What a Bad Agency Actually Costs You
Hiring the wrong Google Ads agency in New York is expensive in a way most founders don’t expect.
You don’t just lose the management fee. You also lose the ad spend. And in competitive niches, that money disappears fast. One sloppy setup, wrong conversion tracking, or lazy targeting can burn thousands before you even realize the account is going in the wrong direction.
You also pay twice. First you pay someone to run ads. Then you pay someone else to clean up the mess. Bad structure, junk lead flow, and broken tracking leave damage behind. Even after you fire them, the next agency still needs time to fix it.
The worst part is that the reports can still look “fine.” You might see clicks, conversions, and a nice dashboard. But if those conversions are low quality, or tracking is wrong, you are making business decisions on fake data.
That’s why choosing a Google Ads agency in New York matters. You are not hiring someone to “run ads.” You are hiring someone to protect your budget and tell you the truth.
What’s Different About Hiring a Google Ads Agency in New York
1. Expensive clicks are not a New York problem. They are a competition problem.
If you run Google Ads in a competitive niche, clicks get expensive whether you target NYC, the whole U.S., or just a few zip codes. That’s why picking the wrong agency hurts. One messy setup can burn money fast.
Reality check (benchmarks):
- Average cost per click across industries in 2025 was reported around $5.26
- Average cost per lead across industries in 2025 was reported around $70.11
Those are averages. Your niche can be way higher. The point is simple: Google Ads is often one of the biggest monthly expenses a business has. So “learning on your budget” is a dumb way to learn.
2. New York agencies cost more, but price does not equal quality
NYC is expensive, so a lot of agencies charge NYC prices. That part is normal.
What’s not normal is assuming higher fees mean better work.
Sometimes you’re paying for:
- big payroll and office costs
- a sales person who closes you, then hands you to a junior
- reports that look good but don’t fix lead quality
In ads, you can pay premium and still get mediocre execution. Happens all the time.
The real problem: founders can’t easily tell who’s legit
Most business owners are not marketers. You shouldn’t have to become one just to stop getting ripped off. But that also means it’s hard to judge agencies objectively. A strong sales pitch sounds like competence when you don’t know what questions to ask. “We’ll optimize.” “We’ll improve performance.” “We have a proven process.”
Cool. What does that mean in your account next week?
In this article I’ll walk you through how to hire a Google Ads agency in New York the smart way. Where to look, what fair pricing really looks like, what to ask on the call, and the red flags that should make you walk away fast.
The goal is simple: get real service, not marketing. And make sure the fee makes sense for the work and responsibility.
Where to Find a Google Ads Agency in New York
This is usually where the spiral starts.
You type “google ads agency new york” and suddenly you have 40 tabs open, everyone looks legit, and you still have no idea who will actually touch your account.
So let’s break down the 3 places founders usually go first, what’s wrong with each, and the one place that’s actually useful.
1) Google search
The easiest move. Also the easiest place to get misled.
What you see first is usually:
- Ads (the agencies who can afford to pay for clicks on “google ads agency new york”)
- Agencies Winning SEO (Not Necessarily Google Ads)
- Random “Top 10 Best Google Ads Agencies New York” listicles
The problem is not “ads are bad.” The problem is incentives.
A lot of agencies that dominate search are built for volume. High churn. Sales team closes you. Then your account gets handed off to whoever has capacity.
And those “Top 10” lists? Some are real editorial. Many are basically pay to play. You pay to be featured, you get a badge, the list magically updates every year.
Quick rule: if the list looks too clean, has the same template for every company, and every agency is “award winning,” treat it like an ad.
Agency websites also won’t help much. They all say the same stuff:
“100+ years combined experience”
“scaled hundreds of brands”
“generated millions”
“100+ reviews you can’t verify”
Cool story. Still not helful.
2) Google Maps
Google Maps is amazing for restaurants. Bad service gets punished fast because the foot traffic is constant.
For a B2B service like PPC, it’s different.
You might work together for 6 to 24 months. One review can be from a real client, or from someone who barely interacted. Google tries to fight fake engagement, but reviews still aren’t “verified purchase” style.
3) Social media
Social is where you find the loudest agencies, not the best ones.
You will find:
– Creators who post daily
– Agencies that are great at marketing themselves
– People who are amazing on camera
Same with huge social media profiles. The person you see online is often not the person doing the work. They sell. Someone else runs your campaigns.
And when an agency gets leads every day, they are not hungry. They do not need to fight for your results. That is why founders should judge the process and access, not the marketing.
My advice: start with Clutch
If you want one place that gives you a real shot at finding a solid Google Ads agency in New York, start with Clutch.
Why:
- Clutch verifies reviews. They check identity and work history before publishing.
- Clutch also has a verification program for companies (business legitimacy checks).
- You can see team size, focus, case studies, and what clients actually say in detail.
It’s not perfect. Nothing is. But it’s way harder to fake than “we have 200 five star reviews” on a random website.
How to Choose the Right Google Ads Agency in New York
Clutch can help a lot, but only if you know what you are doing. Let’s go through what actually matters when you are picking a Google Ads agency.
Next, go to the list of companies that provide Google Ads services in New York: LINK
Check agency specialization
If you are hiring a Google Ads agency, pick one that is focused on paid ads.
When an agency does everything like SEO, email marketing, Google Ads, Meta ads, web design, branding, whatever, there is a real chance you will get average work in every direction.
Their main focus should be paid ads, and in your case it should be Google Ads specifically. Like Excella PPC. We only do paid advertising, and Google Ads is the core focus. That means you are not paying for a “full service” menu. You are paying for people who live inside ad accounts every day.
Price to value ratio
This is a big deal when you are choosing a Google Ads agency in New York.
NYC agencies can be expensive. Sometimes the work is worth it. Sometimes you are just paying for overhead. That’s why you should look for client reviews that mention whether the pricing felt fair for the quality and results.
At Excella PPC, we can keep pricing competitive because most of our team works from Ukraine, while still delivering high quality work.
Reviews
Do not look at the review count only. Look at what the reviews are actually for, and what niche they come from.
Example. If you are looking for a Google Ads agency for ecommerce, you want reviews that talk about Google Ads for ecommerce, not “they built our website” or “they helped with SEO.”
If you are hiring for ecommerce, ask for ecommerce proof (example case study: profit from $20k to $800k per month): LINK
If most of the reviews are for other services like SEO or web design, that is a sign Google Ads is not their core focus. And you will probably get a generalist experience, not a specialist.
If you are an ecommerce owner, check out our detailed guide Ecommerce Trends 2026: Performance Marketing. You will like it.
Check their Upwork (if they have one)
If the agency or the people on the team have an Upwork profile, use it as an extra layer of proof.
Upwork reviews are usually harder to fake and you can often see real project history, long term clients, and what they actually worked on. If you find an account with a strong track record and a long history, that is a good sign the agency has real operators, not just a nice website and a sales pitch.
Your First Call With a Google Ads Agency: What to Ask
Once you have a shortlist of Google Ads agencies in New York that look like a fit, the next step is to book a call and talk to them. This is where you figure out who you actually want to work with.
To avoid getting sold with nice words and big promises, I put together a list of questions you should ask, and what a good answer should sound like.
1) Who will work on my Google Ads account?
You should be introduced to the person who will actually touch your account and be responsible for your budget. If the answer is “our team of experienced specialists” and they can’t name who runs it day to day, that’s a black box. It could be seniors. It could be juniors. You will never know until your money is gone.
What you want to hear is simple: a name, a role, and how many accounts that person handles.
2) Who will I communicate with about my project?
If you only get an account manager and you can’t talk to the person making changes, that’s not what you want.
It turns everything into a slow game of telephone. More delays, more misunderstandings, more “we’ll check with the team.” That bureaucracy is convenient for the agency, not for you.
What you want is direct access to the operator, at least for important decisions and strategy.
3) What is the contract term and what are the exit terms?
You should not feel trapped. You need the ability to stop anytime without drama and without weird penalties if things go sideways. If an agency is confident in their work, they don’t need to lock you in.
What you want to hear is month to month, or a clear short term commitment with a clean cancellation policy. No long lock ins. No hidden fees. No “you can leave, but we keep your account” nonsense.
4) What results do you guarantee?
If they promise profit growth or give you a specific number like “2x to 3x” that’s an instant red flag.
Google Ads results depend on a lot more than the agency. Your offer, pricing, landing page, sales process, competition, seasonality, tracking, even your capacity to handle leads. Nobody can honestly guarantee outcomes before they touch the account.
A good agency will talk about what they can control: clean tracking, better structure, tighter targeting, stopping waste, improving lead quality, testing plan, and clear reporting.
The relationship should start with honesty. Not sales promises.
5) Do you work or respond on weekends?
If your ads run on weekends, your account can’t be on autopilot with zero supervision. Stuff breaks. Budgets overspend. Lead quality can drop. A promo can end. A tracking tag can die. And if you can’t reach anyone until Monday, you are basically paying Google to freestyle with your money.
You don’t need 24 7 support. But you do want a clear answer on weekend monitoring and what happens if there is an emergency. Who is on call. How fast they respond. What they consider urgent.
Google Ads Audit (how to judge it, not get sold)
If you are choosing a Google Ads agency in New York, the audit is the moment where you can tell who is real and who is just good at talking. A real Google Ads audit is not a sales pitch. It is proof they understand your business, your account, and what actually matters.
Here is what to check.
1) Did they understand your business?
This is the base layer. If they don’t get your business, nothing else matters.
When you read the audit, ask yourself:
– Do they understand who your real customer is
– Do they understand what makes a lead good vs useless
– Do they understand how you actually make money
If they clearly misunderstood your audience or your offer, stop there. Do not keep the conversation going. You will waste time.
2) Did they actually go deep into your Google Ads account?
You are not looking for generic advice like “improve keywords” or “add negatives” or “increase budget.”
A real audit shows they did the work.
They looked at the structure
They checked search terms and match types
They checked conversion setup
They looked at ads, assets, landing pages, and tracking
They noticed patterns that only show up when you spend time inside the account
3) Are they honest?
The biggest red flag is an audit that magically finds 25 problems in every account.
Sometimes the account is fine. Sometimes the main issue is not Google Ads at all. It is the website, the offer, pricing, sales, or follow up. A good agency will say that. They will also explain why something is a problem, with evidence. Not just vibes.
If they claim something is “wrong” but can’t explain it in plain English, that is not expertise. That is manipulation.
4) What is the format of the audit?
If it is a spreadsheet checklist with random settings, that is not a real Google Ads audit.
There are no universal “correct settings” that work for every business. Especially now, when Google Ads is more automated than ever. One template cannot fit every account.
A real audit should be personalized and practical. It should include:
– What is broken and why it matters
– What opportunities are being missed
– Screenshots or examples from your account
– Clear prioritization
– A concrete action plan for the next 30 days
If the audit does not end with an actual plan, you are not buying an audit. You are buying a document.
A quick tip: A good Google Ads agency does not try to overwhelm you with buzzwords.
They make the situation simple, clear, and actionable.
Conclusion
Quick reminder on how to find the right Google Ads agency in New York.
- Look in the right place
- Read reviews the right way
- Check their specialization
- Ask the right questions on the call
- Pay close attention to the Google Ads audit
If you follow the steps in this article, it becomes much harder to get fooled by marketing and much easier to find a Google Ads agency in New York you can actually trust.
We also have more practical articles for business owners. You can browse them here: LINK
