Thinking of changing Google Ads agency/specialist? Here’s what to check first

If you’re unhappy with your Google Ads results, finding a new agency or freelancer can feel like the obvious next step.

That might be why you’re looking for a Google Ads specialist, agency or freelancer — or why you clicked on my ad!

You might be spending more without seeing more enquiries. Perhaps the reports look positive, but the sales figures tell a different story. Or you’ve asked your current provider what’s going wrong and haven’t received an answer that makes much sense. Maybe you are unhappy with the overall service you are getting, or just feel like it is time for a change.

These are reasonable reasons (and not the only ones, I might add) to question the arrangement.

But before you start booking calls with replacement Google Ads agencies/freelancers, it’s worth establishing whether changing providers will actually solve the problem.

Sometimes it will. Sometimes you’ll end up paying someone else to manage the same underlying issues. Sometimes, ‘provider swapping’ can make things worse.

This article explains how I’d approach that decision, including what to ask your current provider, how to assess advice from prospective replacements, and when a truly independent second opinion can help.

And, because it costs a small fortune per click on any ad that relates to ‘Google Ads’, naturally I will pitch you a service … but it’s different to what you might be thinking.

First, separate dissatisfaction from diagnosis

“I’m not happy with my Google Ads performance” is a valid starting point, and in my experience is the most common reason somebody looks to change provider.

However, it isn’t yet an explanation of what needs fixing.

For example, there’s a difference between:

• Not receiving enough enquiries.

• Receiving plenty of enquiries, but very few from suitable customers.

• Generating sales, but at a cost that leaves little profit.

• Being unable to tell what the advertising is actually producing.

• Getting acceptable results, but receiving poor communication or service (i.e. your agency does a good job in terms of ad management but the customer service side sucks)

Those problems can overlap, but they call for different responses.

If your main concern is lead quality, you’ll want to understand which searches and campaigns generate unsuitable enquiries. If it’s profitability, you need to look beyond the number of conversions to what those customers are worth.

And if you simply cannot get a straight answer about performance, that’s a problem in its own right - even if the campaigns turn out to be reasonably well managed.

Before asking “Who should manage our Google Ads?”, try to answer “What specifically needs to improve?” or “What problem am I trying to solve?”

Establish which problems a new provider could realistically fix

There are plenty of things a Google Ads manager can influence: targeting, search terms, ads, bidding, budgets and how campaigns are structured.

If those are being poorly handled, better management could make a meaningful difference.

However, results also depend on what happens outside the advertising account.

Your website might make it difficult to enquire. Your offer might be less attractive than competing options. Good enquiries might take too long to receive a response. Or the cost of reaching potential customers might be difficult to justify against your margins.

This doesn’t give your agency a free pass.

A good provider should be able to identify relevant limitations, explain their likely effect and discuss what could be done about them. “It’s your website” is not a particularly useful diagnosis without supporting detail.

Equally, a new provider promising better results should be able to explain how their approach addresses those limitations.

If the underlying problem will still exist after the handover, changing who manages the campaigns may only solve part of it.

Give your current provider specific questions to answer

Unless the relationship has already broken down to the point that the only real option is changing, it’s worth giving your current agency or freelancer an opportunity to explain their assessment.

I’d ask:

• What do you think is currently limiting our results?

• What evidence supports that explanation?

• What have you changed to address it, and what happened?

• What would you prioritise next, and why?

• What do you need from us to improve performance?

You’re looking for a clear explanation that connects their work to your business outcomes.

They don’t need to pretend they have every answer. A reasonable response might be that there isn’t enough data to draw a conclusion yet, followed by a sensible plan to gather it.

What’s less reassuring is a succession of vague explanations, unexplained changes or reports that avoid the concerns you’ve raised.

Nor should you have to become a Google Ads specialist to understand the answer. You’re paying for expertise, and part of that service is explaining what’s happening.

Treat a prospective agency/specialist’s free audit as useful - but understand its context

Many Google Ads agencies and freelancers/specialists offer a free review of your existing Google Ads account.

In fact, if you Google “Google Ads audit” most of what you’ll see is ads for free audits.

A free audit can be helpful. A fresh pair of eyes may identify genuine problems, and a good agency should be able to explain where it could add value.

However, the review is also part of a sales process. The provider would like you to move your advertising to them.

That doesn’t invalidate their findings. It does make it worth examining the recommendations rather than accepting the overall verdict at face value. You can learn more about this in my article about free vs paid Google Ads audits.

For each major criticism, ask:

• What is the actual problem?

• How is it affecting performance?

• What evidence shows that it needs changing?

• Is this a clear error, or a different way of managing the account?

• Could our existing provider address it?

There are often multiple reasonable ways to structure and manage Google Ads. “We wouldn’t have set it up like that” isn’t, by itself, proof of poor work.

Likewise, a long list of suggested changes doesn’t tell you how much commercial difference those changes would make.

Look for an explanation of the important issues and their likely consequences. Be cautious about confident promises made before someone has properly understood your account and business.

When changing Google Ads agencies makes sense

Sometimes the evidence does point towards finding a new provider.

Reasons to consider a change include:

• Meaningful problems remain unresolved after you’ve raised them.

• Your provider cannot explain its decisions or connect them to your objectives.

• Reporting repeatedly obscures the information you need to assess results.

• The service or communication falls consistently short of what was agreed.

• Your business needs expertise or support the current provider cannot offer.

• Trust has deteriorated to the point where the relationship is no longer workable.

You don’t have to prove that every campaign is badly managed before deciding a relationship isn’t right for you.

However, being clear about why you’re leaving makes it easier to choose a suitable replacement - and avoid repeating the experience.

If poor communication is a major concern, ask prospective providers how they handle questions and performance reviews. If lead quality is the issue, ask how they use feedback about which enquiries become customers.

Choose against the problems you need solved, rather than simply the most appealing pitch.

When an independent second opinion can help

The difficult situation is when you know you’re unhappy, but don’t have enough information to judge the explanations you’re receiving.

Your existing agency says the account is performing well. A prospective replacement says it needs rebuilding. Both sound convincing, and you’re left trying to referee a technical discussion (that is underpinned by the various parties all wanting your business)

A separate independent, objective review of your Google Ads performance - both past and present - as well as management structure and value, can help establish:

• What appears to be working.

• Where there are meaningful problems or unanswered questions.

• Which improvements deserve priority.

• Whether those improvements require a new provider.

• Whether you are getting value for money from your Google Ads agency/freelancer/specialist

The outcome might be to stay with your current agency and give it a clearer brief. It might be to ask for specific fixes. Or it might support your decision to leave.

If you’re weighing up whether to change providers, my independent Google Ads audit can help you make that decision with more confidence. I’ll review your account, investigate what might be holding back performance, and give you practical recommendations - with a clear explanation of what matters and why.

That might mean identifying wasted spend and problems your current provider should address. It might also mean confirming that the account is reasonably well managed, and that switching agencies won’t necessarily solve what’s frustrating you.

You’re paying for a useful assessment, with no requirement to sign up for ongoing management. You can take the findings to your existing agency, use them to brief a replacement, or discuss implementation with me.

Find out what’s included in a Google Ads audit, how it works and what it costs.

If you do switch, take a clear brief with you

Before approaching a replacement, write down:

• What you want Google Ads to achieve.

• What you consider a worthwhile lead or sale.

• What has disappointed you about the current arrangement.

• What the available evidence suggests needs fixing.

• How you expect performance and progress to be reported.

This gives prospective providers something concrete to respond to. It also helps you compare their proposals on more than fees and promises.

Changing agencies can be the right decision. Understanding what needs to change first gives you a better basis for choosing the next one.