How do I audit an agency proposal?

Read the proposal for concrete deliverables, not general phrases. A stated number of ad campaigns, a set number of pages built or optimized each month, a set number of hours, or a specific list of tasks tells you far more than a paragraph promising growth or visibility. If a proposal describes outcomes but never lists what work produces them, ask for the list directly before comparing price.

Check whether ad spend is included in the fee or billed separately to Google or Meta directly. A proposal that quotes one number without saying whether media spend sits inside or outside that number is not comparable to one that states it clearly, even if the headline figure looks similar.

Look for a setup fee, a minimum term, and whether pricing changes after an initial period. Some proposals quote an attractive first month rate that increases once you are locked into a term, so read past the first line item.

A fair proposal states plainly that your Google Ads account, your website, your Google Business Profile, and your content belong to you, both during the engagement and after it ends. If ownership is not mentioned at all, that is a gap worth asking about directly rather than assuming it favors you.

Ask specifically whether campaigns get built inside an account you control or inside the agency's own manager account. The difference matters most if you ever switch agencies, since an account built inside someone else's structure is harder to walk away with cleanly than one that was always yours.

For website or content work, ask who owns the source files, the domain, and the copy once it is delivered. A proposal that is silent on this is not necessarily dishonest, but you want the answer in writing before you sign, not after a dispute.

Find the notice period and the minimum term before you look at anything else in the contract section. A 30 or 60 day notice period with no long minimum term is a lower risk structure. A 12 month minimum term with an early termination fee is a bigger commitment, and it is not automatically bad, but you should know it is there before you sign, not discover it when you try to leave.

Check what happens to work in progress if you cancel mid month or mid project. Some proposals state you keep everything built so far; others state unfinished work is not delivered. Neither answer is wrong on its own, but a proposal that does not address it at all leaves you guessing later.

Look for language about auto renewal. A contract that renews automatically unless you cancel by a specific date is common, but you want to know the exact date so it does not catch you off guard.

A solid proposal states what gets reported, how often, and which metrics matter for your specific goal, whether that is leads, calls, bookings, or sales. If a proposal promises results but never describes a report or a review call, ask what you will actually see and how often.

Ask what a realistic timeline looks like for the specific service. Google Ads usually starts producing readable results within a matter of weeks once live; SEO typically takes 6 to 12 months to build. A proposal that promises fast results from SEO, or that gives no timeline at all, is worth questioning.

Finally, compare proposals side by side using the same four categories: what is included, who owns the work, the cancellation terms, and how results are measured. A proposal that answers all four clearly, even if the price is not the lowest, is usually the safer choice over one that reads well but leaves questions unanswered.