Is Your Agency Actually Doing Anything? 7 Questions to Ask
You pay a monthly retainer. You receive a monthly report. You have a monthly call. But between those touch points, what actually happens?
This is not about trust. It is about visibility. Most brands have no way to evaluate whether their agency is actively managing their account or simply watching it.
1. What Changed in the Account This Month?
Not what happened. What changed. Specifically.
If the answer is "we adjusted bids" or "we monitored performance," that is not management. That is observation.
Look for structural changes: new campaign segments, removed negative keywords, tested ad copy, restructured product groups. If nothing structural has changed, ask why.
2. What Did You Test and What Did You Learn?
Active management requires experimentation. If nothing is being tested, nothing is being learned.
The test does not need to be dramatic. But there should always be something running that could change how the account operates if it succeeds.
3. What Would You Do Differently With More Budget?
A good agency should have a clear answer to this question. They should know exactly where additional spend would go and what it would achieve.
If the answer is vague ("we would scale what is working"), they have not done the analysis. They are reacting rather than planning.
4. What Are You Choosing Not to Spend On?
This question reveals commercial judgment.
An agency that cannot articulate what they are avoiding, and why, is not making active decisions. They are letting the algorithm decide and calling it strategy. This is particularly important with Performance Max, where the platform obscures what is actually happening.
5. How Does This Account Compare to Similar Brands You Manage?
Context matters. Your 3.2x ROAS might be excellent or terrible depending on your sector, average order value, and margin structure.
If your agency cannot benchmark your performance against comparable accounts, they either do not have comparable accounts or have not done the analysis.
6. What Is Your Biggest Concern About This Account?
A good agency should be worried about something. Markets change. Competitors move. Platform updates create risk.
If the answer is "nothing, everything is fine," that is not confidence. That is complacency.
7. What Happens If You Stop Managing This Account for a Month?
This question sounds confrontational, but it reveals whether management is proactive or reactive.
If the answer is "performance would probably stay similar," you are paying for monitoring. If the answer is "it would start to drift because we are actively counteracting X, Y, and Z," you are paying for management.
The Uncomfortable Truth
Some agencies are excellent. Some agencies are collecting retainers while algorithms do the work. The difference is not always visible in monthly reports.
These questions are designed to create visibility. If your agency answers them confidently and specifically, you probably have a good partner. If the answers are vague or defensive, you have information you did not have before.
You might also find our internal vs agency comparison helpful for understanding what you should expect from any external partner.
Want an external perspective on whether your account is being actively managed? Book a 30-minute review and we will tell you what we see. Here is how we audit accounts so you know what to expect.