How do I check what my agency is actually doing in my Google Ads account?

The first test is ownership. The account should be created in your business's name, with your email as an admin and your card paying Google. The agency can be a user or manage it through a manager account. If the agency says the account belongs to them, or bills you for the spend in a lump sum without letting you log in, you cannot verify anything they report.

Once inside, open the change history. It lists every edit, who made it and when: new negative keywords, bid strategy changes, paused ads, new ad copy. An account that is being managed shows a steady trail of small edits. An account with nothing changed in six weeks is not being managed, whatever the monthly report says.

Next, the search terms report. Sort by cost and read the top fifty searches. If you see jobs, other cities or unrelated products eating budget, nobody is doing the weekly housekeeping. Then check what counts as a conversion under the goals section. A conversion should be a call, a WhatsApp click, a form or a sale, not a page view or time on site, which inflate the numbers.

Finally, compare the agency's report with the platform. Spend, clicks and conversions in a report should match what you see in the account for the same dates. Small differences from time zones are normal; big ones are not. None of this needs technical skill, only access, and a good agency will be glad you looked.