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Part of How to compare and score PPC agency reviews explained
How to run a PPC agencies product comparison that survives scrutiny
How to compare PPC agencies on the same paid-search brief: account ownership, fee models, measurement and compliance, scored with weights set in advance.
What to take away
A PPC agencies product comparison puts every agency against the same paid-search brief and scores what each would actually run for you, not what its pitch deck promises.
- Write one brief covering platforms, spend band and reporting, and send it unchanged to every agency.
- Score account ownership, fee model, measurement and compliance, because these are where paid-search agencies differ most.
- Fix the weights before you read any proposal.
- Keep a dated note of each score and its source.
Start with one written brief
Paid-search agencies bundle different things. One quote covers Google Search and Shopping only, another adds Microsoft Advertising, feed management, landing pages and analytics. Before anyone pitches, write down the platforms, the monthly media budget, the reporting cadence and the contract term, and ask every agency to price that page.
Compare scope, not totals
Agency A
- Monthly fee
- £2,500
- Feed management
- Excluded
- Channels
- Paid search
- Reporting cadence
- Monthly
- Contract term
- 12 months
Agency B
- Monthly fee
- £3,200
- Feed management
- Included
- Channels
- Search + shopping
- Reporting cadence
- Weekly
- Contract term
- 6 months
Spend band matters. A team spending £30,000 a month, for example, is buying a different service from one spending £3,000, even where the fee schedule looks similar. See the agency delivery models that sit behind those quotes before you treat two prices as equal.
Where scopes genuinely differ, compare the difference rather than the total. As an illustration, a retainer of £2,500 a month that excludes feed management is not cheaper than £3,200 a month that includes it.
The six criteria that separate paid-search agencies
Pick criteria that a PPC buyer can verify, then set the weights before reading proposals. An illustrative split that adds to 100 might be:
Adjust the weights to your situation. A retailer with a large product feed might raise measurement, while a regulated advertiser would raise compliance. What matters is that the split is written down and dated before the first pitch.
What each claim should come with
Each claim in a pitch should arrive with something you can open, read or ring.
| Claim | Evidence to request | Weak signal |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery results | Dated account extract, named client contact | Screenshot with no dates |
| Cost control | Fee schedule with commission lines | One blended retainer figure |
| Measurement | Named tracking owner, event list | Dashboard walkthrough only |
| Compliance | Written data flow and consent map | Verbal assurance |
Add account ownership to that list. Ask for written confirmation that your business owns the ad account and the agency is linked as a manager, so the history stays with you if you leave. A Google Partner badge shows the agency met Google's spend, performance and certification thresholds at the time. It does not show the agency suits your account, so treat it as one input and read Google's current Partners guidance for what it covers.
Fee models and what they hide
Agencies usually charge a percentage of media spend, a flat retainer, or a hybrid of the two. A percentage fee rises when you spend more, whether or not results improve. A flat retainer can under-serve a growing account. Ask each agency to show the fee at your current budget and at double it, in pounds, and compare the answers against management fees and media budgets.
Ask, too, whether media is billed through the agency or paid straight to the platform. That changes who carries the credit risk and who sees the true cost per click. Service standards should state it.
Measurement and compliance questions
Ask who sets up and owns conversion tracking, and who can change it. Weak setups turn up in the common measurement mistakes that distort agency reports, so request the event list and see how each conversion is counted.
Compliance should be a scored line, not a tick. Ask how ad copy is checked against the ASA and CAP Code rules and how remarketing consent is handled under UK GDPR and PECR. If you target EEA or UK users, also ask who implements Google's consent signalling and how it is tested.
For campaigns outside the UK, see the data sources for UK PPC regulations before approving a cross-border plan.
A short trial and a decision note
Scores on paper still miss how an agency works day to day. For the final two, agree a 90-day trial with named targets and a review date. Judge the first month by process, such as how quickly the account was audited, rather than by results.
Write a decision note listing criteria, weights, scores and sources, and why the winner won. Keep it with the signed contract, and send the contract itself for separate legal review so commercial pressure does not rewrite your criteria. For a fuller list of steps, use the selection checklist for England.
Common questions
Should the agency or my business own the ad account?
Your business. Agencies should work through a manager link, so you keep the history and can leave without losing your data.
Does a Google Partner badge settle the choice?
No. It tells you the agency met Google's thresholds, not that it fits your sector or budget. Score it with the other criteria.
Is a free audit worth accepting?
Yes, if every agency audits the same account and you score the findings against the same criteria. Treat unprompted promises of large gains as a weak signal.
