Start with ownership and access
Your company should own the Google Ads account, analytics properties, Tag Manager and core landing-page assets wherever practical.
Agency access should be granted through proper user or manager links, not shared passwords.
- Client-owned Google Ads account
- Named user access
- No shared credentials
- Clear offboarding process
Ask how they define a conversion
If the answer is every form and phone click, the reporting may look better than the business feels.
The agency should distinguish tracking events from qualified leads and sales outcomes.
- Primary and secondary conversions
- Call-quality process
- CRM or offline conversion plan
- Duplicate-tag audit
Look for diagnosis before expansion
A serious audit checks search terms, locations, devices, bidding, ads, assets, landing pages and conversion definitions before recommending more campaign types.
Performance Max, broad match and automation are tools, not default answers.
- Search-term evidence
- Budget by intent
- Landing-page review
- Policy and account-risk review
- 90-day test priorities