The short answer
Four questions tell you most: does the account belong to you, how do they verify conversions are real, what would they advise you to stop, and what happens to everything if the relationship ends.
None of these requires technical knowledge to ask or to judge.
Own your own accounts
The ad accounts, the analytics and the tag configuration should be in your organisation's name with the agency granted access. An account owned by the agency means leaving costs you the history.
- Ad platform accounts in your business name
- Analytics owned by you
- Tag management owned by you
- Agency has access, not ownership
- You can revoke that access yourself
This is the single most consequential item on the list and it is straightforward to check. An agency reluctant to move ownership is telling you something.
How do they know the numbers are real
| Answer | Reading |
|---|---|
| They verify conversions end to end periodically | Good |
| They reconcile against your enquiry records | Very good |
| They report what the platform says | Thin |
| They cannot explain the gap to your CRM | Concerning |
An agency that has never reconciled platform conversions against your actual enquiries is reporting a number it has not checked.
What would you tell us to stop
An agency that only ever recommends more is selling capacity. One that will tell you a campaign is not working, or that your budget is better spent on the website, is thinking about your outcome.
Ask for an example from another client, anonymised. A real answer is a good sign.
Exit terms
- Notice period, and whether it is symmetrical.
- Account ownership transfer, which should be nothing to transfer.
- What documentation you receive.
- Whether campaigns keep running during notice.
- Who holds the creative assets and in what format.
Agreeing this at the start costs nothing. Agreeing it during a breakdown costs considerably more.