The majority of PPC agency relationships fail not because of incompetence, but because of poor communication from the start. Brands approach agencies with vague goals like \increase sales\ or \improve ROAS\ without providing the context needed to build effective campaigns.
A weak brief forces the agency to make assumptions about your business model, margins, and priorities. These assumptions compound over time, leading to misaligned strategies and disappointing results.
Common briefing mistakes include:
The solution is a structured, comprehensive brief that sets clear expectations from day one.
Before approaching any agency, compile the following information to ensure productive conversations and accurate proposals.
Provide a clear description of your business model, target markets, and competitive landscape. Include your average order value, customer lifetime value if known, and typical purchase journey length.
Share at least 12 months of advertising data, including spend, revenue, ROAS, and conversion rates by channel. If you use feed management tools, provide access to product performance data as well.
Agencies need to understand which products drive profit, not just revenue. Share margin data at the category or product level if possible—this enables smarter bidding strategies.
Document your current tech stack: CMS platform, analytics setup, conversion tracking implementation, and any existing automation tools. This helps agencies assess integration requirements.
Tip: Create a shared folder with historical reports, brand guidelines, and product feeds before your first agency call. Agencies that receive organized briefs can provide more accurate proposals and faster onboarding.
One of the most critical distinctions in any agency brief is separating business-level objectives from channel-level KPIs.
Business goals describe what you want to achieve overall:
Channel goals are tactical metrics within specific platforms:
A good agency translates your business goals into appropriate channel targets. A great agency challenges channel targets that conflict with business objectives. For example, understanding ROAS campaign structures helps agencies set realistic targets based on your margin requirements.
Granting agency access to your advertising accounts requires balancing operational needs with security concerns.
Provide admin access to ad platforms for day-to-day management, but retain ownership of all accounts. Use Google Ads Manager accounts and Meta Business Manager to grant access without transferring ownership.
For analytics, provide read access initially and expand permissions as the relationship develops. Never share passwords—use platform-native access controls instead.
Establish clear terms around data ownership, confidentiality, and what happens when the relationship ends. Your data belongs to you, and any agency should provide full exports of campaign structures and historical performance upon termination.
Quality proposals demonstrate that the agency has invested time in understanding your business before pitching solutions.
Generic proposals that could apply to any business signal low effort or high-volume sales tactics. Watch for promises of specific results before seeing your data, or proposals that focus entirely on tactics without connecting to business outcomes.
The questions you ask during agency evaluation reveal more than any case study or credential.
Ask about their approach to Performance Max campaigns—do they understand asset requirements, audience signals, and how to diagnose underperforming segments? Agencies should demonstrate familiarity with PMax best practices and explain their optimization methodology.
Other revealing questions include:
Certain behaviors during the sales process predict future problems. Be cautious when you encounter these warning signs.
No legitimate agency can guarantee specific ROAS or revenue outcomes. Too many variables—market conditions, competition, product quality, website experience—sit outside their control.
Agencies that resist explaining their methods, refuse to share detailed reports, or insist on managing campaigns through their own accounts are prioritizing their interests over yours.
If an agency jumps straight to tactics without asking about your margins, customers, or growth constraints, they are selling a service rather than solving your problem.
Meaningful PPC improvements typically take 60-90 days to materialize. Agencies promising dramatic changes in weeks are either inexperienced or overselling.
Tip: Request references from clients in similar verticals or with comparable budgets. A confident agency will connect you with current clients who can speak honestly about the working relationship.
Clear accountability structures prevent misunderstandings and enable productive performance conversations.
Identify one primary metric that defines success—typically ROAS, CPA, or revenue at target margin. Add two or three secondary metrics that provide context, such as impression share, click-through rate, or new customer acquisition percentage.
Monthly performance reviews should be standard, with quarterly strategic discussions to assess broader trends and adjust direction. Define what triggers an ad-hoc review—significant spend increases, new product launches, or performance drops beyond acceptable variance.
Clarify who handles creative production, landing page optimization, feed management, and cross-channel coordination. Ambiguity in responsibilities leads to gaps in execution.
Healthy agency relationships include clear exit terms. Define notice periods, data handover requirements, and any transition support the agency will provide.
Hiring a PPC agency is a significant decision that shapes your ecommerce marketing trajectory
