What to Ask Before Hiring a Google Ads Agency in Sydney

If you're considering outsourcing your advertising efforts, you’re not alone. More and more Sydney-based businesses are turning to external help to manage their digital campaigns, especially when time or in-house expertise is tight. That said, finding the right team isn’t just about picking someone with flashy credentials.

You’ll want people who ask good questions, explain their thinking clearly, and genuinely understand your market. That might sound obvious, but it’s surprisingly rare. I realised this when I was working with a Google Ads agency Sydney businesses often recommend — but it still took some effort to get aligned.

What helped was asking the right questions early — not just about what they do, but how they do it. Whether you’ve just started looking or already have proposals on your desk, it’s worth pausing and planning your own line of inquiry. Let’s look at the types of questions that actually move the needle.

Understand their strategy, not just their setup

A well-prepared agency will always have a repeatable system. But that’s not enough. What you really want to know is how that system adapts to the quirks of your business. Do they stick to the same game plan for every client, or do they take the time to understand your edge?

I still remember one briefing call where I asked about their early campaign stages — they dove straight into impressions and CTRs without ever asking what I’d done before. That told me a lot.

Try pressing them on things like:

• What happens when campaign data goes flat mid-cycle?

• How do you choose between multiple buyer personas?

• When do you decide to switch ad formats?

• What have you learned from campaigns that didn't perform?

Their answers shouldn’t sound rehearsed. The best agencies think in context. If they push back and start asking you questions in return, that's often a green flag. It means they’re not treating you like another account on a spreadsheet.

Ask about compliance and regulations

The digital ad space moves quickly, but the rules still matter. Agencies that work in Australia must be familiar with specific legal obligations, especially around consumer protection and ad disclosure. This isn't about being cautious — it's about being accountable.

Terms like fair claims, disclaimers, and comparative ads aren't just ethical issues. They’re often legal ones too. So, one critical thing to clarify with any agency is how they stay on top of changing standards. I once asked an account lead what they knew about advertising regulations in Australia, and their answer revealed more than their pitch ever could. If they stumble or generalise, that’s a flag.

Some agencies actively reference the ACCC’s principles, which shows they understand how to work within national standards.

• Ask how they handle misleading ad risks

• Clarify if they’ve ever had campaigns flagged or revised

• See if they train team members on legal compliance

• Discuss how they review the copy for accuracy and clarity

What you’re after is accountability baked into their workflow, not a retroactive “fix it later” approach. If they show confidence in how they apply legal expectations proactively, you’ll feel it in how they explain things.

Look for experience in your industry

It’s tempting to assume marketing is marketing. But having worked with different industries — from NDIS providers to software startups — I can tell you that assumptions break campaigns. There’s a subtlety to tone, terminology, and audience behaviour that generalist teams sometimes miss.

It's easy to assume that any Google Ads agency can serve any type of client, but nuance matters. If your business sits in a regulated, complex, or highly localised industry, you’ll want a team that’s navigated that terrain before.

For example, health practitioners face stricter ad limitations, and not every agency understands how to work within those boundaries without watering down impact. I spoke with a friend in allied health who hired an agency unfamiliar with those constraints — they spent weeks untangling misfired ads.

When I reviewed an agency that had worked on campaigns focused on digital marketing for healthcare professionals, I noticed their confidence came from experience, not assumption. That subtle shift showed up in how they framed performance benchmarks and chose messaging. It made everything feel more tailored.

• Ask if they’ve worked with your industry before

• Review any sample campaigns or case studies (without brand names)

• Dig into how they personalise based on the audience's mindset

• See if they show curiosity about your space, not just your budget

If their tone feels boilerplate, keep asking questions. It’s often the small differences in their answers that reveal how well they can actually serve your goals.

Evaluate how they manage local nuance

Sydney’s not just one audience. It’s a patchwork of competing interests, search intent shifts, and micro-regional behaviours. Whether it’s Bondi or Blacktown, there’s variance in how people engage with ads. That local context matters more than most people think.

Some agencies slap a Sydney label on a campaign and move on. That’s not what you want. You’re looking for those who sweat the subtle stuff — ad timing, keyword tail variations, and location-specific content.

This is why it’s helpful to choose partners with local knowledge — or at the very least, a commitment to testing and adjusting for it. There’s a lot of value in working with local PPC for small business growth that prioritises strategy over speed. They’re more likely to understand how consumers respond to ads depending on whether they’re in the Inner West, the Shire, or Parramatta.

• Ask how they conduct local A/B testing

• Discuss how geography affects keyword bidding and timing

• Get specific about your region’s consumer behaviour

• Clarify how they pivot if something doesn’t convert

You don’t need them to live around the corner, but they should talk like someone who’s walked the streets. Local insights come from pattern recognition, not just data.

Final thoughts

You don’t need the flashiest deck or the biggest name on your shortlist. What you need is trust. Trust in their process, in their accountability, and in their ability to think with you, not just for you.

Hiring an agency shouldn’t feel like a leap of faith — it should feel like an informed, collaborative choice. The best conversations I’ve had with agencies didn’t just show me what they could do. They revealed how they think, how they communicate, and how they adjust when things don’t go to plan.

It’s less about choosing the most confident pitch and more about finding a team that listens, responds, and brings clarity. If they can demonstrate alignment on values and transparency, you're likely in good hands.