Online Marketing Agency Services Scorecard

Why formal agency evaluation matters now

The cost of getting agency relationships wrong has never been higher. According to the ANA/4As 2025 study, the average agency pitch now costs marketers over $400,000—yet 40% of clients plan to switch agency partners within six months, according to Setup's 2024 Marketing Relationship Survey. That's an expensive cycle of disruption that formal evaluation can prevent.

The data tells a clear story about why structured assessment works. The ANA's agency evaluation research found that 82% of marketers now conduct formal agency evaluations, with 92% citing the identification of underperforming relationships as the primary benefit. Companies that implement regular assessment processes report more constructive dialogue and measurable improvements in agency output.

Bob Liodice, President and CEO of the Association of National Advertisers, puts it directly: "Having a formal agency evaluation process is always imperative but even more so at a time of heightened focus on marketing accountability. The companies that plan regular assessments are likely to identify successful and under-performing aspects of their agency relationships leading to constructive dialogue and exchanges."

For businesses investing in SEO audit processes and marketing services, a structured evaluation framework ensures you're measuring what matters—and catching problems before they become expensive.

The 10-point agency evaluation framework

This weighted scorecard covers the criteria that matter most for ongoing agency relationships. Each criterion is weighted based on its impact on business outcomes, totalling 100 points. Whitehat SEO developed this framework by synthesising industry research from the ANA, 4As, and IPA with our experience as a HubSpot Diamond Partner working with B2B companies.

1. Strategic alignment and business understanding (15 points)

Does your agency genuinely understand your business objectives, market position, and competitive landscape? The Setup research found that "agency didn't understand business" is now tied as the second-highest reason clients end relationships, up 10% from 2023. Score your agency on how well they translate your business goals into a marketing strategy.

2. Delivery quality and execution (15 points)

This is the single biggest driver of client dissatisfaction. According to the same research, 48% of relationship breakdowns stem from dissatisfaction with delivery, up 14% from the previous year. Evaluate whether work is delivered on time, to brief, and at the quality level promised. Poor execution here undermines everything else.

3. Results and ROI demonstration (15 points)

Can your agency prove their work generates returns? According to Gartner's 2025 CMO Spend Survey, 39% of CMOs plan to cut agency budgets this year. Agencies that can't demonstrate clear ROI will be first on the chopping block. Your agency should provide attribution reporting that connects activities to pipeline and revenue.

4. Communication and responsiveness (10 points)

How quickly does your agency respond to requests? Do they proactively share updates and insights? Effective communication prevents the small misunderstandings that compound into major relationship breakdowns. Score based on response times, meeting preparedness, and clarity of reporting.

5. Strategic proactivity and innovation (10 points)

Does your agency bring new ideas, or do they only execute what you request? The best agencies spot opportunities before you do. With 22% of CMOs reporting that GenAI has reduced their reliance on external agencies, agencies must demonstrate strategic value beyond execution to remain essential.

6. Technical capability and tools (10 points)

Does your agency have the technical expertise your marketing requires? For businesses using platforms like HubSpot, this means evaluating whether your agency holds relevant certifications and can maximise your technology investment. Marketing coaching services from certified partners deliver measurably better results than generic support.

7. Team stability and expertise (8 points)

Agency employee turnover averages approximately 30% annually—the second-highest of any industry. When your account team changes frequently, you lose institutional knowledge and momentum. Evaluate how often your contacts change and whether senior strategists remain involved in your account.

8. Value alignment and pricing transparency (7 points)

Is the fee structure clear, and does it align with the value delivered? Michael Farmer, author of Madison Avenue Manslaughter, notes that agencies often struggle to document what they deliver against scope: "Agencies aren't used to keeping very good track of what they intend to do for their clients in scopes of work, they don't document it." Score your agency on pricing transparency and scope clarity.

9. Cultural fit and collaboration quality (5 points)

Does working with your agency feel like a partnership or a transaction? Margaret Jobling, CMO of NatWest Group, emphasises: "Client-agency relationships are the cornerstone of our industry, and it is incredibly important to know that you share common goals and standards of excellence." Poor cultural fit creates friction that undermines even technically excellent work.

10. Adaptability and continuous improvement (5 points)

How well does your agency respond to feedback and changing requirements? The best agencies treat criticism as data and improve measurably quarter over quarter. Score based on how they've responded to past feedback and whether they proactively suggest improvements to their own processes.

Industry benchmarks: What "good" looks like in 2025

Evaluating agency performance requires context. These benchmarks from industry research help you understand whether your agency's results are competitive. Whitehat SEO compiles these benchmarks to help clients conduct comprehensive website audits and performance reviews.

Marketing budget benchmarks

ROI benchmarks by channel

Relationship tenure benchmarks

The ANA/4As April 2025 study revealed that average client-agency relationships have more than doubled from 3.2 years in 2016 to approximately 7 years today. Matt Kasindorf, SVP at the 4As, notes: "In a landscape where the average agency pitch costs marketers over $400,000, both sides of the table are recognising the value of long-term commitment."

Tenure varies significantly by agency type: experiential agencies average 10 years, integrated full-service agencies 7.3 years, while media-only agencies average just 3.7 years. Understanding these benchmarks helps you assess whether your relationship timeline is typical or concerning.

Red flags and warning signs your agency isn't performing

Early warning signs allow you to address problems before they become relationship-ending issues. Based on the reasons clients actually leave agencies (from the Setup 2024 survey), these are the indicators to watch.

Delivery and execution red flags

• Consistent missed deadlines without proactive communication or recovery plans
• Quality decline over time—initial work was excellent, but recent output has slipped
• Reactive only—they wait for you to identify problems rather than catching issues themselves
• Deliverables require multiple revision rounds to meet the original brief
• Junior staff doing senior work without appropriate oversight or quality control

Strategic and business understanding red flags

• Generic recommendations that could apply to any business in any industry
• Repeated questions about basics you've already explained multiple times
• Strategies disconnected from your actual business objectives or market position
• No competitive awareness—they don't know or reference your competitors
• Cookie-cutter approaches that ignore your specific constraints or opportunities

Results and reporting red flags

• Vanity metrics emphasis—reporting on impressions and reach while avoiding conversion data
• Attribution avoidance—resistance to implementing proper tracking or discussing ROI
• Excuses without plans—when results miss targets, explanations come without recovery strategies
• Benchmark resistance—unwillingness to compare performance against industry standards
• Dashboard-only reporting without strategic interpretation or recommendations

Relationship and communication red flags

• Constant team changes with no continuity in your account management
• Slow response times that have degraded from your initial engagement
• Defensive reactions to feedback rather than treating concerns as improvement opportunities
• Scope creep without communication—billing for work outside the agreed scope without discussion
• Senior team disappearance—the strategists who won your business are no longer involved

If you're seeing three or more red flags across categories, it's time for a formal review conversation. Document specific examples before that meeting—vague concerns are easier for agencies to dismiss than concrete instances.

The first 90 days: What to expect from a new agency

New agency relationships require realistic timeline expectations. Demanding immediate results sets both parties up for failure, but that doesn't mean the first 90 days should be a results-free zone. Here's what Whitehat SEO recommends clients expect—and what we hold ourselves accountable for when onboarding new clients through our inbound marketing blueprint.

Days 1-30: Foundation and discovery

The first month should focus on learning your business deeply. Expect comprehensive audits of existing marketing assets, technology stack reviews, competitor analysis, and strategy workshops. Your agency should be asking probing questions about your business objectives, not jumping straight into execution. Key deliverables: audit reports, documented strategy, and an initial 90-day plan with clear milestones.

Days 31-60: Implementation and quick wins

By month two, your agency should be executing against the agreed strategy while identifying quick wins that demonstrate capability. These might include technical fixes, campaign optimisations, or content improvements that show measurable impact. Research from Vendasta found that 62% of clients not upsold within the first three months churned within two years—suggesting that agencies that can't demonstrate early value struggle to retain clients.

Days 61-90: Results and optimisation

By the end of the first quarter, you should see leading indicators moving in the right direction. Traffic trends, engagement metrics, lead quality signals, and pipeline indicators should show improvement—even if lagging indicators like revenue haven't shifted yet. Your agency should present a data-backed review of what's working, what needs adjustment, and the plan for the next quarter.

When to stay vs. when to leave your agency

The decision to change agencies shouldn't be taken lightly—remember, the average pitch costs over $400,000 when you factor in internal time and opportunity costs. But staying with an underperforming agency has costs too. Here's how to make that decision systematically.

Signs you should work to improve the relationship

• Problems are isolated to specific areas rather than systemic across the engagement
• Your agency responds constructively to feedback and implements changes
• Issues stem from unclear communication or scope that you can jointly fix
• The strategic thinking is sound even if execution has stumbled
• You haven't yet had a formal, documented conversation about concerns
• Team changes on either side may have caused temporary disruption

Signs it's time to transition

• You've raised concerns formally and seen no meaningful improvement
• The agency fundamentally doesn't understand your business after extended engagement
• Results have declined consistently over multiple quarters
• Trust has broken down—you're second-guessing everything they recommend
• The agency's capabilities no longer match your evolved needs
• You're paying for strategic partnership but receiving order-taking

According to IPA research on agency effectiveness, 75% of agencies now have effectiveness roadmaps—up from just 29% in 2022. If your agency can't articulate how they're working to improve their own effectiveness, that's a concerning signal about their commitment to continuous improvement.

How to transition agencies smoothly

If you've decided to change agencies, a structured transition protects your marketing continuity and preserves the value of your data and assets. The ANA's Agency Management Playbook recommends a six-stage approach: Plan, Research, Select, Communicate, Manage, and Transition.

Before you announce the change

• Secure your data: Ensure you have full access to all analytics, advertising accounts, and marketing platforms. These should be in your name, not the agency's.
• Document everything: Gather all strategy documents, brand guidelines, content calendars, and reporting templates.
• Review contracts: Understand notice periods, IP ownership clauses, and any transition obligations.
• Begin new agency selection: Start conversations with potential new partners before announcing your departure.

Managing the handover

Once notice is given, request a formal knowledge transfer process. This should include: current campaign status and next steps, login credentials and platform access, outstanding deliverables and their completion timeline, historical performance data and learnings, and any work-in-progress assets.

Professional agencies will facilitate smooth transitions—it's in their interest to end relationships well. If your current agency is obstructive during handover, that validates your decision to leave and provides important information for any future reference checks.

For businesses transitioning to or from HubSpot-focused agencies, ensuring proper data migration and platform handover is critical. Whitehat SEO's HubSpot onboarding services include transition support to ensure continuity when changing partners.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I formally evaluate my marketing agency's performance?

Conduct comprehensive evaluations quarterly, with lighter monthly check-ins on key metrics. Annual evaluations alone miss problems that compound over time. The ANA recommends building evaluation into your regular operating rhythm rather than treating it as an occasional event.

What KPIs should I use to measure my marketing agency's success?

Focus on business outcomes rather than activity metrics. Essential KPIs include: marketing-sourced pipeline and revenue, cost per acquisition, return on ad spend, organic traffic growth, conversion rates, and lead quality scores. The specific mix depends on your business model and the services your agency provides.

Should I conduct a 360-degree evaluation where my agency also evaluates me?

Yes—59% of companies now use 360-degree evaluations according to ANA research. Agencies can identify client-side barriers to success, such as slow approvals, unclear briefs, or inadequate access to stakeholders. Mutual evaluation builds partnership rather than vendor relationships.

What are the warning signs that my marketing agency isn't performing?

Key red flags include: declining quality over time, defensive responses to feedback, vanity metric reporting, missed deadlines without proactive communication, high team turnover, and generic strategies that don't reflect your business specifics. See the full red flags section above for detailed indicators.

How long should I wait before expecting results from a new agency?

Expect leading indicator improvements within 90 days and meaningful outcome changes within 6 months. However, timelines vary by channel—paid advertising can show results in weeks, while SEO typically requires 4-6 months. Agree on realistic milestones upfront for each service.

What ROI should I expect from my marketing agency?

ROI varies significantly by channel and industry. Benchmark expectations: PPC typically delivers 200% (£2 return per £1), email marketing can reach 4,300%, and HubSpot implementations average 505% over three years. Your agency should provide channel-specific projections based on your baseline data.

How does my agency's performance compare to industry benchmarks?

Request benchmark comparisons in your regular reporting. Key benchmarks: marketing budgets average 7.7-9.4% of revenue, digital spending represents 61.1% of marketing budgets, and agencies typically receive 21% of total marketing spend. For performance metrics, compare against published industry averages for your channels.

When is it time to leave my marketing agency—and how do I transition smoothly?

Leave when: you've raised concerns formally without improvement, trust has broken down, or their capabilities no longer match your needs. Transition smoothly by: securing data access first, documenting everything, understanding contract terms, and beginning new agency conversations before announcing departure. Allow 60-90 days for proper handover.

Get your agency evaluation started

Whitehat SEO is a HubSpot Diamond Partner that believes in transparency—including about how clients should evaluate agencies like us. If you're reviewing your current agency relationship or considering a change, we're happy to discuss what good agency partnerships look like.

Explore our full-service marketing agency capabilities or book a conversation about your marketing challenges.