Questions to ask before hiring for Google Ads or SEO
Google Ads and SEO are hard to judge from the outside, because the work happens in accounts you may never log into. These six questions make it easier. We’re happy to answer every one on a first call, and you should expect the same from anyone else. If you hear a promise of results, learn the ads account would be in their name, or find out nothing gets tracked, walk away.
1. Can you promise me leads, or the top spot on Google?
No, and nobody honest can promise that. Results depend on an auction that no single advertiser controls, and Google’s ad rules don’t allow ads that promise unlikely results. We explain the auction in your first month of Google Ads: what you pay for.
2. Whose name is the ads account in?
It should be yours: in your name, on your card. That’s how we set up every client’s account, and we link it to our manager account so we can run it. You can unlink us at any time, and the account and its history stay with you if you ever change companies.
3. Who pays Google, and is it separate from your fee?
You should pay Google directly, and the company’s fee should be separate. Ask to see both numbers before anything starts. When ad spend is folded into one monthly fee, you can’t see what Google actually got.
4. What do you track?
Ask what gets counted, and when the tracking goes in. We track calls, forms and bookings before any ad goes live, because clicks alone don’t tell you who called. Why Google Ads get clicks but no calls covers what to check when the phone is quiet.
5. How often will you check the account, and what will I see?
Ask for a set routine. Ours is a check every week and one plain report a month, showing what ran, what changed, and what the calls and forms did.
6. What does SEO actually include?
A real answer names the work: a page for each service you offer, a complete Google Business Profile, and details search engines can read. Be careful with anyone who only talks about “ranking” without saying what they will build.
Questions
What if I already have a Google Ads account?
We can link your existing account to ours instead of starting over. It stays in your name.
Is it a bad sign if a company won’t put a price on its website?
Not by itself, since a lot of this work is quoted to your business and your goals. What matters is that you get a clear quote in writing before anything starts.
Want to hear our answers to all six? Book a call. If you’d rather read first, our Google Ads and SEO and AI SEO pages show how we work.