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Questions to Ask Agencies

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Business owner reviewing marketing agency checklist

Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Agency or Freelancer

Choosing the right marketing partner can feel overwhelming. Agencies and freelancers often promise big results, but without clear answers, business owners risk wasted spend and vague deliverables. This checklist highlights the key questions to ask agencies before hiring, helping you compare proposals apples‑to‑apples and select a partner who delivers real results.

How to Use This Checklist:
• Compare every proposal using the same criteria.
• Ask each provider identical questions.
• Look for clarity, specifics, and transparency.
• Get 3 quotes to understand fair pricing.
• Verify deliverables monthly.

ASK QUESTION

Marketing Accountability Checklist

A practical guide for business owners: learn the critical questions to ask agencies and freelancers to ensure transparency, fair pricing, and real results.

Why This Matters:

Marketing services vary dramatically in depth, quality, and transparency. As a business owner, it is important for you to ask the right questions to agencies and Freelancers before you hire them.

Running a small or mid-sized business is demanding — and marketing is often where owners spend the most money but have the least visibility. Agencies sometimes present broad, attractive packages that sound impressive but lack clarity on what is actually delivered.
This checklist helps you compare services apples-to-apples, avoid vague promises, prevent wasted spend, and select a partner who delivers real results.

SEO: Why These Questions Matter?

SEO is often oversold and misunderstood. Some agencies promise page‑1 rankings or use vague language like “full SEO,” even when they only offer superficial tasks.

What to Ask:

  • Do you provide on‑page SEO (metadata, headers, internal linking, image optimization)?
  • How do you handle off‑page SEO (backlinks, citations, authority signals)?
  • Do you include technical SEO (speed, indexing, schema, core web vitals)?
  • Is local SEO part of your service (Google Business Profile optimization, local citations, map ranking)?
  • Do you create content SEO (blogs, service pages, long‑form authority content)?
  • How do you measure and report SEO performance (keywords, backlinks, citations)?
  • Can you explain AI SEO — preparing content for AI search engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, etc.?

Real SEO includes:

  • On-Page SEO 
  • Off-Page SEO 
  • Technical SEO 
  • Local SEO
  • Content SEO 

AI SEO: The New Layer Most Agencies Ignore
Traditional SEO focuses on ranking in Google’s browser results. AI Search Optimization is different: It prepares your brand to appear inside AI-generated answers from platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Copilot.
AI systems analyze:

  • structured data
  • schema markup
  • entity signals
  • authoritative long-form content
  • citations and mentions
  • accuracy of your business information across the web
    If an agency cannot explain AI SEO clearly, they are not doing it.

SEO Pitfalls:
• Guarantees of page‑1 ranking — impossible to guarantee.
• Only “blogs” disguised as SEO.
• No tracking of keywords, backlinks, or citations.
• No transparent monthly reporting.

Social media is the most commonly oversold service. Some agencies offer “12 posts per month” across multiple channels, which often means only 3–4 posts per platform.

What to Ask:
• Number of posts per channel
• Custom vs templated graphics
• Who writes captions?
• Approval timelines
• Is engagement included?
• Is reporting included?

Pitfalls
• Recycled templates across clients
• Generic posts not tailored to industry
• No strategy or content calendar
• Mistaking “activity” for meaningful content

PPC can drive fast results, but poor management wastes budget.

What to Ask:

  • Do you use manual or Smart Campaigns?
  • Do you build real search campaigns?
  • Do you include negative keywords?
  • Will you create landing pages?
  • Is call tracking included?
  • How often are campaigns optimized?

Pitfalls:

  • Smart Campaigns = low-quality leads
  • No landing pages = high bounce rate
  • Lack of reporting transparency
  • No monthly strategy review

Reviews directly influence local ranking, trust, and conversions.

What to Ask:

  • Do you automate review requests?
  • Do you send SMS + email + reminders?
  • Do you manage negative reviews?
  • Is GBP updated monthly?
  • Do you provide reporting?

Pitfalls:

  • Agencies claiming they “monitor reviews” but do not generate them
  • No system for review follow-up
  • No Google Business Page (GBP) optimization
CRM, Leads and Automation: Why These Questions Matter?

Many businesses lose leads due to poor follow-up. Your marketing partner must support the full customer journey.

What to Ask:

  • Do you set up pipelines and automations?
  • Do you build email + SMS workflows?
  • Do you track lead sources?
  • Do you provide lead attribution reporting?
  • Do you offer AI follow-up or task automation?

Pitfalls:

  • Agencies avoid CRM entirely
  • No lead attribution or pipeline tracking
  • Only emailing leads to you – not CRM management

A website is not just pages – it is your conversion engine.

What to Ask:

  • Does it include on-page SEO?
  • Mobile optimization?
  • Conversion copywriting?
  • Performance optimization?
  • Form tracking + UTM setup?
  • Is hosting included?
  • Are licensing fees disclosed?
  • Cost of adding additional web pages?

Pitfalls:

  • “Website edits” disguised as full development
  • No SEO framework
  • No conversion strategy
  • Unclear plugin or hosting fees
  • Unclear rounds of edits
  • No Meta-tags and schema included

Maintenance protects your site from downtime, errors, and security breaches.
What to Ask:
• Are daily backups included?
• Security monitoring?
• Plugin/theme updates?
• Uptime monitoring?
• Speed optimization?

Pitfalls:
• No backups
• No security
• No update schedule
• Slow shared hosting

High-quality visuals drive trust, conversions, and engagement — but some providers cut corners.

What to Ask:
• Are you using a smartphone or a professional camera?
• Do you provide lighting, microphones, or stabilization tools?
• Are drone shots included? If yes – Are you FAA‑licensed? Are you insured? Who is liable during flight?
• Who directs the shoot — you or the videographer?
• Do you provide raw footage?
• Do you include revisions?
• Is licensed music included? (important for ads)
• Can you provide vertical formats for Reels, TikTok, and Shorts?
• Do you offer teleprompter support for founders or staff?

Pitfalls:
• Smartphone-only filming with poor lighting
• No stabilization footage
• No clear direction provided on shoot day
• Unlicensed drone operation (major liability)
• Use of copyrighted music that can get ads removed
• No editing included — only raw footage
• No usage rights specified

Here are some additional resources: