A strategy partner should help you decide what to do and why. Before comparing retainers, establish whether the provider will investigate the business or simply sell a predetermined package.
Look for a diagnosis
Ask what information the provider needs about customers, services, inquiries, website performance, and sales follow-up. A credible recommendation should connect a business problem to a proposed action. If the answer is the same channel mix for every company, ask what would cause that recommendation to change.
Write the problem in observable terms before asking for a proposal. For example, explain that inquiries often concern services you do not provide, rather than simply requesting more traffic. Separate known facts from assumptions and let the provider identify information it still needs. This makes its reasoning easier to evaluate.
Ask for alternatives
Have the provider compare two plausible approaches and explain the tradeoffs. For example, improving existing service pages may address a different constraint from launching advertising. Ask what can be learned first, what depends on internal staff, and which assumptions remain untested.
When the proposed approach involves service-page content, Google’s people-first content guidance provides relevant questions for evaluating what the reader will gain from the changes.
| Comparison question | What the answer should clarify |
|---|---|
| What problem does this address? | Link between evidence and action |
| What is the alternative? | A credible different approach |
| What must we supply? | Staff, assets, approvals, and access |
| What remains uncertain? | Assumptions to investigate |
Check implementation boundaries
Determine whether the engagement includes execution or only advice. Name the people responsible for writing, design, technical changes, measurement, and responses to inquiries. A strategy that no one can implement will not resolve the original problem.
A proposal can be clear about the idea while leaving delivery unclear. Walk through one recommended change from draft to completion. Identify dependencies such as access to a website or a subject expert's review, and confirm who coordinates them. Keep optional work separate from the scope everyone is committing to deliver.
Evaluate the review process
Agree on how decisions will be revisited and what information is required. Keep access to the underlying accounts and reports. Avoid accepting a promised ranking or lead total as a substitute for a reasoned plan.
Use Google Analytics’ attribution guidance when reviewing reports from that platform. Confirm the model and definitions before comparing agency summaries over time.
Use a short decision record at each review: what was observed, what remains unknown, and what happens next. Ask the provider to explain why it would continue, revise, or stop an activity. Keep the underlying report accessible so the discussion can be revisited without relying on memory or a single presentation.
Prepare with the strategy checklist and compare resources with the budget guide. If website or tracking problems make the baseline unclear, request a technical review.