Checklist · 2-page PDF
The "Is My Marketing Agency Doing a Good Job?" Checklist
By Chris Heidlebaugh22 pointsUpdated 2026-09-01
What this is
This checklist helps a home service owner judge an agency on evidence instead of feel. You check whether you own your accounts, whether reporting ties to booked jobs, whether anyone explains what changed and why, and whether results moved. Score sixteen or more and your agency is likely earning its fee. Score under twelve and you are paying for activity, not outcomes.
“I am not anti-agency. I am anti-confusion. A good agency will happily answer every question on this list — and a good one will be glad you asked.”
Use it now
0 of 22 checked
Ownership
If you don't own it, you don't have leverage.
Reporting honesty
Actual work performed
Results and relationship
How to use this
- 1Tick every item you can prove today — not the ones you assume are true.
- 2Sixteen or more of twenty-two: your agency is likely doing real work.
- 3Twelve to fifteen: send them the unchecked items and ask for them in writing.
- 4Under twelve: you have an ownership and accountability problem before you have a marketing problem.
- 5Do not fire anyone off this sheet. Ask the questions first and judge the answers.
Your next step
Want someone to score this for you and tell you exactly what to fix first? That's the audit.
Get the $497 Marketing AuditFrequently Asked Questions
Should I send this checklist to my agency?
Yes. A confident agency treats it as a chance to show their work. Defensiveness about basic ownership and reporting questions is itself the answer.
What is the single biggest red flag on this list?
The agency owning your Google Ads account or Google Business Profile. That one item decides whether you keep your history and data when the relationship ends.
