· 2 min read · Bookwell
9 questions to ask before you hire a Google Ads agency
What to ask any ad agency before you sign, and the answers that should make you walk away. Written for contractors and restaurant owners.
Most business owners who've been burned by an ad agency say the same thing: "I didn't know what to ask." Here are the questions we'd ask if we were hiring us, and what a good answer sounds like.
1. Whose name is the ad account in?
Good answer: yours. You own it, you can log in any time, and you keep it if you leave. Walk away if: the agency owns the account and "gives you reports".
2. Can I see what I'm spending, myself?
You should be able to log in to Google Ads and see every dollar. Ad spend should be charged to your card, not marked up and resold to you.
3. How do you charge?
Common options are a flat monthly fee, a percentage of ad spend, or pay-per-lead. None is automatically bad, but you should know which one, and why. We explain the trade-offs in management fee vs. ad spend.
4. How long is the contract?
Ads need a little time to learn, so a short minimum is normal. A year-long lock-in with no way out is not.
5. What do you count as a result?
Good answer: calls, booked jobs, reservations or orders, and what each one cost. Walk away if: the report is mostly "impressions" and "clicks" with no idea which ones made you money.
6. How will I know which calls came from ads?
Ask about call tracking and form tracking. Without it, nobody can tell you what's working, including the agency.
7. Who actually works on my account?
Is it the person you're talking to, or a rotating team? How often do they make changes? Weekly is a good sign.
8. Can I talk to a real person when something's wrong?
You should be able to reach someone, in writing, and get a reply within a business day.
9. What happens when I cancel?
You keep the account, the campaigns, the history and the data. No "setup fees" to get your own stuff back.
The short version
Own your accounts, see your own spend, know how they charge, and get reports about jobs and bookings, not just clicks. If an agency gets awkward about any of that, keep looking.
That's how we work at Bookwell: flat published pricing, your accounts stay yours, and a client portal where you can see every number. If you'd like us to look at your current setup, ask for a free audit.