You're paying your marketing agency every month. But are they actually delivering? Or are you just getting reports full of numbers that look impressive but don't connect to your bottom line?
If you're asking this question, you're not alone. Most business owners I talk to have the same nagging feeling. They think their agency might not be performing, but they don't know how to confirm it. They don't know what questions to ask or what benchmarks to measure against.
I've been on both sides of this. As an agency owner, I know what good performance looks like. I also know the games some agencies play to look busy without delivering results. Let me help you figure out where your agency stands.
Signs Your Agency Is Underperforming
Before diving into metrics, here are the gut-level warning signs that something isn't right.
You don't understand what they're doing. If your agency can't explain their strategy in plain English, that's a problem. Complexity isn't a sign of sophistication. It's often a smokescreen. You should be able to explain what your agency is working on to a friend.
Communication has dried up. Remember those early months when your account manager was responsive and enthusiastic? If that's been replaced by delayed responses and missed calls, your account might not be a priority anymore.
Reports feel like filler. Thick monthly reports with lots of charts but no actionable insights are a classic move. A good report should tell you what was done, what it achieved, and what's planned next. If you read a report and still have no idea how your marketing is performing, the report isn't doing its job.
You can't point to specific results. After 6+ months of working together, can you identify leads or sales that came from their work? If the answer is "I'm not sure," that's a problem on one side or the other. Either they're not producing results, or they're not helping you track them.
They're reactive, not proactive. A good agency brings ideas to you. They spot opportunities, suggest tests, and push your strategy forward. If your agency only acts when you ask for something, they're an order-taker, not a partner.
What Reports You Should Be Getting
Every month, your agency should provide a report that covers these fundamentals. If any of these are missing, ask for them.
Traffic Metrics
- Total website sessions (and trend over time)
- Traffic by source (organic, paid, social, direct, referral)
- Which pages are getting the most traffic
- New vs. returning visitors
SEO-Specific (if applicable)
- Keyword rankings (specific keywords, not just "we improved")
- Organic traffic growth
- New backlinks earned
- Technical health improvements
- Content published
PPC-Specific (if applicable)
- Total ad spend
- Cost per click
- Click-through rate
- Conversion rate
- Cost per lead/acquisition
- Return on ad spend
Conversion Metrics
- Total leads generated (forms, calls, emails)
- Lead source attribution (where did each lead come from?)
- Conversion rate by channel
- Lead quality assessment
The Big Picture
- Revenue impact (or at least lead-to-revenue correlation)
- Progress against quarterly/annual goals
- What was done this month
- What's planned for next month
If you're only getting a ranking report or a traffic summary, you're getting a fraction of the picture.
Questions to Ask in Your Next Call
Bring these to your next agency meeting. Their answers will tell you a lot.
"What is our cost per lead by channel?" If they can't answer this, they're not tracking the right things.
"Which of our campaigns is performing best, and why?" A good agency knows exactly what's working and can explain the reasoning.
"What would you do differently if we doubled our budget?" This reveals whether they have a growth strategy or they're just maintaining the status quo.
"What are our competitors doing that we should consider?" If they haven't looked at your competitors recently, they're not paying attention to your market.
"Can you walk me through how a recent lead found us?" This tests whether they understand the customer journey, not just the metrics.
"What's the single biggest opportunity we're not pursuing?" An agency that's truly engaged with your business will have an answer ready.
Benchmarks: What's Actually Good Performance?
Performance varies by industry, but here are general benchmarks to measure against.
Website conversion rate: 2–5% is average. Below 2% means your site needs work. Above 5% is strong.
SEO traffic growth: After 6 months of active SEO, you should see 20–50% organic traffic growth. After 12 months, 50–100% growth is reasonable for most businesses.
Google Ads conversion rate: 3–5% is average for search ads. Below 2% suggests poor targeting or landing pages. Above 7% is excellent.
Cost per lead (Google Ads): This varies wildly by industry. $20–50 for home services. $50–150 for legal. $100–300 for B2B. Ask your agency what's typical in your vertical.
Email open rates: 20–25% is average. Below 15% means your list or subject lines need work.
Social media engagement: Honestly, for most small businesses, social media is a brand awareness play, not a lead generation channel. If your agency is spending most of their time on social and calling it "marketing," that's a conversation worth having.
How to Transition Agencies Without Losing Momentum
If you've determined that your agency isn't performing, switching can feel daunting. But it doesn't have to be chaotic.
Get access to everything first. Before you make any changes, confirm you have admin access to your Google Analytics, Google Ads, Search Console, social media accounts, your website's CMS, your domain registrar, and your hosting. If your agency owns any of these, reclaim access immediately.
Document the current state. Screenshot your current rankings, traffic numbers, ad performance, and any active campaigns. This gives your new agency a baseline and ensures nothing falls through the cracks.
Don't burn bridges. Even if you're frustrated, keep the transition professional. You might need the old agency's cooperation for access handoffs or historical data.
Give your new agency onboarding time. Expect a ramp-up period. A good agency will audit everything, develop a new strategy, and begin execution. This takes 30–60 days. Don't expect instant results from the switch.
Set clear expectations upfront. With your new agency, define success metrics, reporting frequency, and communication cadence from day one. The mistakes from your last relationship should inform what you require going forward.
When to Stay vs. When to Go
Not every rough patch means you need a new agency. Sometimes good agencies have bad months. Ask yourself:
Stay if: They're communicating openly about challenges. They're adjusting their strategy based on data. They can point to leading indicators that suggest results are coming. They take responsibility for misses.
Go if: They're defensive when questioned. They can't explain what they're doing. Results have declined without explanation. They've stopped being proactive. You feel like they're just collecting a check.
Trust your gut, but verify it with data.
Want a Second Opinion?
If you're not sure whether your agency is performing, we'll give you an honest assessment. No sales pitch, just a straightforward review of your current marketing performance and strategy.
Contact us to request a second opinion on your marketing. Whether you stay with your current agency or move on, you'll at least know where you stand.
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