How do you choose a Google Ads agency?
Choose a Google Ads agency on how it runs ecommerce accounts, not on its badge. The ad account should be opened in your name, the agency should audit tracking first, it should explain its Shopping and Performance Max approach with real specifics, set targets from your margins and report transparently. Ask about all of this in the first call.
This guide focuses only on hiring a Google ads agency. For a broader scorecard that covers any agency, see our guide on how to choose an ecommerce agency.
What does a Google Ads agency actually do?
A good Google Ads agency does more than switch campaigns on and off. For an ecommerce brand the job usually covers: setting up and verifying conversion tracking, managing Merchant Center and the product feed, structuring Search, Shopping, Performance Max and Demand Gen campaigns, bid strategy, search term cleanup, creative and asset testing, budget planning and regular reporting.
One agency doesn't have to do all of it. You do need to know who does what.
What does the Google Partner badge mean?
According to Google's help page, the Partner badge rests on three requirements: a minimum optimization score on the agency's manager account, USD 10,000 in ad spend across managed accounts over 90 days, and Google Ads certifications for at least half of its account strategists. Premier Partner status goes each year to the top slice of participating companies in a country.
So the badge shows that an agency manages steady spend and that its team is certified. It doesn't show ecommerce expertise. Optimization score also reflects how many of Google's recommendations get applied, and not every recommendation serves your profit. Use the badge to filter, not to decide.
Who should own the Google Ads account?
You. This one isn't up for debate. The Google Ads account should be opened under your company with your payment profile, and the agency should link to it through its own manager account (MCC). Google says users with admin access on the client account can end that link at any time. If you part ways, your history, conversion data and trained campaigns stay with you.
Know the access levels too. Google Ads offers levels such as read-only, standard and admin. Make sure at least one admin user on the account is someone from your company.
Which questions should you ask in the first call?
Get the answers in writing where you can:
- Whose name will the account be in, and whose card pays for the ads?
- How will you check tracking? Conversion tags, the GA4 link and enhanced conversions should be reviewed in week one.
- How do you structure Shopping and Performance Max? Expect concrete answers on product groups, feed titles and separating brand traffic.
- How do you set target ROAS? If they don't ask about your margins, shipping and return costs, the target is a guess.
- Who will manage my account day to day? Is the person on the sales call the person who'll run the account?
- How many accounts does each specialist handle? That number tells you how much attention you'll get.
- How often do you report, and on what? Not clicks and impressions; revenue, orders, ROAS and new customers.
- What's the plan for the first 90 days? Setup, testing and scaling steps on a timeline.
- How does your fee model work? Fixed monthly fee, spend-based or performance-based; which one, and why?
- What are the contract length and exit terms? Account handover and data delivery should be spelled out.
Google's own Think with Google questions for agency partners also cover data and measurement, privacy changes and AI. Adding them shows how well an agency understands the way Google Ads works now.
How do you tell a strong agency from a weak one?
After your calls, compare the answers against this table:
| Topic | Strong sign | Weak sign |
|---|---|---|
| Account ownership | Account in your name, agency linked via MCC | Managed inside the agency's own account |
| Tracking | Audits conversion setup first | Pitches campaigns without mentioning tracking |
| Targets | Target ROAS built from margin and shipping cost | "The industry average is X" |
| Campaign structure | Split by product group and margin | One Performance Max for everything |
| Reporting | Revenue, orders and new customers | Clicks, impressions and CTR |
| Communication | Direct line to the person running the account | Only an account manager |
| Promises | Test plan and realistic timeline | Guaranteed ROAS or ranking |
How do Google Ads agencies price their work?
Agencies usually work on one of three models. A fixed monthly fee is predictable, but as spend grows it can lose touch with the actual workload. A spend-based model rewards the agency for growing your account, though it can create a bias toward bigger budgets. A performance-based model sounds attractive, yet it breeds disputes unless tracking is beyond argument. Whatever the model, ask for the ad budget and the agency fee to be billed separately. At Performetic we share pricing in writing after the free growth audit.
At what budget does hiring an agency make sense?
There's no fixed threshold, but there is a logic. Example: for a brand spending 30,000 TL a month on ads, the agency fee can make up a big part of total cost, and a well-built account plus monthly consulting may be the better deal. At 150,000 TL a month and up, the cost of a badly structured campaign easily outweighs the cost of expert management. Decide based on what poor management would cost you, not on the fee alone.
Should you ask for an account audit before signing?
Yes, as long as you know what to look for. A serious agency will want read-only access to your current account before it sends a proposal. That's a test for both sides: how the agency presents its findings is a preview of how it'll work once it takes over. A good pre-sale audit should tell you whether conversions are counted correctly, whether brand and non-brand traffic are mixed, which products and search terms the money goes to, and whether any products are disapproved in the feed.
A deck full of generic statements, or a report that says little beyond "we'll rebuild everything", is a warning sign. Expect concrete findings, concrete recommendations and a prioritized task list. Grant read-only access for this; an audit doesn't need standard or admin rights.
What should you expect when you start?
The first two weeks usually go to the audit and tracking fixes. Then the campaign structure is rebuilt and the learning period begins. Smart bidding needs time and conversion data to settle on new targets, so a hard verdict at the end of month one is misleading. A short weekly update and a detailed monthly report is a sensible rhythm.
Performetic has been an ecommerce agency for online brands since 2020 and is a Google Partner. We describe our Google Ads approach on our performance marketing service page. If you'd like a second look at your current account, you can request a free growth audit.
Key takeaways
- The Google Partner badge shows baseline competence, not ecommerce expertise.
- The ad account should be in your name, with the agency linked through its MCC.
- A good agency audits tracking first and sets targets from your margins.
- Ask who will run your account day to day and how many accounts they handle.
- Reports should focus on revenue, orders and new customers.
- Agree the fee model and exit terms in writing before you sign.