Ever feel like your PPC campaigns are burning cash faster than a wildfire, with nothing but smoke to show for it? You’re not alone—a lot of people just like you are fed up watching their ad budget vanish without a trace of results. But picture this: what if those same campaigns could become your secret weapon, fueling growth with clicks that count? A kickass PPC agency can make that happen—think sharper targeting, juicier ROI, and ads that don’t just sit there but sell. With a million agencies out there, though, how do you pick the one that gets you? Stick with us—we’re revealing seven must-know tips to find the PPC partner that fits your vibe, budget, and big dreams. By the end, you’ll be ready to choose like a pro.
Selecting the right PPC agency is crucial—it can be the difference between wasted ad spend and a campaign that drives real, measurable results. In this guide, we’ll walk you through seven essential tips to help you find the perfect PPC partner for your business. By the end, you’ll feel confident in your ability to make an informed decision that aligns with your goals, budget, and values.
Pick an agency that can prove three things:
- they align PPC to your unit economics (ROAS/MER, CAC, LTV),
- they measure accurately (tracking, attribution, CRM/GA4 integrations),
- and they iterate relentlessly (testing roadmap for keywords, audiences, creatives, and landing pages). Insist on transparency, account ownership, and a 90-day pilot with success criteria.
Step 1: Define Success Before You Shop
Primary goal: Purchases, qualified leads, demos, subscription trials, or Amazon sales.
North-star metrics: ROAS/MER, CAC, LTV:CAC, payback period; Amazon ACoS/TACoS.
Constraints: Margins, inventory/lead capacity, geography, compliance.
Starting point: Existing data, ad accounts, past tests, tracking status.
If you can’t define success, no agency can hit it. Write a 1-page brief first.
Step 2: Shortlist the Right Kind of Agencies
- Business model match: E-commerce, Amazon-native, B2B lead gen, SaaS, local services.
- Channel fit: Google/Microsoft Search & Shopping/PMax, Meta/Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Amazon Ads (Sponsored Products/Brands/Display), TikTok.
- Ticket size & stage: Early validation vs. scaling ($10k to $500k+ monthly spend).
- Vertical realities: Regulated industries, seasonality, high CPC niches, long sales cycles.
Step 3: What Great PPC Agencies Actually Do
Strategy & planning: Channel mix, funnel design, offer strategy, forecast scenarios.
Measurement: GA4, pixels, Conversion API/server-side, CRM/Offline conversions, call tracking.
Account architecture: Brand vs non-brand, prospecting vs retargeting, match-type control, feed design (Shopping/PMax), Amazon keyword & product targeting.
Creative & copy ops: Hook testing, concepts by funnel stage, fatigue management, UGC/video specs.
Landing pages & CRO: Speed, clarity, social proof, form friction; retail-readiness/A+ on Amazon.
Optimization: Negative keywords, audience exclusions, bid strategies, placements, dayparting.
Experimentation cadence: Hypothesis → test plan → minimum sample size → decision.
Reporting: Actionable dashboards tied to profit, not vanity.
Step 4: The Due-Diligence Checklist (Ask for Evidence)
Tracking & Attribution
- Do they audit GA4/CAPI/server-side tracking?
- Can they show an attribution map (ad → lead → pipeline → revenue)?
- How do they import offline conversions/CRM stages?
Strategy & Structure
- Show a before/after account rebuild. Why this structure? What changed?
- How do they separate brand vs non-brand and control cannibalization?
- How do they handle PMax (feed hygiene, asset groups, signals) without “set & forget”?
Creative & CRO
- What’s their creative refresh cadence? Who sources UGC?
- Will they propose offer and landing experiments (not just ad tweaks)?
Optimization Discipline
- Negative keyword system? Query mining process?
- Guardrails for learning budgets vs scaling winners?
- How do they run incrementality tests (geo splits/holdouts) when appropriate?
Amazon Specifics (if relevant)
- Brand defense vs conquesting strategy, product/keyword targeting, couponing, pricing tests.
- ACoS vs TACoS management, retail-readiness playbook, review velocity plans.
People & Process
- Who’s on the account weekly? Seniority? Bandwidth (accounts per manager)?
- Cadence: weekly snapshots; monthly deep dives with actions/next tests.
Step 5: Red Flags (Walk Away If You See These)
Guaranteed ROAS/CAC claims.
No negative keywords, broad match everywhere, or “PMax solves everything.”
Reporting fixated on CTR/Impressions without ROAS/CAC/LTV.
Won’t give you admin access or refuse to build in your ad accounts.
“We’ll figure tracking out later.” (You won’t. And you’ll pay for it.)
One-time setup, no testing roadmap, “set and forget” management.
Step 6: Pricing & Terms (What’s Normal)
- Retainer: Predictable for ongoing ops and testing.
- % of spend: Common at scale; ensure incentives don’t reward waste.
- Hybrid: Smaller base + variable component.
- Onboarding/project fee: For rebuilds, feed fixes, tracking.
- Performance kicker (optional): Tie to clearly defined profit KPIs, not vanity.
Contract sanity checks
- 30–45 day out clause after pilot; no long lock-ins up front.
- You own everything: accounts, data, creatives, landing pages, feeds.
- Clear IP & data clauses; GDPR/CCPA-aware processes if applicable.
Step 7: Run a 90-Day Pilot With Success Criteria
Week 0–2: Tracking QA, account (re)architecture, creative backlog, landing audit.
Week 3–6: Launch + tighten (query pruning, audience shaping), first creative/CRO tests.
Week 7–12: Scale winners, expand intelligently, present a Q2 roadmap.
Success bar: Pre-agreed ROAS/CAC/ACoS targets, or statistically valid progress markers if cycles are long.
A Simple Scoring Matrix (Customize the Weights)
| Criterion | Weight | Agency A | Agency B | Agency C |
|---|
| Measurement & Attribution | 15% |
| Strategy & Account Architecture | 15% |
| Creative & CRO Capability | 15% |
| Channel Ops (Search/Shopping/Amazon) | 10% |
| Results & Case Studies (Similar niche) | 10% |
| Team Seniority & Bandwidth | 10% |
| Experimentation Cadence & Process | 10% |
| Reporting & Communication | 5% |
| Pricing & Contract Terms | 5% |
| Cultural Fit & Transparency | 5% |
| Total | 100 % |
Tip: Ask each agency to walk through one real test—goal, hypothesis, setup, sample size, result, next step.
RFP Prompt You Can Send (Copy/Paste)
Subject: PPC Agency Shortlist – Brief & Questions
Two relevant case studies with learnings (wins and misses)
Business model & goal (1–2 lines):
Monthly budget range & current channels:
Primary KPIs (ROAS/MER, CAC, ACoS/TACoS, payback):
Tracking stack (GA4, CAPI, CRM) & gaps:
Biggest challenges last 90 days:
What we need from you:
- 90-day plan with milestones/tests
- Proposed account structure (high level)
- Tracking & reporting approach (+ sample dashboard)
- Team roster (roles/seniority/bandwidth)
- Pricing & contract terms
FAQs
How big should our budget be to hire an agency?
Enough to reach statistical significance on key tests. For many accounts, $3k–$10k+/mo in media can justify an agency; Amazon varies with catalog size and goals.
Can one agency handle both PPC and CRO/creative?
Yes—if they have dedicated specialists and a testing process. Otherwise, keep PPC accountable for a CRO backlog even if another team executes.
What if our sales cycle is long?
Use lead quality, pipeline stages, and modeled conversions while building the dataset for revenue-based optimization.
Bottom Line
Choose the agency that proves it can measure correctly, align to your economics, and run a disciplined testing machine—not the one with the flashiest pitch deck. Start with a 90-day pilot, own your data and accounts, and insist on transparent reporting tied to profit.
If you’d like, I can tailor a 1-page agency brief and a custom scoring matrix for your business model (e-com, Amazon, B2B/SaaS, local services).