There is no shortage of digital marketing agencies, but there is a shortage of transparent ones. As your choices expand, it’s more important than ever to identify when your agency isn’t being open with you.

Some cheap tactics are obvious. Others, not so much.

Luckily, our leadership team has firsthand experience in the retail side of the automotive industry.

Let’s take a look at some of the more obvious schemes. The agency doesn’t give you:

- Ownership of and/or access to Google Analytics (GA)

- Ownership of and/or access to Google Ads

- Responses to calls or emails

- Authentic reporting from GA

With regard to the last point, a lot of agencies will use their own reporting platforms. It helps them hide the real data and highlight or manipulate data to make them look more favorable. If you’re not seeing raw Google Analytics data, what are they hiding?

Subtle Clues Your Agency May Not Be Transparent

The first issue that comes to mind is knowledge.

Your point of contact should be able to articulate a one-month plan versus a three-month plan. He or she needs to be an expert at the job. If you cannot get answers at the moment to general questions without their needing assistance, it’s time to look elsewhere.

“I'm not sure.”

“Let me check, and I’ll let you know in a day or two.”

Next, it’s important to know if and how you’re making gains. Ask yourself the following questions:

- Is your organic traffic increasing?

- Are you seeing Quality Score go up and cost go down on paid search?

• - Are you getting more phone calls and form submissions?

From SEO to PPC to social media, you want to gain traffic and leads in the right markets. If you’re a client in New Jersey and getting a ton of traffic from Boston, check your Google Analytics goals. Chances are good that you’re getting no phone calls or leads from it.

Now let’s assume that you’re getting some new leads, phone calls, or traffic. Your agency partner celebrates those wins with you. Are they still discussing where they are falling short? A true and healthy partnership should make an agency comfortable enough to admit when things are not where they are wanted to be — and offer a plan to improve.

Other Things to Look For

Look for steady increases over time as opposed to a roller coaster. Overnight shots may not be legitimate or may indicate the agency jumps in, then sets and forgets.

Also look for your point of contact to have a finger on what the competition is doing. Do they benchmark data in some way? This is the sign of a transparent and savvy partner who’s aware of factors that may influence variations beyond marketing.

Final Thoughts...

Does your agency charge a commission for paid search? Make your partner explain why spending increases are needed because commission-based agencies will often recommend that you spend more for the sake of spending more. Ask them to show you decreases in impression share and who’s taking it from you. Test them with questions that will gauge their integrity.

Know what questions to ask.

Pro-Tip on PPC: You can ask your provider for a paid search activity history report. This will show historical changes so you can see whether or not they’re actively working on your account.

You invest a lot in digital marketing (or you plan to). Find a partner that matches your goals. And make sure that you work with the agency to help them achieve those goals. Don’t just pick up a phone when it’s convenient or when things are trending downward. A good agency wants you to be involved and be active.