How do I choose the right marketing agency for my business?

What should I ask before signing anything?

Start with the questions Google suggests for hiring an SEO, because they work for almost any marketing hire: can you show me examples of past work, what results do you expect and in what timeframe, how do you measure success, and will you share every change you make and explain why. Google’s guide to hiring an SEO has the full list. It’s worth ten minutes even if the agency in front of you doesn’t do SEO.

Which promises should make me walk away?

Any promise of a ranking position or a date. Google’s guide says it plainly: “No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google,” and it warns specifically about SEOs who “claim to guarantee rankings” or “allege a ‘special relationship’ with Google.” The same logic holds outside SEO: a specific lead count, a guaranteed follower number, a promised revenue figure. None of that is something an honest agency controls.

How long should a contract lock me in?

As short as you’re comfortable with, especially early on. A month-to-month arrangement you can leave without penalty tells you the agency expects to keep earning the relationship every month, not just at renewal. If a longer term buys you something real (Forward Dawn waives its setup fee on an annual plan, for instance), make sure you know exactly what you’d get back if you left early, in writing, before you sign anything, not after you’ve already decided you want out.

How do I judge an agency with no client list yet?

Ask directly. A new agency should be able to tell you plainly how many clients it has and what it’s built so far, rather than dodging the question or padding a portfolio with concept work presented as real engagements. A straight answer to “how many clients do you actually have” is worth more than a gallery of polished mockups. Forward Dawn runs its own site as its first client and says so, rather than implying a roster it doesn’t have.

Who should own my accounts and my data?

You should, as a rule: your domain registration, your analytics, your ad accounts if you run any, and admin-level access to your Google Business Profile and your CRM, not just an editor seat under the agency’s login. That way, if you ever leave, you leave with the accounts intact instead of starting over from nothing, and the relationship stays honest because either side can walk away.