Paid ads
How to choose a Google Ads agency in Glasgow
Choosing a Google Ads agency is mostly about one question: will they judge your account on the revenue or leads it produces, or on the clicks and impressions it generates? Get the answer to that before you look at anything else.
There are plenty of agencies in Glasgow and across Scotland that will run your campaigns. The difference between a good one and an expensive one usually shows up in the first three months, in what they fix, what they report and what they leave alone. This guide covers the questions we would ask if we were the ones hiring.
Start with what you want the ads to do
Before you speak to anyone, write down the outcome in one sentence. For example: "We want more booked consultations at under £60 each" or "We want online sales to grow without the cost of each sale going up."
That sentence is your brief. Any agency that can't tell you how they would measure it, and what they would need from you to measure it, is not ready to take your money.
Ask how they will track conversions
This is the single most important question. A lot of the underperforming Google Ads accounts we audit have a tracking problem before they have a campaign problem.
Ask the agency:
- Which actions will count as a conversion, and why those ones?
- Will they use Google Tag Manager and GA4, or import conversions another way?
- How will phone calls, form fills and offline sales be counted?
- Will they set up enhanced conversions and consent mode?
A good answer is specific. A weak answer is "we'll make sure tracking is in place." If they can't explain it, they won't fix it, and every bidding decision Google makes for you will be based on bad data.
Ask what the first 90 days look like
A sensible first three months normally follows this order:
- An audit of the account, the tracking and the landing pages.
- Fixes to tracking and the worst sources of wasted spend.
- A rebuild or restructure where the campaign setup is holding results back.
- Testing and weekly optimisation once the data can be trusted.
Be wary of anyone who wants to increase your budget in month one. Scaling spend before the tracking is right just loses money faster.
Look at how they report
Ask to see an example report. It should lead with commercial numbers: revenue, leads, cost per lead or return on ad spend, and how those compare with last month and last year.
Clicks, impressions and click-through rate are useful diagnostics, but they are not results. If the example report opens with them, the agency is managing the account for activity rather than outcomes.
At Lockdwn Digital we send clients a short weekly update covering revenue or leads, cost, what changed and what we are doing next. It takes five minutes to read and it means problems get spotted in days, not at the end of the month.
Check who owns the account
You should own your Google Ads account, your GA4 property and your Tag Manager container. The agency should be given access to them, not the other way round.
If an agency builds everything inside its own accounts, you lose your history and your data when you leave. Ask this directly before you sign.
Understand how they charge
Most agencies charge in one of three ways:
- A fixed monthly fee. Predictable and easy to budget for.
- A percentage of ad spend. Common, but it means the agency earns more when you spend more, whether or not results improve.
- A fixed fee plus a performance element. Works well when tracking is reliable enough to measure performance fairly.
None of these is wrong. What matters is that you understand the incentive behind each one and that the contract lets you leave without losing your accounts.
Ask about the rest of your marketing
Google Ads does not work in isolation. If your landing pages are slow or unclear, if your website doesn't track properly, or if you are running Meta Ads alongside, the agency needs to understand how it all fits together.
Ask whether they will look at your landing pages and whether they can work alongside, or take on, your other channels. An agency that only talks about keywords is only seeing part of the problem.
Warning signs
Walk away, or at least ask harder questions, if you hear any of these:
- A guaranteed number of leads or a guaranteed return before they have seen your data.
- A long minimum term with no break clause.
- Reporting that only shows clicks, impressions and "reach".
- No plan to check or fix conversion tracking.
- They want to run everything from their own accounts.
What a good agency relationship looks like
You should know what you are spending, what it is returning, and what is being changed each week. You should be able to ask "is this working?" and get a straight answer backed by numbers.
If you want a second opinion on your current account before you decide anything, we offer a free account review. We look at your setup, tell you what is working and what is wasting money, and list the three changes we would make first. You can act on it yourself or with us.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Google Ads agency cost?
Most agencies charge a fixed monthly management fee, a percentage of ad spend, or a mix of the two. The fee is separate from the money you pay Google for clicks. Ask for both figures in writing so you can see the total monthly cost.
How long before Google Ads show results?
You should see whether people are clicking and enquiring within the first few weeks. Reliable results usually take longer, because tracking fixes, account changes and automated bidding all need time and data to settle.
Do I need a local agency in Glasgow?
Not necessarily, but a local agency will understand the market, the areas you serve and the language your customers use. It also makes face to face meetings easy when you want them.