Hiring a PPC Agency? Don’t Skip These Essential Questions!
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What Does “Hiring a PPC Agency? Don’t Skip These Essential Questions!” Talk About?
In this episode of the James Dooley Podcast, James Dooley and Kasra Dash walk through the essential questions every business owner should ask before hiring a PPC agency. They open by stressing the importance of industry-specific experience, explaining that agencies with prior work in your niche already understand buying intent keywords, negative keyword lists, and CTR patterns — knowledge that takes time and budget to build from scratch. The conversation then moves into the tools agencies use for split testing and conversion rate optimisation, with specific platforms like VWO, Hotjar, and Optimizely mentioned as benchmarks for a serious, data-driven approach.
The hosts also break down the financial side of hiring a PPC agency, discussing management fee structures that typically range from 10 to 30 percent of ad spend, as well as setup or activation fees that are often overlooked. James and Kasra emphasise that higher fees are only justifiable when the agency can demonstrate genuine expertise and measurable ROI. They round out the discussion by highlighting the value of having a dedicated account manager for communication and ongoing optimisation, and by warning listeners about so-called cowboy agencies that may obscure performance with jargon. Kasra closes by suggesting that PPC may not always be the right channel, and that a fractional CMO consultation through fatrank.com could help businesses identify whether SEO, Facebook ads, or a hybrid approach would be more suitable.
“The main thing I want to know is how many other businesses they have scaled in a similar market. Some are brilliant at ecommerce. Some are brilliant at lead generation. I want the best PPC agency for my industry.”
— James Dooley
Who Are the Guests on “Hiring a PPC Agency? Don’t Skip These Essential Questions!”?
James Dooley is a digital marketing expert and entrepreneur known for his deep expertise in lead generation, SEO, and paid media strategy. As the host of the James Dooley Podcast, he regularly breaks down complex marketing topics into practical, actionable advice for business owners looking to scale. His hands-on experience managing large advertising budgets gives him a grounded perspective on what separates effective PPC agencies from underperformers.
Kasra Dash is a digital marketing specialist with extensive experience running PPC campaigns across multiple industries. He brings a strong technical understanding of paid search, including conversion rate optimisation tools, account structure, and campaign testing methodologies. Alongside James, Kasra also offers fractional CMO services through fatrank.com, helping businesses determine the right marketing channel mix before committing to any single strategy.
What Are the Key Takeaways From “Hiring a PPC Agency? Don’t Skip These Essential Questions!”?
Here are the key points discussed in this episode:
- Asking a PPC agency for case studies and industry-specific experience is the single most important first step, as proven niche knowledge saves significant time and budget.
- The tools an agency uses for split testing and conversion rate optimisation, such as VWO, Hotjar, or Optimizely, reveal how seriously they approach improving campaign performance over time.
- Management fees typically range from 10 to 30 percent of ad spend, and higher fees are only justifiable when the agency can demonstrate clear expertise and a strong return on investment.
- Having a dedicated account manager is not a trivial concern, as direct communication speeds up optimisation decisions and helps navigate inevitable challenges like click fraud and negative keyword management.
- PPC is not always the right solution, and business owners should consider consulting a fractional CMO to evaluate whether SEO, Facebook ads, or a hybrid strategy would better serve their goals.
“If they talk to you about CPC and you have no idea what it means they can lie to you. It is not common but there are cowboy PPC agencies so be aware.”
— Kasra Dash
Is “Hiring a PPC Agency? Don’t Skip These Essential Questions!” Worth Listening To?
This episode is genuinely useful for any business owner who has ever felt uncertain or overwhelmed when vetting a PPC agency. Rather than offering vague advice, James and Kasra give you a concrete checklist — from requesting case studies in your specific industry to understanding what a fair management fee looks like — that you can apply directly in your next agency conversation. The discussion of conversion rate optimisation tools is particularly valuable because it shifts the conversation beyond just ad clicks and toward total campaign profitability.
What makes this episode stand out is its honesty about the limitations of PPC itself. Kasra's closing point about fractional CMO guidance and the possibility that SEO or Facebook ads might be a better fit is a refreshing departure from content that simply pushes one solution. Listeners come away not just better equipped to hire a PPC agency, but better equipped to decide whether they should hire one at all. It is a short, dense, and highly practical episode that respects the listener's time and intelligence.
Who Should Listen to “Hiring a PPC Agency? Don’t Skip These Essential Questions!”?
This episode is ideal for:
- Small and medium business owners who are actively considering hiring a PPC agency and want to ask the right questions during the vetting process.
- Marketing managers responsible for agency selection and vendor evaluation who need a reliable framework for comparing PPC providers.
- Entrepreneurs who are currently running paid search campaigns but are unsure whether their agency is delivering genuine value for the management fees being charged.
- Early-stage founders exploring digital marketing channels who want an honest comparison of PPC versus SEO and social media advertising before committing budget.
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What Are Listeners Saying About This Episode?
“Finally a no-nonsense breakdown of what to actually ask a PPC agency. The point about checking whether the agency runs PPC for their own business was something I had never thought of before, and it immediately became my first question in my next agency call. Really practical stuff.”
“James and Kasra cover pricing, tools, and account management in a way that is easy to follow even if you are not a PPC expert. The warning about cowboy agencies using jargon to mislead clients was eye-opening and something every business owner should hear before signing a contract.”
“I appreciated that they ended by questioning whether PPC is even the right channel in the first place. Most content like this just tries to sell you on one approach, but the suggestion to look at a fractional CMO before committing felt genuinely honest and saved me from potentially wasting budget.”
James Dooley: so if I am looking to hire a PPC agency to actually bring more leads or bring me more sales for my business what would you recommend that I ask them
Kasra Dash: the first thing I'd ask any PPC agency would be previous experience so case studies to show that they've run PPC accounts in that industry. The reason is simple. They already know the buying intent keywords. They already have a negative keyword list. They already understand CTR patterns and behaviour
James Dooley: so you would be asking them for case studies and maybe even testimonials and stuff like that
Kasra Dash: right okay. I would probably ask them what kind of tools they're using. A big part of PPC is split testing different landing pages and making certain that you're incrementally increasing conversion rate. If your site converts at 2 percent how do we push that to 3 percent. What tools are they using. Are they using VWO. Are they using anything at all to split test. The more testing you do the more you can tweak colours or contact form designs. If you're in ecommerce you can remove elements from the cart page and that will impact conversion rate. So I'd want to know what tools they use
James Dooley: for sure. You have Hotjar and Optimizely as well as VWO. All great tools for conversion rate optimisation. If you improve conversion rate then cost per lead comes down or cost per conversion comes down and you look better as a PPC agency. So yeah that's a great shout. The next one would be costs and prices. What account management fee are they charging. It could be anything from 10 to 30 percent. The average is around 15 to 20 percent. So if someone is spending £10,000 a month they will probably pay £1,500 in fees. I want to check what they are charging. If they want 20 percent I want to know they are an expert because that level is high. I want to know if I feel their work is good value
Kasra Dash: that's a good shout. One thing I'd also be looking at is whether they run PPC themselves for their own agency. If they can do it for themselves and generate their own enquiries then that is a positive sign
James Dooley: for sure and then just general branding. Do they look like a legitimate company. I mentioned testimonials and case studies but sometimes it's just the feel. Are they going to be around. Are they going to help us all the way through. Growth is never linear. It is always up and down. When you start a campaign there are tough times. There is click fraud. There are negative keywords to load in. I'd say the next point is do you get an account manager. It sounds tedious but having someone to pick up the phone to and moan at or bounce ideas off matters. You want to keep split testing ideas not just on the website but on different ads
Kasra Dash: definitely. One thing you touched on is pricing. Another thing to bear in mind is that a lot of PPC agencies charge an account activation or setup fee. That also matters. You also want to understand PPC lingo. If they talk to you about CPC and you have no idea what it means they can lie to you. It is not common but there are cowboy PPC agencies so be aware. Aside from setup fees is there anything else you would ask
James Dooley: to start with those are the main questions I'd ask a PPC company. Track record. Testimonials. Case studies. Prices. Then I'd compare agencies to see who is best value. Best value does not mean cheapest. The main thing I want to know is how many other businesses they have scaled in a similar market. Some are brilliant at ecommerce. Some are brilliant at lead generation. I want the best PPC agency for my industry
Kasra Dash: definitely. One more thing. If you're watching this video you're probably wanting to grow your business. PPC might not be the optimal solution. You might need SEO. You might need Facebook ads. You might need a hybrid approach. So even before hiring a PPC agency what you might want to do is hire a fractional CMO. If you want that both myself and James are available. Head over to fatrank.com and fill in the form. We can guide you on what will actually be suitable for your business. We deal with a lot of companies so we can tell you straight off the bat if PPC is worth doing or if you should double down on lead generation or SEO. The link is down below
Creators & Guests
Host
James Dooley is a UK entrepreneur.