How to Choose a Google Ads Agency in Dublin: 7 Questions to Ask

The Dublin agency market: why it's hard to choose

There are dozens of agencies and freelancers in Dublin who will happily take your Google Ads budget. Most of them offer the same things: "certified Google partner", "results-driven", "no long-term contracts".

The problem is that certifications are easy to obtain, results are easy to claim, and the real differences only emerge after you've been paying for three to six months of underperformance.

This guide gives you a practical framework — seven specific questions — to evaluate any agency before you commit. The answers will tell you quickly whether you're talking to someone who genuinely understands paid search, or someone who manages campaigns on autopilot.

Question 1: Do you specialise, or do you manage everything?

The most important question. Many agencies in Dublin offer Google Ads alongside SEO, social media, email marketing, web design, and video production. Some manage campaigns for restaurants, e-commerce stores, recruitment firms, and law firms all at the same time.

Generalism isn't necessarily bad — but in paid search, sector knowledge matters. An agency that's managed 20 solicitors' campaigns understands the keyword landscape, compliance requirements, and conversion patterns in a way that a generalist never will.

What to listen for: A specialist will tell you which industries they focus on and why. A generalist will say they work with "all kinds of businesses".

Question 2: Who specifically will manage my account?

Many agencies sell using senior team members but then hand your account to a junior account manager. Others use offshore teams for day-to-day management while a Dublin-based account director does monthly reporting.

Ask: Who will be my point of contact? Who is optimising the campaigns week to week? What's their experience level?

What to listen for: You want a direct answer about a specific person, not a vague description of a "team".

Question 3: How do you report on results, and what does success look like?

Poor agencies report on clicks, impressions, and click-through rate — metrics that don't connect to revenue. Good agencies report on cost per lead, lead quality, conversion rate, and — ideally — cost per acquired client.

Ask: What metrics will you report on? How will we measure whether the campaigns are working?

Question 4: Will I own my Google Ads account?

This is non-negotiable. Your Google Ads account should be created in your name, with your Google account as the primary owner. The agency is granted access — they don't own the account.

Why does it matter? If you leave the agency, you keep your account history: keyword data, Quality Scores, conversion history. Starting from scratch costs money and time.

Some agencies deliberately create accounts in their own Google MCC (My Client Centre) and retain ownership. This is a red flag.

What to listen for: "Your account, your data" — always.

Question 5: What does your optimisation process look like week to week?

Good Google Ads management is a weekly activity: reviewing search terms reports, adding negative keywords, testing ad copy, adjusting bids, improving landing pages. It's not set-up-and-forget.

Ask: What does your weekly process look like? How often will you be actively in the account?

What to listen for: Specific, process-oriented answers — not vague promises about "ongoing optimisation".

Question 6: Can I speak to a client in my industry you've managed?

The strongest possible signal that an agency knows your sector is a client who will vouch for them. Ask for a reference in a similar industry — not just any client.

A good agency will either have this readily available or be transparent if it's genuinely difficult due to confidentiality. An agency that can't produce any reference at all is concerning.

Question 7: What's your fee structure, and are there any hidden costs?

Dublin agencies use various fee structures: flat monthly management fees, percentage of ad spend (typically 10–20%), or hybrid models. Percentage models create a conflict of interest — the agency earns more when you spend more, regardless of results.

Ask for a clear breakdown: what's the management fee, what's the setup cost (if any), and what does the fee include?

What good looks like: a quick checklist

Use this before signing anything:

Question	Green flag	Red flag
Specialisation	Clear focus on specific industries	"We work with everyone"
Account management	Named person, direct access	"Our team handles it"
Reporting	CPL, conversion data, revenue	CTR, impressions, Quality Score
Account ownership	You own it, always	Agency retains ownership
Optimisation	Weekly process described	"Ongoing monitoring" vagueness
References	Available on request	Not available
Fee transparency	Flat fee, itemised	Percentage of spend, opaque

Why we built Stark Digital around specialisation

We focus exclusively on Google Ads for professional services in Dublin and Ireland. Not SEO, not social media, not e-commerce. Google Ads, professional services, Dublin.

That focus means we understand your market: the keyword landscape, the client acquisition economics, the compliance requirements, and what actually converts for solicitors, accountants, financial advisors, dental clinics, and tradespeople.

We work with a maximum of 8 clients at a time — which means your campaigns get genuine attention, not a share of a junior account manager's to-do list.

Want to see how Stark Digital answers these questions? Let's have a conversation →