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The right questions separate a great agency from an expensive mistake. Pick the services you're hiring for and get a tailored checklist of questions to ask, plus the red flags to watch, ready to copy or download.
# Marketing Agency Vetting Checklist
## Questions to ask every agency
- [ ] Can you share 2-3 reference clients I can actually speak with (not just testimonials)?
- [ ] Who exactly will work on my account day to day, and what is their seniority?
- [ ] What does your onboarding look like in the first 30 / 60 / 90 days?
- [ ] How do you report results, how often, and against which metrics?
- [ ] What is the contract length, notice period, and what happens to my data and assets if we part ways?
- [ ] Is the budget a retainer, project fee, or performance-based, and what is included?
- [ ] How do you handle work that underperforms, and have you ever fired a client or been fired?
## SEO
- [ ] What is your approach to link building, and do you follow Google's guidelines?
- [ ] How do you handle technical SEO, content, and on-page work — in-house or outsourced?
- [ ] Can you show organic growth you drove for a client in my niche (with timelines)?
- [ ] How do you measure SEO success beyond rankings (traffic, conversions, revenue)?
## Red flags to watch for
- Guarantees of specific rankings, sales numbers, or 'we'll 10x your revenue'.
- Vague deliverables ('we'll handle your marketing') with no concrete scope or KPIs.
- No named team — you'll likely be handed to junior staff or offshore subcontractors.
- Pressure to sign a long contract immediately with no trial or break clause.
- They own your accounts, domains, or ad data instead of you.
- Reluctance to share references or anonymized past results.
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Checklist from pickanagency.com/tools/agency-vetting-checklistGet matched with vetted agencies →Tailored by service
Questions specific to SEO, ads, web, content and more.
Red flags included
The warning signs to walk away from.
Copy or download
Take it into your agency calls. Free, no signup.
Send your brief first, then use the call to pressure-test specifics: ask for named team members, real references, and concrete examples in your niche. Watch how they handle the harder questions, evasiveness is itself an answer. Before you sign, sanity-check the budget with the cost calculator.
Ask for real references you can speak with, who specifically will work on your account, how they report results and against which metrics, the contract terms and exit clause, and how they handle work that underperforms. The checklist above tailors these to the exact services you're hiring for.
Guarantees of specific results, vague deliverables with no KPIs, no named team, pressure to sign a long contract immediately, and the agency owning your accounts or data instead of you. Any of these is worth pausing on.
Both, but references matter more. Case studies are curated; a 10-minute call with a past client tells you how the agency actually works, communicates and handles problems. A good agency will happily connect you with one or two.
Use the free Get Matched tool to get 5 fitted agencies for your service, budget and location in about 60 seconds, then run each through this checklist.
Tell us your service, budget and location, and get 5 fitted agencies in about 60 seconds.