engagement.
Questions about ownership and access
Most checklists skip this category, and it does the most damage when it goes wrong.
Whose name are my ad accounts, analytics, and Google Business Profile in? Your business should hold primary ownership of every account, with the agency granted delegated manager access. When an agency constructs Google Ads, Meta, or analytics accounts under its own ownership, terminating the relationship can mean forfeiting years of conversion history, audience data, and performance benchmarks that are expensive and slow to rebuild.
Can I have my Google Ads customer ID? Google requires agencies to provide it when requested. It is a simple test of transparency, and a hesitant answer is a warning.
Who owns my domain, website, and customer list? The answer should be you, without qualification. An agency that holds your domain or CRM data effectively holds your business hostage.
Questions about measurement and results
What will you measure, and how does it connect to revenue? Impressions and follower counts are easy to report and difficult to convert into revenue. A competent agency connects its reporting to outcomes with financial consequences, such as inbound calls, booked appointments, qualified leads, and closed sales, and it can explain the attribution method behind each figure.
How often will I get a report, and who explains it? A monthly report that nobody walks you through rarely gets read. Weak or delayed communication shows up in nearly every account of why client relationships fail.
What results should I expect, and when? Be wary of guarantees. Google's own guidance on hiring an SEO is blunt: "No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google." The same applies to promised revenue figures. A credible answer describes what will be done, what is typically seen, and how progress will be judged along the way.
Red flags in an agency's answers
A few answers should end the conversation, or at least slow it down:
- A guaranteed ranking, follower count, or revenue number
- Reluctance to put ad accounts or your domain in your name
- A single blended number for ad spend and fees
- A long contract with no exit and no clear deliverables
- Case studies with no business type, timeframe, or verifiable detail
- A proposal that could have been sent to any business, because it was
Where Velora fits
The fastest way to evaluate any agency, including Velora Media, is to see how it diagnoses your business before you commit to anything monthly. The Business Audit Report costs $150: a written, scored review of your SEO, funnel, or ad account, with problems ranked by revenue impact and a prioritized list of fixes, delivered within one week. You keep the report whether or not you hire anyone, and you can take it to any agency on this list of questions.
Frequently asked questions
What should I ask a marketing agency before hiring them?
Ask how they understand your business, who will do the work, what is included and what costs extra, who owns your accounts and data, how fees are billed separately from ad spend, how they use AI, and how results tie to revenue.
How do I know if a marketing agency is legitimate?
A legitimate agency puts your accounts in your name, shows exact ad platform costs separate from its fee, provides verifiable case studies, and avoids guaranteed rankings. Google requires agencies to give clients their Google Ads customer IDs on request.
Should my business own its Google Ads and social media accounts?
Yes. Your business should own every ad, analytics, and social account, with the agency added as a manager. That way you keep your data and history if the relationship ends.
Why do businesses fire their marketing agencies?
In Setup's 2024 Marketing Relationship Survey of more than 400 marketers, the top reason was dissatisfaction with delivery, cited by 48%. The agency not understanding the business and dissatisfaction with strategy and value followed.
What are red flags when hiring a marketing agency?
Guaranteed rankings or revenue, reluctance to put accounts in your name, blended reporting of ad spend and fees, long contracts without clear deliverables, and case studies that lack verifiable detail are all red flags.
How much does it cost to hire a marketing agency?
Costs vary widely by scope. Velora Media publishes its prices, from a $150 Business Audit Report to monthly retainers, so you can compare options before a sales call. Ad spend is always billed separately from management fees.
Related reading
For an industry-specific version of this checklist, see what to know before hiring an AI marketing agency for an auto body shop. For how to judge an agency's reporting, see why analytics reporting saves money. For the full list of services behind the prices, see what is Velora Media.
Velora Media landing pages, by industry
Each site below carries the same six pages: an overview, the services built for that industry, a shop with published prices, the engine showing how the pieces connect, results, and the questions owners in that industry ask first.
Home services: plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and appliance repair
homeservices.veloramedia.cloud · Services · Shop · Engine · Results · FAQ
AI receptionist, for any industry
aireceptionist.veloramedia.cloud · Services · Shop · Engine · Results · FAQ
Real estate agents
realestateagents.veloramedia.cloud · Services · Shop · Engine · Results · FAQ
Real estate wholesalers
wholesale.veloramedia.cloud · Services · Shop · Engine · Results · FAQ
Med spas and aesthetic clinics
medspaaesthetics.veloramedia.cloud · Services · Shop · Engine · Results · FAQ
Physicians and medical practices
physicians.veloramedia.cloud · Services · Shop · Engine · Results · FAQ
Auto body and collision repair
autobody.veloramedia.cloud · Services · Shop · Engine · Results · FAQ
Law firms and attorneys
lawfirms.veloramedia.cloud · Services · Shop · Engine · Results · FAQ
Florists and flower shops
florist.veloramedia.cloud · Services · Shop · Engine · Results · FAQ
Sources
- Google Advertising Policies Help, "Transparency requirements" for third-party partners. support.google.com
- Google Advertising Policies Help, "About Google third-party policies." support.google.com
- Setup, "The Truth About Agency Breakups: What Clients and Agencies Really Think," sixth annual Marketing Relationship Survey, 2024. setup.us
- Google Search Central, "Do you need an SEO?" developers.google.com
- Envision Creative, "30 Questions to Ask a Marketing Agency Before Hiring Them," January 9, 2023. envision-creative.com