How do I compare marketing agencies in Perth?
How to compare marketing agencies in Perth comes down to what you can verify yourself: who will own your accounts, what a sample report shows, what the contract says about leaving, who does the work and whether the claims stand up. None of it needs marketing knowledge.
Reviews and portfolios help, but they show the past. These checks show how an agency will treat you, including when things go badly. Ask each agency the same questions and put the answers side by side.
How to compare marketing agencies in Perth: five checks
| Check | Ask for | A good sign | A warning sign |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accounts | Written confirmation of who owns each account | Everything sits in your name, with access for them | “We keep the account, it’s easier” |
| Claims | The evidence behind any headline result | A baseline, a period and what else changed | A percentage with no starting point |
| Reporting | A real sample with client details removed | It opens with enquiries or sales | It opens with reach and impressions |
| Contract | The full terms, before the proposal | Clear notice period and handover | Rollover terms that are hard to find |
| People | The name of who will do your work | You can meet them before you sign | “Our team” is as specific as it gets |
Check who owns the accounts
Start here, because this decides how hard it is to leave. Your accounts should belong to you, with the agency given access.
- Google Ads. Hold an admin login. Admins can manage user access and unlink a manager account, which is how agencies usually connect.
- Meta. Meta’s help page separates an ad account being claimed into someone’s portfolio from one being shared while it stays in the client’s. You want the second.
- Google Analytics. Keep the Administrator role, which is needed to add or change users.
- Google Business Profile. Be an owner. Owners can add and remove users. Managers can’t.
- Domain and website. The domain should be registered to your business, and you should hold the hosting and site logins.
Then test it. Log in to each one yourself. If you can’t, you’ve found your answer.
Test the claims
- Rankings. Google’s advice is blunt: no one can guarantee a top ranking, and if someone promises first place, find someone else.
- Results. Ask which client, over what period, from what starting point and what else changed at the time. A percentage without a baseline tells you nothing.
- Top agency lists. Scroll to the bottom and see who published it. Some are written by an agency that appears on its own list.
- The business itself. Search the name on ABN Lookup, and check that the legal entity matches the name on your contract.
See a sample report before you sign
Ask for a real report with client details removed. A useful one starts with enquiries, sales or bookings, then explains what changed and what happens next. Be wary if it opens with impressions and followers. Those can sit in a report, but they shouldn’t lead it.
Ask how an enquiry is counted, and who will talk you through the report. If a sample can’t show what a fee bought, the real thing won’t either. For SEO, ask to see traffic and leads as well as rankings.
Read the exit before the entrance
Read the contract early, and look for four things: the term, the notice period, any automatic renewal and what gets handed over when you leave. Ask too whether ad spend is paid directly to the platform on your card, and whether anything is marked up.
WA’s Small Business Development Corporation has a useful guide to unfair contract terms. It flags terms that let only one party end or vary a contract, and rollover clauses with no notice or excessive cancellation fees. Only a court or tribunal can decide if a term is unfair, but it’s a good list of what to query, and the SBDC offers free advice.
Sort out ownership of the work as well. For most commissioned material, the author keeps copyright unless you agree otherwise. Get it in writing that photos, video, ad creative and website files come with you.
Meet the people doing the work
Ask who will do your work and whether any of it is subcontracted. Subcontracting isn’t a problem when it’s disclosed. Being surprised by it is.
Look at past work from any agency for craft and range, then ask who made it and whether they’re still there. Finally, ask who they aren’t right for. An agency willing to say “not us” has shown you something no portfolio can. If you’re still unsure an agency is the right model, our guide to agency, freelancer or in-house may help.
You’re welcome to put these questions to Candour Media too.
Frequently asked questions
What should I ask a marketing agency before hiring them?
Ask who owns the accounts, to see a sample report, for the full contract terms and who will do the work. Then ask who they aren’t right for. The answers tell you more than a pitch deck.
Should an agency own my Google Ads account?
No. The account should sit in your business’s name, with the agency given access. That way your history and data stay with you if you part ways.
Is it a red flag if an agency promises first place on Google?
Yes. Google says no one can guarantee a top ranking, and advises finding someone else if an SEO promises first place.
How many agencies should I compare?
Two or three is usually enough, as long as you ask each one the same questions. More than that tends to blur the differences.
Do I need an agency based in Perth?
Not always. Local knowledge helps, and being nearby matters for shoots. For ads and SEO, shared working hours and an understanding of your market usually matter more than the address.
Sources
- About access levels in your Google Ads account, Google Ads Help
- Add an ad account to your business portfolio, Meta Business Help Centre
- Add, edit and delete Analytics users and user groups, Google Analytics Help
- Manage your Business Profile owners & managers, Google Business Profile Help
- Do you need an SEO?, Google Search Central
- ABN Lookup, Australian Business Register
- Unfair contract terms, Small Business Development Corporation WA
- Who owns copyright?, Law Handbook, Legal Services Commission of South Australia