The right marketing agency for a small business asks about your business before launching anything, involves you in planning, reports on a regular schedule, hits the measurable targets you agreed, and grows your customer base over time. It never guarantees a #1 Google ranking, explains its methods openly, and leaves you as the owner of your ad and analytics accounts.
Key Takeaways
- A good agency starts with questions about your business, customers and past marketing, then agrees measurable goals and a timeframe with you.
- Google states that no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google; treat ranking guarantees, a claimed “special relationship” with Google or a “priority submit” offer as warning signs.
- Keep Admin access to your own Google Ads account and control of your Google Analytics and Search Console accounts, and give the agency a lower access level.
- Never let an agency buy reviews or followers for you: the FTC rule on consumer reviews and testimonials has been in effect since October 21, 2024.
Do not be afraid to ask questions no matter how irrelevant you think they are. Even after you have checked that a marketing agency is reliable, keep following up on what it is doing. Ask questions such as: what will you do to increase sales, and how will we measure that increase?
Signs You Have the Right Digital Marketing Agency for Your Business
How long will it take to start seeing results? The answers give you an idea of how long it will take for your return on investment (ROI) to start paying off. That aside, you have to keep an eye on the digital agency you have hired to take over your campaigns. The following signs will help you know if you have the right agency with you:
They ask questions about your business
You cannot have someone go straight to launching a campaign without understanding the framework of your business and your customer base. A good digital agency will start by sitting down with the business owner, who explains how the business works, who its customers are and which marketing strategies it has used in the past.
This will help the agency to know where the business in question stands so that they can know the approaches to use in improving that standing.
They involve you in the planning and execution of strategies
You, as the business owner, know your customers well and have the best vision of where you want your business to go. Remember that any marketing expert coming to manage your campaigns will get an overview of what needs to be done from you. On that note, they have to involve you in every step of the way so that they do not leave anything out. During these sessions, you have to ask questions and they should be ready to answer with regard to your business objectives.
They report on the campaigns on a regular schedule
Reports are there to check on the progress of what they are doing. If a digital agency does not report on a regular schedule (weekly or monthly, as agreed in the contract), it may not be doing the right thing or getting the right results. Reports help you gauge how each campaign the agency runs is performing against the objectives you have set.
When you start seeing positive results within the agreed time frame
Results will vary from business to business as the objectives will also vary. The initial objective may have been a higher ranking for your website on search engines, or simply more revenue. Whichever the case, the agency should agree measurable targets and a realistic timeframe with you at the start and then show progress against them. Be wary of any agency that guarantees a specific search ranking: Google states that no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.
When your customer base is growing
A growing customer base is one of the main reasons to hire a marketing agency. However, it takes time for this to happen. You have to be patient with the agency you have employed to manage your marketing campaigns.
The results on sales increase will depend on the reputation of your business as a startup will take longer than an established business to see an increase in sales. All in all, you should be able to see this after a reasonable period, measured against the targets you agreed at the start. 🙂
What Questions Should You Ask a Marketing Agency Before Hiring It?
Ask a marketing agency for evidence, methods and measures before you sign. Google’s Search Central guide “Do you need an SEO?” (last updated June 5, 2026) suggests questions such as these for anyone offering search engine optimization, and they work for most marketing services:
- Can you show me examples of your previous work and share some success stories?
- Do you follow the Google Search Essentials (previously known as the Webmaster Guidelines)?
- What kind of results do you expect to see, and in what timeframe? How do you measure success?
- What is your experience in my industry, and in my country or city?
- How long have you been in business?
- How will we communicate, and will you share every change you make to my site with a detailed explanation?
Google also recommends checking business references: ask past clients whether the agency provided a useful service, was easy to work with and produced positive results.
Red Flags: Signs of the Wrong Marketing Agency
The wrong marketing agency usually shows itself through promises it cannot keep or methods it will not explain. The table below lists warning signs named in official guidance.
| Warning sign | Why it matters | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Guarantees a #1 ranking on Google | Google states that no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google | Google Search Central |
| Claims a “special relationship” with Google or offers a “priority submit” | Google says it never accepts money to include or rank sites in its organic search results | Google Search Central |
| Unsolicited email pitches about your search listings | Google advises the same skepticism you would apply to other spam offers | Google Search Central |
| Secretive about methods, or proposes link schemes or shadow domains | Google lists these as harmful practices that can damage a site and its reputation | Google Search Central |
| Asks for write access to Search Console for an initial audit | Google advises granting only read access at the audit stage | Google Search Central |
| Offers to buy reviews or followers | Buying fake reviews and fake social media indicators is prohibited under the FTC rule in effect since October 21, 2024 | US Federal Trade Commission |
According to Google, deceptive practices by an SEO provider can be reported to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or through econsumer.gov.
Who Should Own Your Marketing Accounts?
The business, not the agency, should own its advertising and analytics accounts. If the agency owns them, you can lose your campaign history and data when the contract ends. A practical setup looks like this:
- Google Ads: Google Ads has five access levels: Email-only, Billing, Read-only, Standard and Admin. Admin is the level that can give account access and change access levels, so keep Admin for the business and give the agency Standard, which can edit campaigns.
- Google Analytics: Google Analytics 4 replaced Universal Analytics, whose standard properties stopped processing data on July 1, 2023. Make sure the GA4 property sits in an account your business controls.
- Google Search Console: Grant read access while an agency audits your site, as Google recommends, and widen access only once you trust its work.
Ask the agency to build its regular reports from these accounts so you can check the same numbers yourself.
Why Fake Reviews Are a Risk for Your Business, Not Just the Agency
The FTC’s Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials went into effect on October 21, 2024. According to the FTC, it prohibits fake or false consumer reviews and testimonials, buying positive or negative reviews, undisclosed insider reviews, company-controlled review websites that pose as independent, review suppression through threats or false accusations, and fake social media indicators such as bot followers. The FTC can seek civil penalties against knowing violators.
The FTC’s guidance on the rule explains that a business that buys reviews through a broker or a third party can be liable if it knew or should have known the reviews were fake. If an agency offers to boost your ratings or follower counts this way, decline and choose another agency.
Do You Need a Marketing Agency at All?
A small local business can often handle basic search marketing itself. Google’s own guidance says that if you run a small local business, you can probably do much of the SEO work yourself, starting with its SEO Starter Guide. Google also states that advertising with Google has no effect on a site’s presence in its organic search results, and that appearing in organic results costs nothing.
Hiring an agency makes more sense when you lack the time, need paid advertising managed, or are planning a site redesign or a new site. Google notes that a redesign or launch is a good time to bring in an SEO professional, because the site can be designed to be search engine-friendly from the start. For background before you talk to agencies, see the differences between SEO and SEM, the case for local SEO for small businesses, and what an SEO website audit involves.
Right vs. Wrong Marketing Agency at a Glance
| Area | The right agency | The wrong agency |
|---|---|---|
| First meeting | Asks about your business, customers and past marketing | Pitches a ready-made package straight away |
| Goals | Agrees measurable targets and a timeframe in writing | Guarantees rankings or results |
| Methods | Explains every change and follows Google Search Essentials | Secretive, or uses link schemes |
| Reporting | Regular reports from accounts you can check | Irregular or vague reports |
| Accounts | You keep Admin access | Agency owns your ad and analytics accounts |
| Reviews | Encourages genuine customer reviews | Offers to buy reviews or followers |
For more ideas on what an agency could run for you, compare the best types of marketing for a small business and these tips for finding a digital marketing company.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my marketing agency is doing a good job?
A marketing agency is doing a good job when it reports regularly against the measurable targets you agreed, explains every change it makes, and the numbers in your own Google Ads, Google Analytics and Search Console accounts confirm the progress it reports.
Can a marketing agency guarantee a #1 ranking on Google?
No. Google states that no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google and advises caution with any SEO provider that claims to guarantee rankings or to have a special relationship with Google.
Does paying for Google Ads improve my organic search ranking?
No. According to Google, advertising with Google has no effect on a site’s presence in its organic search results, and Google never accepts money to include or rank sites there.
What access should I give a new marketing agency?
Give the minimum it needs. Keep Admin access to your Google Ads account and give the agency Standard access to edit campaigns; during an initial SEO audit, Google recommends granting only read access to Search Console.
Is it legal for an agency to buy reviews for my business?
In the United States, buying fake or positive reviews is prohibited under the FTC’s Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials, in effect since October 21, 2024, and a business can be liable if it knew or should have known the reviews were fake.
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3 Comments
Great article, yes I agree results will generally take longer to improve with startups compared with established businesses the only problem is the startups are generally the ones who can not wait 🙂
Thank you for very good post! As I understand marketing is the most important part when you start your business. But I suppose that correct business strategy is more important!
Hi Harshil Nice post.