How to Choose an Ecommerce PPC Agency (2026): 12 Questions, Red Flags and a Scorecard

By Ishant Sharma · Updated September 2026 · 15 min read

Disclosure: The author founded Hustle Marketers, a PPC agency. The questions, red flags and scorecard in this guide apply to every agency, including his. An example scorecard for Hustle Marketers appears near the end, labeled clearly, with links to its public reviews.

Quick answer

To choose an ecommerce PPC agency, start with your breakeven ROAS. Then ask each agency for proof of results in your store platform and ad channels, and confirm that you own every account. Check how they fix tracking and product feeds, who will manage your account day to day, and what their reviews say, especially the negative ones. Score each agency on the 100-point scorecard below and run a paid audit or a 90-day trial before you sign a long contract.

Step 1: Know your numbers before you talk to any agency

An agency cannot set good targets if you do not know what a profitable sale looks like. Work out three numbers first.

Number	How to calculate	Example
Gross margin	(Price minus product cost, shipping and fees) divided by price	$100 product, $60 all-in cost = 40%
Breakeven ROAS	1 divided by gross margin	1 / 0.40 = 2.5x
Target ROAS	Breakeven ROAS plus the profit you need	2.5x breakeven, target 3.5x to 4x
Max CPA (first order)	Average order value multiplied by gross margin	$100 x 40% = $40

If an agency promises “5x ROAS” without asking about your margin, treat that as your first red flag.

Step 2: Pick the right model: agency, freelancer, in-house or white label

Model	Best for	Pros	Watch out for
Specialist ecommerce PPC agency	Stores spending about $5K+ a month on ads	Feed, Shopping and PMax depth, many accounts to learn from, QA	Senior people selling, junior people managing
Full-service agency	Brands that need creative, email and ads in one place	One contract, one team	PPC is often a side service
Freelancer	Small accounts, tight budgets	Lowest cost, direct contact	No backup when they are away, limited range
In-house PPC manager	Large, stable ad budgets	Full-time focus, deep product knowledge	Hiring cost, single point of failure, fewer outside benchmarks
White label PPC partner	Agencies reselling PPC to their own clients	Scale without hiring, keep margin	Reports under your brand still need your QA

Step 3: Understand how PPC agencies charge

Pricing model	How it works	Good for	Risk
Flat monthly fee	Fixed fee for a set scope	Predictable budgeting	Scope creep, or less effort as spend grows
Percentage of ad spend	Commonly a percentage of monthly spend, often with a minimum	Growing accounts	The agency earns more by spending more, not by earning you more
Hybrid	Base fee plus a lower percentage above a spend level	Most mid-size stores	Check the tiers carefully
Performance-based	Fee tied to revenue or profit	Mature accounts with clean tracking	Disputes over attribution and brand traffic
Hourly	Billed per hour	Audits and one-off fixes	Hard to budget for ongoing work

Also ask about setup fees, minimum contract terms, notice period, and whether ad spend is billed to your own card. It should be.

Step 4: The 12 questions to ask every PPC agency

1. “Who will manage my account day to day, and how many accounts do they handle?”

Good answer: A named person, their experience, and a realistic workload. Red flag: “Our team” with no names, or a strategist you only meet on the sales call.

2. “What would you check in the first 30 days?”

Good answer: Conversion tracking, GA4, Merchant Center diagnostics, feed titles, search terms, brand vs non-brand split. Red flag: “We will launch new campaigns right away.”

3. “How do you set ROAS or CPA targets?”

Good answer: They ask for your margin and work from breakeven ROAS. Red flag: One ROAS number for every client.

4. “Do you report brand and non-brand results separately?”

Good answer: Yes, always. Brand search can make weak campaigns look strong. Red flag: Blended ROAS only.

5. “Show me results for a store like mine.”

Ask for case studies on your platform (Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce), in a similar price range, with the time period and spend level stated.

6. “How do you manage product feeds?”

For Shopping and Performance Max, the feed matters as much as the bids. Ask about title optimization, custom labels by margin or bestseller, supplemental feeds and disapproval fixes.

7. “How do you handle Performance Max?”

Good answer: Asset group structure, brand exclusions, search term insights, and when they would use Standard Shopping instead. Red flag: “PMax runs itself.”

8. “Which channels would you use, and why?”

Google Search, Shopping, Meta and Microsoft Ads each play a different role. A good agency explains the budget split instead of pushing the channel it knows best.

9. “Who owns the ad accounts, pixels, feeds and creative?”

Good answer: You do, in writing. Red flag: The agency creates accounts under its own manager account with no transfer clause.

10. “What does a monthly report include, and do we get a call?”

Ask for a sample report. It should cover spend, revenue, ROAS, CPA, new vs returning customers, what changed and why, and next month’s plan.

11. “Can I see your change history?”

Google Ads keeps a change history. Active management shows regular, meaningful edits, not one change a month.

12. “What are your contract terms and exit process?”

Prefer a 30 to 90 day trial, a 30-day notice period, and a written handover of all assets.

10 red flags that should end the conversation

Guaranteed ROAS, rankings or sales numbers
No questions about margin, AOV or repeat purchase rate
They want ad spend paid through their own card or invoice with a markup
Accounts created in the agency’s name only
No sample report, or reports with only clicks and impressions
Case studies with no time period, spend level or channel
Long lock-in contracts with no performance review point
They cannot say who will manage the account
Only positive reviews, all posted in the same week
A free audit that lists generic tips with no dollar impact

How to read agency reviews on Clutch, G2, Trustpilot and Google

Most agencies show a star rating on their homepage. Here is how to check it properly.

Platform	What makes it useful	What to check
Clutch	Reviews are verified and list project size, dates and services	Match the service (for example “Pay Per Click”) and budget to your project
G2	Every review has a “What do you dislike” answer	Read the dislikes. Honest weaknesses are more useful than praise
Trustpilot	Shows whether reviews were invited or unprompted	Look at the review dates and the reviewer’s other reviews
Google Business Profile	Public reviews with owner replies	How the agency replies to criticism
Facebook	Recommendations from real profiles and business pages	Whether reviewers are real businesses, and how the agency replies
Upwork	Job Success Score and hours billed	Long contracts and repeat clients

Then compare the numbers. If the website says “500+ reviews” but the linked profile shows far fewer, ask why.

The 100-point agency scorecard

Copy this into Google Sheets and score each agency after the sales call and audit.

Area	What to score	Max points
Commercial thinking	Asked about margin, AOV, LTV, breakeven ROAS	15
Tracking and feed	Clear plan for GA4, conversions, Merchant Center, feed quality	15
Relevant proof	Case studies on your platform, channels and price range	15
Account manager	Named, experienced person with reasonable workload	10
Channel strategy	Logical split across Search, Shopping, PMax, Meta, Microsoft	10
Reporting	Sample report with brand vs non-brand, insights, next steps	10
Ownership and contract	You own accounts, fair notice period, trial option	10
Reviews	Verified reviews on several platforms, including critical feedback	10
Audit quality	Specific issues with estimated impact	5
Total		100

A score of 80+ means shortlist. 60 to 79 means ask more questions. Below 60 means move on.

For agencies: choosing a white label PPC partner

Do they work fully under your brand, including reports and email domains?
Will they join client calls as your team if needed?
What is the turnaround for launches, changes and reports?
Do they sign an NDA and a non-solicitation clause?
Can they show white label results with partner permission?
What happens to the accounts if the partnership ends?

A 14-day evaluation process

Day	Action
1 to 2	Calculate breakeven ROAS and max CPA. Shortlist 3 to 5 agencies.
3 to 5	Discovery calls using the 12 questions. Check reviews on at least three platforms.
6 to 10	Give read-only account access for an audit. Ask for a sample report.
11 to 12	Review audits. Score each agency out of 100.
13 to 14	Negotiate a trial with clear 90-day goals, and confirm account ownership in the contract.

Example scorecard: Hustle Marketers (author’s agency)

This section is about the author’s own agency. It is here as a worked example of how to check an agency’s public proof. Score it yourself using the links.

Check	Public evidence
Verified reviews	Clutch 5.0 (50), Google 4.8 (52), G2 5.0 (9), Trustpilot 4.4 (11), DesignRush 4.8 (8), GoodFirms 5.0 (3), Facebook 100% recommend (11)
Critical feedback	G2 dislikes include “Slow results” and more frequent creative refreshes needed early on
Ecommerce proof	$1.58M at 12.84x ROAS, 15.25x ROAS for a UK Shopify brand, $346K at 5.12x ROAS
Who manages accounts	Founder-led. One Clutch reviewer wrote: “Ishant has been hands-on throughout the campaign”
Channels	Google Ads, Meta Ads, Microsoft Ads, SEO, CRO
White label	Yes, with a published 30x ROAS white label case study
Pricing signal	Clutch lists $1,000+ minimum project, $25 to $49 per hour

“What impressed us most was their deep understanding of e-commerce PPC specifically.” Director, Cosmetics Company, UK · Clutch, April 2026

Want a second opinion on your PPC account?

Use the scorecard with any agency. If you want Hustle Marketers to audit your account as one of your options, you can request a free audit. Request a Free PPC Audit

FAQ

How much does an ecommerce PPC agency cost?

Most agencies charge a flat monthly fee, a percentage of ad spend, or a hybrid of both, often with a monthly minimum. Compare the total cost against your expected profit, not just the fee.

What ROAS should an ecommerce PPC agency deliver?

There is no universal number. Your target should sit above your breakeven ROAS, which is 1 divided by your gross margin. A store with 40% margin breaks even at 2.5x.

Should I hire a freelancer or an agency for PPC?

Freelancers can suit small accounts. Agencies are usually better once you run several channels, need feed management, or cannot afford downtime when one person is away.

How long should I give a new PPC agency?

Give most accounts 60 to 90 days. The first weeks often go into tracking and feed fixes. Agree on milestones for day 30, 60 and 90 before you start.

What should a PPC audit include?

Conversion tracking accuracy, account structure, search terms and negatives, feed health, brand vs non-brand performance, bidding strategy, landing page relevance, and an estimate of wasted spend.

What is a white label PPC agency?

A white label PPC agency manages paid ads for another agency’s clients under that agency’s brand. The reselling agency keeps the client relationship and the margin.

Ishant Sharma is a performance marketer and the founder of Hustle Marketers. He works on Google Ads, Meta Ads, Microsoft Ads and SEO for ecommerce brands and partner agencies. More on ishantsharmamarketer.com.