Interactive Scorecard

Is My Agency Actually Performing?

A 10-question diagnostic that scores your current agency relationship. Get a personalized report with what metrics to demand and red flags to watch for.

3 min quiz + 5 min read Updated Mar 11, 2026 E-commerce, Home Services, SaaS / B2B

Not sure if your PPC agency is actually earning their fee? This 10-question scorecard evaluates the critical areas where agencies either deliver or fail. Answer honestly, and you will get a clear picture of where your agency stands and what to do about it.

Question of 10

Your Agency Performance Score

Red Flags Found
Strong Areas
Overall Grade

Score by Category

Red Flags

Top Recommendation

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How This Scorecard Works

The scorecard evaluates your agency across five critical categories: Transparency & Access, Communication & Reporting, Strategy & Testing, Performance & Results, and Account Management. Each question is scored 0 to 10 based on your answer, and scores are weighted by category importance.

Score Range Grade Meaning
80-100 A Your agency is performing well. Focus on maintaining the relationship and pushing for continuous improvement.
60-79 B Solid performance with room for improvement. Address the gaps identified in your report.
40-59 C Mediocre performance. Have a serious conversation with your agency about the issues flagged.
20-39 D Significant problems. Give your agency 30 days to address the red flags or start looking for alternatives.
0-19 F Critical failure. Your agency is not delivering basic expectations. Strongly consider switching immediately.

Universal Red Flags (Regardless of Score)

Some issues are dealbreakers regardless of your overall score. If any of these apply, address them immediately.

  • You do not own your ad accounts. If your agency runs ads in their own accounts and you cannot access them, you are locked in. You lose all data and campaign history if you leave.
  • No conversion tracking. If your agency cannot tell you exactly how many leads or sales your ads generated, they are flying blind. This is PPC 101.
  • No strategy calls. If you never speak with the person actually managing your campaigns, you have no visibility into what is happening with your money.
  • Same campaigns for 6+ months. If nothing has changed in your account structure, ad copy, or targeting in six months, your agency is on autopilot.
  • Reporting only on vanity metrics. If your reports show impressions and clicks but never mention cost per lead, ROAS, or cost per acquisition, the agency is hiding poor results behind big numbers.

What to Demand From Your PPC Agency

Whether you keep your current agency or switch, these are the non-negotiable standards every business should require.

  1. Full admin access to all ad accounts. Your business should own every Google Ads, Meta Ads, and LinkedIn Ads account. Period.
  2. Monthly performance reports with business metrics. Not just clicks and impressions. CPA, ROAS, lead volume, lead quality, and month-over-month trends.
  3. Strategy calls at least monthly. A live conversation with the person managing your campaigns, not just an account manager relaying information.
  4. Documented testing roadmap. Your agency should be running at least 2 to 4 tests per month (ad copy, audiences, landing pages, bid strategies) and sharing results.
  5. Conversion tracking audit. Ask your agency to verify that every conversion action is tracking correctly. Inaccurate tracking means every other metric is wrong.
  6. Clear response to "What did you change this week?" If your agency cannot answer this question every week, they are not actively managing your account.

Methodology & Sources

Scoring criteria based on industry-standard agency performance expectations from WordStream, Google Partner requirements, HubSpot Agency Research, and Search Engine Journal best practices. Red flags and benchmarks reflect consensus recommendations from agency management experts and published client satisfaction research.

  • WordStream, "How to Evaluate Your PPC Agency," 2024
  • Google, "Google Partner and Premier Partner Requirements," 2024
  • HubSpot, "Agency Client Retention and Satisfaction Research," 2024
  • Search Engine Journal, "Signs Your PPC Agency Is Underperforming," 2024
  • Databox, "Agency Reporting Best Practices," 2024

Frequently Asked Questions

A performing agency delivers consistent improvement in your key metrics (CPA, ROAS, lead volume) over time, communicates proactively with clear reporting, tests new strategies regularly, and can explain their decisions with data. If your results have been flat for 3+ months, your agency is not answering your questions clearly, or you have no idea what they are doing on a weekly basis, those are signs of underperformance.

Month 1 should include a full account audit, campaign restructuring if needed, conversion tracking verification, and a baseline performance report. Month 2 should show initial optimizations taking effect with declining CPAs. By Month 3, you should see clear trendlines: is CPA going down? Is lead quality improving? If after 90 days there is no measurable improvement and no clear explanation why, it is time to have a serious conversation.

At minimum: a written performance report every month with key metrics, spend, and next steps. Many top agencies provide weekly dashboards or Slack updates. You should also have a live strategy call at least once per month (every two weeks is better). If you only hear from your agency when you reach out first, that is a red flag.

At minimum: cost per acquisition (CPA) or cost per lead (CPL), return on ad spend (ROAS), conversion rate, click-through rate (CTR), and quality score. For lead gen businesses, they should also track lead quality and close rate. If your agency only reports on clicks and impressions but cannot tell you what it costs to acquire a customer, they are not doing their job.

Absolutely yes. You should own your Google Ads, Meta Ads, and all other ad accounts. Your agency should operate as a manager on YOUR accounts, not run ads in their own accounts on your behalf. If your agency will not give you admin access to your own ad accounts, that is one of the biggest red flags in the industry. It means they are holding your data and campaign history hostage.

Consider switching if: results have declined or stagnated for 3+ months with no plan to fix it, your agency cannot explain what they are doing or why, you do not own your ad accounts, they refuse to share performance data, communication is consistently poor, or they are not testing anything new. Before firing, have one direct conversation about your concerns. If they cannot address them within 30 days, it is time to move on.

What Our Clients Say

Real feedback from the businesses we work with every day.

Vault Light

Snow was fantastic to work with. She provides clear, well-thought-out explanations, takes the time to understand your concerns, and follows through with excellent execution. She is extremely reliable and always answers emails promptly, which made the entire process stress-free. We initially struggled with low customer activity and store sales, but since working with Snow, everything has gone up. She also quickly took care of a major bot issue we were dealing with. Our customer base, customer activity, and sales have all increased since we started working with her. She has definitely made a huge impact on our business, and we will continue to retain her services. I highly recommend her services.

Dan Teramoto

Sales Manager, Vault Light

ACACIA

We have been working with Snow for over a year now. She is wonderful! Snow has taken the time to deeply understand our brand, goals, and the message behind our overall strategy. Month over month, she has remained highly attentive to performance, consistently providing thoughtful recommendations that enhance not only our paid search efforts but the broader customer experience as well. I highly recommend working with her.

Kiana Kanoa

Brand Director, ACACIA

GymTonic

We were lucky to have Snow when looking to elevate GymTonic's digital presence. With a limited budget and a small target area, we needed precise targeting to generate high-quality leads. Thanks to Snow, we've maintained steady lead generation while significantly improving our conversion rate. She fine-tuned our targeting so the leads walking through our doors are almost always ready to buy. Snow is an incredible partner—always delivering, even with last-minute requests. We deeply value her contributions!

Joseph Calinda

Marketing Director, GymTonic

Elevated Diversity

Snow turned our struggling PPC campaigns around by implementing a strategic, data-driven approach. She took the time to understand our industry, refine targeting, and optimize our campaigns, leading to higher-quality leads and improved conversion rates. Her proactive communication, quick execution, and dedication made a significant impact, ensuring our marketing efforts delivered real results. Snow has been an invaluable partner, always reliable and committed to our success.

Rhonda Moret

CEO, Elevated Diversity

Goodwear

After a terrible experience with a previous Google agency, we turned to Snow for expert guidance in scaling our paid search profitably. She immediately took control, making smart, calculated changes that delivered quick results. She optimized our audience targeting, leveraged all Google channels, and introduced a feed management service that significantly improved our Shopping performance. Snow exceeded expectations after such a horrible experience with the previous agencies we've worked with, putting them to shame!

Peter Liquori

CEO, Goodwear

Grant Stone

We had several changes leading up to the holidays, but Snow stood out as the most attentive ad expert we've worked with! She went above and beyond, reaching out multiple times a week, making impactful campaign changes, and providing frequent updates. Her proactive approach and dedication made a real difference—I couldn't be happier with the experience!

Wyatt Gilmore

CEO, Grant Stone

Spear Physical Therapy

With a new website, applicant tracking system, and campaign, we needed to define and measure success. Snow helped identify tracking needs, supported us through verification, and ensured our Google campaigns and GA functions were set up properly. Her patience and expertise made the process smooth and successful!

Sarah Maurer

Marketing Director, Spear Physical Therapy

HookSounds

Paid marketing was a previously untapped channel for us. Snow has been great at giving us many different ideas on how to improve our offerings to better suit our ad strategy. She has been a great asset to our team, filling in a knowledge gap in paid marketing for us. She is quick to implement changes and seems dedicated to helping us achieve our goals. Personally she is easy to work with and she really does feel like part of our team which I appreciate.

Braydon Nelson

CEO, HookSounds

The Cover Guy

I am very pleased with the work Snow has done as our account manager. She is extremely knowledgeable and has consistently demonstrated her expertise in paid search advertising. Her in-depth understanding of our account and its needs has been invaluable, and I feel confident that our paid search efforts are in excellent hands, with her leading the day-to-day management. Snow is a key asset to our team!

Ryan Ellison

Marketing Director, The Cover Guy

Black Halo

Working with Snow on Black Halo's paid advertising campaign is a great experience. As the brand navigates a transformation, we need to continue selling our existing inventory while maintaining profitability. Snow plays a crucial role in helping us achieve a 4X ROAS or higher, ensuring that we move through excess units efficiently. Her communication, implementation, and dedication are exceptional—she is always accessible, reliable, and proactive in optimizing our campaigns.

Kim LaFleur

Marketing Director, Black Halo

I cannot tell you how much Sarah and I appreciate what you're doing, and you're probably adding years onto my life. So I really appreciate that for me and my kids.

Alex Woods

VP of Sales

VOLO Beauty

Working with Snow has been such a win for VOLO. She has worked to fully understand our brand, our customer, and our goals, and translated that into a paid media strategy that really worked. She helped us cut through the noise in a competitive space, making smart, data-backed decisions that elevated our performance without sacrificing profitability. We're so grateful for her partnership and would absolutely recommend her to any brand looking to grow with intention.

Carrie Goldman

Founder, VOLO Beauty

FragranceBuy

Working with Snow has been a great experience. We were dealing with unclear reporting and declining performance before, and Snow helped bring structure, transparency, and confidence back into our paid media efforts. From fixing tracking issues to building a more intentional, segmented campaign strategy, the impact was clear both in performance and decision-making. Overall, a strong partner who understands both the technical and strategic side of growth.

T. Touayba

Marketing Director, FragranceBuy

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