The agency field guide
Hire with clarity.
Keep the keys.
How to hire an agency, check the work, and leave cleanly if the relationship stops working. Bring these questions to the next sales call. Use them on us, too.
In your corner
Three things to keep.
- Control of your website, accounts, and data.
- A written scope with someone accountable for it.
- A clear way to measure progress and make an exit.
Your business. Your decisions.
A clearer way forward.
The reading list
Start where
you are.
Choose the guide that answers the question in front of you.
01
Before you sign
Questions to ask any agency
Eight questions about the people, the scope, the money, and what you own. Get answers you can compare across proposals.
02
When something feels off
Know the red flags
Separate a real concern from a misunderstanding. Ask for evidence before giving a partner more access or more budget.
03
Once the work starts
Make progress visible
A useful update shows what changed, what the numbers mean, and who is doing what next. Here is a rhythm you can agree on.
Before the sales call
Know what you
are buying.
A good proposal should make the work easier to understand. These checks help you read it with a clear head.
01
Name the problem first.
Write down the jobs you want more of, where inquiries get stuck, and what your crew can handle. Ask the agency to connect its proposed work to that problem.
Try this: “We get estimate requests, but too many never reach the schedule. What would you check first?”
02
Compare the whole commitment.
Look at setup work, monthly fees, ad spend, software, and the time your team needs to contribute. Ask which accounts you control and which services carry ongoing subscriptions.
Keep the scope, ownership terms, reporting cadence, and cancellation process together in writing.
03
Agree on a review point.
Choose a date to review completed work and the early signals you can reasonably measure. Agree on what would lead you to continue, change the approach, or stop.
A review date is a decision point. It is not a promise that every channel will deliver results by then.
Put it to work
Leaving? Plan the handoff.
Protect the business while you change partners. Check your agreement’s notice and payment terms before setting a transition date.
- Inventory the domain, hosting, email, website files, analytics, ad accounts, and customer data. Confirm which items can transfer and which depend on a separate license.
- Test your own administrator access and request current exports or backups before the handoff.
- Agree who will keep the website, ads, phone routing, and forms working during the transition.
- Have the incoming owner verify the handoff, then remove access that is no longer needed. Keep a written record of what was transferred.
Talk it through
Bring the proposal.
Ask the hard questions.
A free 15-minute Fit Call gives us a place to talk through what you need and whether we can help. If you need a deeper look at your website and lead path, the Website Foundation Audit is $799.