How to choose the best online marketing agency: 10 points [checklist]

[jrineakter]

Live Q&A: The Future of AI in 2025. Join the free webinar with AI expert Patrick Klerks on February 6
The search for the right online marketing agency is not easy. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. This saying is relevant to our sector. We regularly see that people make choices without sufficiently understanding the content of their steps. This also makes it difficult to choose the 'right' agency. Good or bad agencies/people, for the non-seasoned listener they tell the same thing. And as so often in life, it's all about the details.


We put our heads together and determined for ourselves how a good agency distinguishes itself. In that article you will find a guideline that can help you. It is probably not conclusive, so we would like to hear your additions.

1. Extensive professional knowledge of the agency
The website reveals a lot about the core competences of an agency. Because we are talking about online marketing agencies, we look at the expertise within the operations of SEO, SEA, analytics and social advertising. How can you be sure that they really know their stuff?

Similar customers
First of all, it inspires confidence afghanistan telegram number list when the agency quotes a client from your sector. The agency shows how it went about it and what ROI was achieved.

Up-to-date knowledge
In addition, our sector is constantly changing and you need to stay up-to-date with the latest developments. An agency is progressive if new features from Google, for example, are tested and implemented. Also ask for the results and the substantive own data on which they base that result. It is very easy to present findings found online by others as your own.

knowledge exchange heads

Reading and writing blogs
Both reading certain blogs and managing your own blog shows the depth of your knowledge. Ask the agency if they write themselves and what their philosophy is behind this. Do they share knowledge in their blogs? In our eyes, sharing information with the outside world radiates knowledge and quality. You make yourself vulnerable. You are open to criticism from others, but that does not scare you off, because you have thought about what you write and because you are looking to broaden your knowledge.

Some blogs that every internet marketer should follow are Search Engine Land , Google Adwords blog or Avinash's blog (given their technical depth), besides of course reading Frankwatching , Bloovi , E merce , etc.

2. Business understanding
Measurable objectives
Each trajectory has objectives. So it is best to think in advance about what your objectives are. Most people are able to determine objectives. Converting these objectives into measurable KPIs (key performance indicators) is another matter.

Is your objective for selling irons, for example, that the marketing cost per iron may not exceed 10 euros? Then the better digital agency will critically review this objective with you: "What do you mean, 10 euros?" The refined objective is then converted into KPIs.

The turnover in relation to the costs
An example of a goal that we believe an agency should not accept is: “We want x impressions or x € turnover”. Impressions are weak metrics to hang goals/KPIs on. It is a piece of cake to arrange a lot of impressions without it saying anything about their quality.

Looking only at turnover is too simplistic, because that says nothing about the ROI. The turnover must always be seen in relation to the costs that are made for it. An agency that starts with your cash flow in order to get a real picture of 'the costs', will deliver a better result.