How to separate real partners from generic shops - and choose a team who will drive measurable ROI.

Selecting the right eCommerce growth agency is a critical business decision. The wrong partner can underdeliver, misreport results, or treat your account like a generic checklist, while the right partner becomes an extension of your team, accountable for sustainable revenue growth.

Below, we walk through the 10 questions you should ask every prospective agency - and how to interpret the answers to distinguish real expertise from buzzwords.

Why These Questions Matter

Many agencies talk a good game about visibility, traffic, and scale, but unless they can tie those activities to profit and growth outcomes, you’re risking wasted spend and frustration. Real experts:

• Make marketing accountable to profit, not just clicks.
  
  
• Provide clean, first‑party attribution and tracking.
  
  
• Integrate SEO and paid media strategically, not as silos.

These questions aren’t just about vetting tactics, they’re about uncovering whether the agency can grow your business, not just manage deliverables.

1. What’s Your Track Record With eCommerce Growth (Especially PPC & SEO)?

Ask for specific case studies rather than generic success stories.

Surface‑level answers might mention volume or traffic gains. Strong answers will include:

• Revenue or sales impact tied to paid search (e.g., Google Shopping ROAS improvements).
  
  
• Organic search outcomes supported by link building and on‑site optimisation.
  
  
• Testimonials with measurable business outcomes.
  

At SearchUp, we focus on frameworks that make marketing accountable to profit, not just presence.

If they struggle to share actual numbers or audits, that’s a red flag.

2. How Do You Approach Profitability vs. Traffic?

Traffic alone doesn’t equal success, especially in competitive eCommerce niches.

Good agencies will:

• Show how they align search and paid traffic with unit economics.
  
  
• Walk you through CAC, LTV, and revenue targets instead of just “more impressions.”
  
  
• Explain how they build paid strategies around sustainable acquisition and profit.

If the answer focuses only on CTR or clicks without context, they may not be growth‑oriented.

3. Who Will Actually Work on Our Account?

Some agencies use junior executives or offshore fulfilment teams while selling a senior‑led brand narrative.

A real partner should be able to tell you:

• Who your day‑to‑day contact is
  
  
• Their experience level (senior strategists = better decisions)
  
  
• How cross‑functional teams (SEO + PPC + analytics) collaborate

At SearchUp, clients benefit from director support and seasoned specialists, not inexperienced executives.

4. How Do You Track and Attribute Results (Especially Across PPC & SEO)?

Without strong measurement, decision‑making is guesswork.

Strong answers include:

• Server‑side tracking and GA4 category reporting that maps performance at the channel and product level
  
  
• Attribution models beyond last‑click.
  
  
• Insights that tie spend to business outcomes every month.

If they can’t explain their measurement approach clearly, question their accountability.

5. What’s Your Philosophy on Retention vs. Acquisition?

Long‑term growth requires more than new customer acquisition. A strong agency:

• Integrates retention tactics (e.g., remarketing, lifecycle messaging).
  
  
• Coordinates paid and organic efforts to reduce churn.

If the answer is purely about “feed the funnel,” they’re missing half the growth equation.

6. How Do You Integrate SEO and Paid Search Strategy?

SEO and PPC shouldn’t operate independently.

Look for agencies that:

• Use data from PPC to inform SEO keyword targets and vice versa.
  
  
• Optimise for modern search features (e.g., Google SGE and Shopping signals).
  
  
• Prioritise content, links, and technical SEO to boost organic visits over time.

SearchUp blends both by using the latest search trends and SEO tactics to shape paid media strategies effectively.

7. How Do You Plan Budgets and Scale Over Time?

A mature agency will show you:

• Scenario planning for incremental scaling.
  
  
• Metrics that trigger budget increases (e.g., ROAS thresholds, margins).
  
  
• Test frameworks for new channels and audiences.

If they offer “set it and forget it” budgets, they may lack strategic depth.

8. Can You Share a Time You Lost a Client - and What Happened?

This may feel uncomfortable, but it reveals:

• Honesty and maturity
  
  
• How they manage adversity
  
  
• Whether they learn from setbacks

A thoughtful answer is much better than evasiveness or blame shifting.

9. What Technical Stack and Tools Do You Use - And How Do They Integrate With Our Platforms?

Tools matter. Ask specifically about:

• Analytics (GA4, server-side tagging)
  
  
• Feed management for Google Shopping and Performance Max.
  
  
• SEO platforms used to track rankings, content gaps, and link profiles.
  
  
• How these tools sync with your platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.)

Agencies that can’t articulate their tech ecosystem tend to have less predictable outcomes.

10. What Happens in the First 30, 60, and 90 Days?

This question separates planners from doers.

A strong agency will outline:

• Onboarding milestones
  
  
• Early measurement priorities
  
  
• Quick wins that align with long-term strategy

If their roadmap is vague, you may face uncertainty after signing.

Red Flags That Signal a Generic Shop

Watch out for answers that:

• Lean on buzzwords without depth
  
  
• Offer cookie‑cutter plans
  
  
• Don’t tie results back to business metrics
  
  
• Provide low transparency around teams or tools

These are common traits of generic agencies that execute tasks, not growth.

How to Vet Their Answers

You don’t have to guess - use this practical approach:

• Ask for reports or dashboards from real client accounts
  
  
• Test responses with scenario questions (e.g., how they handle data gaps)
  
  
• Validate how they frame success (revenue, not just metrics)

Conclusion: Ask Better Questions, Hire Smarter

Choosing an agency shouldn’t be about referrals or handshakes - it should be about measurable business growth.

The right partner will:

1. Tie activity to ROI
2. Bring transparency to every strategy
3. Support both paid and organic channels cohesively
4. Share real methods used in their own frameworks

At the end of the day, it’s not just what they say - it’s what they do and how they explain it.