How often should I audit my marketing agency's performance?

Conduct a formal marketing agency performance audit every 6 months at minimum, with lighter quarterly check-ins in between. The 6-month audit should review all channels in depth against original targets, contract deliverables, and market benchmarks. Quarterly check-ins focus on leading indicators — are rankings improving? Is ROAS trending in the right direction? Are reports being delivered on time? Annual audits should include a full ROI calculation and a strategic review of whether the agency relationship still fits your current business needs.

What metrics should I use to evaluate my marketing agency?

The key metrics for evaluating a marketing agency in 2026 depend on channel: SEO — organic traffic growth %, keyword ranking improvements, domain authority growth, conversion rate from organic; Paid Media — ROAS, CPA/CPL, click-through rates, quality scores; Content — organic reach, time on page, content-attributed leads, backlinks generated; Social — engagement rate, follower growth, reach; Overall — marketing-attributed revenue, cost per acquisition blended across all channels, and ROI on agency fees. Always compare against baseline and against agreed targets, not just raw numbers.

What are signs that my marketing agency is underperforming?

Signs of marketing agency underperformance in 2026: metrics consistently below agreed targets with no credible explanation, reporting that shows activity (posts published, ads run) but no outcome metrics, the same ad creative running for more than 60 days without testing, SEO content published but no rank improvements after 6 months, CPC or CPL rising month-over-month without corresponding strategy change, slow response to communication, and reporting delivered late or in unusable formats. Any three of these together are a serious concern requiring direct conversation.

Can I run a marketing agency audit myself?

Yes — a self-conducted marketing agency audit in 2026 is achievable with free and low-cost tools. For SEO: use Google Search Console (yours to access) to check organic impressions, clicks, and ranking positions. For paid: access your own Google Ads and Meta Ads Manager accounts and export performance data. For content: use Ahrefs or Semrush free tier to check backlinks and rankings. Compare all findings against your original targets and the deliverables in your contract. If you do not have access to your own accounts, that is itself the first finding of the audit.

What should I do if my marketing agency audit reveals poor performance?

If your marketing agency performance audit reveals underperformance in 2026: first, document your findings clearly with specific data, not just impressions. Second, schedule a formal performance review with the agency and present the data — give them the opportunity to explain and respond. Third, request a remediation plan with specific commitments and timeline. If the agency responds defensively, cannot explain the underperformance, or produces a vague plan, begin the process of transition. Always check your contract for notice periods and asset ownership provisions before beginning a transition.

How to Audit Your Marketing Agency's Performance 2026

Why Most Businesses Don't Audit Their Agency

The most common reason businesses stay with underperforming marketing agencies for too long is that they never formally evaluate performance. Reports arrive monthly, meetings happen, activity is visible — but no one compares actual results against the original targets that justified the investment.

A formal performance audit in 2026 does four things: it tells you whether you are getting what you paid for, it creates accountability for improvement if you are not, it gives the agency an opportunity to respond with data rather than defensiveness, and it generates the information you need to make an informed decision about continuing, adjusting, or transitioning the relationship.

Before You Start: Gather the Baseline Documents

A meaningful audit requires comparison points. Before reviewing any metrics, collect:

The original proposal or contract: What deliverables were promised? What targets were committed to?
The baseline metrics at engagement start: What was organic traffic, ROAS, or lead volume when the agency began?
All monthly reports received: These show what the agency has been reporting, which you will now cross-reference against raw platform data.

If you cannot find any of these, that itself is a finding — there was no baseline and no tracking of targets, which makes the agency impossible to evaluate fairly.

The Channel-by-Channel Audit Framework

SEO Audit

Access your Google Search Console directly (not via the agency — you should always have independent access). Check:

Total impressions and clicks over the engagement period — is the trend line positive?
Average position for your primary target keywords — are they improving?
Pages indexed — are the content pieces the agency created being indexed and generating impressions?
Core Web Vitals — is the site technically healthy?

Also check using Ahrefs or Semrush: domain authority trend, backlink growth (quality and quantity), and the ranking positions for the keywords your agency committed to targeting.

Paid Media Audit

Access your Google Ads and Meta Ads Manager accounts directly. Export the last 6 months of data and check:

ROAS or CPA trend — improving or declining?
Impression share and quality scores (Google) — are these healthy?
Ad creative rotation — how many unique ads have been tested? What is the average ad age?
Negative keyword list — is it growing? When was it last updated?
Conversion tracking — are conversions accurately recorded in the platform?

Content and Social Audit

Content produced vs. promised — are the deliverables in the contract being met?
Content quality — are the articles indexed? Do they rank? Are they generating traffic?
Social engagement rate — is it improving or declining?
Backlinks generated — how many third-party sites link to the content created?

The Audit Scorecard

Area	What to Check	Green	Red
SEO	Organic traffic trend	+15% or more over 6 months	Flat or declining
SEO	Target keyword rankings	Measurable improvement	No change or worsening
Paid	ROAS or CPL trend	Stable or improving	Rising CPA, declining ROAS
Paid	Creative freshness	New tests every 30 days	Same creative for 60+ days
Content	Deliverables vs. promised	On schedule and complete	Behind or missing
Reporting	Timeliness and depth	On time, outcome-focused	Late or activity-only
Access	Your account access	Full access confirmed	Mediated or restricted

Access First

If you do not have direct login access to your Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager, Google Analytics, and Google Search Console accounts, start the audit by requesting that access immediately. An agency that manages accounts without giving clients direct access is creating a dependency that benefits only the agency.

What to Do When the Audit Reveals Underperformance

Document everything clearly: Compile specific data — percentages, dates, account screenshots — not impressions or feelings.
Schedule a formal performance review: Present the findings directly. Give the agency a fair opportunity to explain the data and respond.
Request a remediation plan: If the agency acknowledges underperformance, ask for a specific plan with commitments and a 60-day review checkpoint.
Evaluate the response: Defensive, blame-deflecting, or vague responses predict continued underperformance. A structured, accountable response is a positive signal.
Review your exit terms: Before transitioning, check your contract's notice period, asset ownership provisions, and data portability rights.

An agency that welcomes a formal performance audit and uses it as a tool for improvement is worth keeping. An agency that becomes defensive or obstructs the process is showing you exactly who they are.

How to Audit Your Marketing Agency's Performance in 2026