Guide · Hiring
Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Google Ads Agency
Before a contractor hires any Google Ads agency, ask who owns the ad account, what counts as a lead, who does the work day to day, whether you can see the search terms, how ad spend is paid, whether they work with your competitors, where the clicks land, and how you leave. Here is what a good answer to each sounds like, including mine.
Elijah Nawrot · Google Partner · Updated September 24, 2026
Who owns the Google Ads account?
A good answer
You do, from day one, and the agency has access to it.
A red flag
The account is theirs and you "get the data" if you leave. Without the account you lose its history, and a new account starts learning from nothing.
Mine
The ad account, the Local Services profile, the Business Profile and the landing page are in your name.
What counts as a lead?
A good answer
A phone call or a form submission from a person, with calls over a set length counted separately from hang-ups.
A red flag
"Conversions" with no definition.
Mine
Calls and forms only, calls recorded.
I have taken over an account reporting $20.06 a lead where every conversion was a page view. The case study.
Charlotte Premier Roofing
Cost per lead the account reported
$20.06
One week, Jan 10 to 17, 2026.
11 conversions that week. Every one of them was a page view.
Google Search. Source: Google Ads UI screenshots.
What a real lead cost in the first 30 days after the rebuild
$265.64
30 days, after the rebuild.
Non-brand Google Search, calls and form fills only. Source: the Google Ads account, re-counted.
What a real lead cost from Google Search
$198.93
30 days, Sept 2 to Oct 1, 2026.
Non-brand Google Search, calls and form fills only. Source: the Google Ads account: 12 calls and form fills on $2,387.14.
Who does the work day to day?
A good answer
A named person, the one you will talk to.
A red flag
A salesperson on the call and an account manager you never meet, handling dozens of accounts.
Mine
Me. I plan the account, sign off on every change, and I'm the one you talk to.
Can I see the search terms?
A good answer
Yes, anytime, because it is your account. The search terms report shows what people actually typed before they clicked, and it is where most wasted spend shows up.
A red flag
Reports with impressions and clicks but no search terms.
How is ad spend paid, and is it marked up?
A good answer
Your card, straight to Google, never through the agency.
A red flag
One bill that combines the fee and the spend, so you cannot see what reached Google.
Mine
Ad spend goes from your card to Google. The management fee is separate, from $1,500 a month.
Do you work with my competitors?
A good answer
Not in your area, and they can say what "area" means.
A red flag
A vague yes. Two roofers in one county bidding on the same searches through one agency is a conflict of interest.
Mine
One company per trade per county, or a 30-minute radius around you instead.
Where do the clicks land?
A good answer
A landing page built for the ad, with the phone number on the first screen and a short form.
A red flag
Your homepage. Paying for a click and then making a homeowner go looking wastes the click.
Mine
I build the landing page as part of the setup.
How do I leave?
A good answer
Month to month, and everything keeps working when you go.
A red flag
A twelve-month term, or tracking phone numbers the agency keeps.
Mine
Month to month. The account, the page and the tracking numbers stay in your name.
One more: will you tell me if it won't work?
The most useful thing an agency can do on a first call is say no when the numbers don't support it. If your budget is too small for Search, your jobs too small, or your county too quiet, a good agency says so before taking the money. I will.
Elijah Nawrot, founder of Red Orca Digital. Three years on roofs, four running paid ads for roofing companies. Red Orca is a Google Partner. More about me.
Last updated September 24, 2026
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Ask me all eight
Put these questions to me on the estimate call.
Thirty minutes on a screen share. Bring your current agency's reports and I'll tell you what they show.
- No account access needed
- If the numbers don't work, I'll say so
- Your trade and county
- Pick a call time on the next screen
- 30-minute screen share