What to Expect When Working with a Google Ads Agency (From Day 1)

A transparent timeline of the agency onboarding process, when to expect results, and what you should demand from the relationship.

A good agency starts with deep discovery — not campaign setup. During week one, expect a kick-off call covering your business goals, target customers, service area, average job values, and competitive landscape. The agency should request Google Ads account access (or help you create one under your ownership), install conversion tracking on your website, and set up call tracking. They'll also audit any existing campaigns. This phase is about understanding your business well enough to build campaigns that target the right people with the right message.

During weeks two through four, the agency builds your campaigns from scratch. This includes keyword research (identifying 50–200 targeted keywords per service), creating tightly themed ad groups, writing compelling ad copy with multiple variations for testing, building or optimizing landing pages, setting up geographic targeting, bid strategies, and ad scheduling. They should also build a negative keyword list of 200+ terms before the first click runs. Expect a review call before campaigns go live — you should approve ad copy, landing pages, and targeting settings before any money is spent.

The first 30 days of a live campaign are the learning phase. Google's algorithms need data to optimize — expect CPCs to be higher and conversion rates lower than they will be at maturity. You should still see leads coming in, but the cost per lead will likely be 20–40% higher than the eventual steady state. The agency should be making daily adjustments during this period: adding negative keywords from search term reports, adjusting bids on underperforming keywords, and testing ad copy variations. Weekly check-in calls should cover early performance data and optimization plans.

By month two, the agency should have enough data to make meaningful optimizations. This is where quality separates from mediocrity. Expect: pausing underperforming keywords, expanding top performers, refining geographic targeting based on conversion data, A/B testing landing pages, and potentially restructuring campaigns based on what's working. Cost per lead should begin declining as the account accumulates Quality Score history and the agency eliminates waste. By month three, you should have a clear picture of which campaigns are profitable and at what cost per lead.

After the initial 90-day ramp-up, expect ongoing management to include: weekly bid adjustments, monthly search term report reviews with negative keyword updates, quarterly ad copy refreshes, seasonal budget adjustments, competitor monitoring, and landing page optimization. You should receive a monthly performance report covering leads generated, cost per lead, conversion trends, and strategic recommendations. A bi-weekly or monthly strategy call keeps both sides aligned on goals. Campaigns are never 'done' — the market, competition, and Google's platform constantly evolve.

Set clear communication expectations from day one. At minimum, you should receive: a monthly performance report with actionable insights (not just data dumps), a scheduled call at least once per month to discuss strategy, same-day responses to urgent questions during business hours, and proactive alerts when something significant changes (budget pacing issues, sudden CPC spikes, competitor changes). If your agency goes weeks without communication and only sends automated reports, they're not actively managing your account.

Non-negotiables for any agency relationship: (1) Account ownership — the Google Ads account belongs to your business, period. (2) Full transparency — real-time access to your account, no hidden campaigns or settings. (3) No long-term contracts — month-to-month agreements after an initial 90-day commitment show the agency is confident in their results. (4) Clear reporting on actual business outcomes — leads, cost per lead, and revenue generated, not clicks and impressions. (5) A named account manager who knows your business and answers your calls. If an agency pushes back on any of these, find one that doesn't.