Plumber marketing agency: 10 checks from Google's own rules

Who this is for: Plumbing shop owners who are about to hire a marketing agency, or who want to check the one they have What you’ll get: Ten questions to ask, each next to what Google’s own pages say an agency must and must not do

Before you sign with a plumber marketing agency, check what Google itself says agencies must do. Google publishes a guide for advertisers who work with agencies, plus rules the agencies have to follow. They cover who sets up your account, what you get to see, and how agencies may sell to you. The 10 questions below turn those pages into things you can ask before you sign.

Ten questions, and what Google says

#	Ask the agency	What Google’s pages say
1	Will you set up a Google Ads account just for my shop?	Google requires a separate account for each advertiser an agency manages. (Policy)
2	Will you give me the customer ID of my account?	Refusing to give customers their account’s customer ID is not allowed. (Conduct)
3	Can I see my clicks, impressions and total cost?	At a minimum, you have the right to know all three. (Guide)
4	Will your report show what Google really billed?	Reporting Google costs higher than what Google charged is not allowed. (Conduct)
5	What is your fee, on top of the ad spend?	Agencies often add a fee. Count it in your total cost. (Guide)
6	Can I get the deal and the budget in writing?	Not using the agreed budget is deceptive pricing. Get the agreement in writing. (Guide)
7	Do you promise me the top spot?	Nobody can promise a fixed position. An auction sets it on every search. (Guide)
8	Are you calling from Google?	Ask for a name and an email from an @google.com address. A Gmail address proves nothing. (Guide)
9	Will you keep calling until I sign?	Repeated cold calls and undue pressure to sign up or stay are not allowed. (Conduct)
10	What happens to my account if I leave?	Deleting or damaging the account of a customer who is leaving is not allowed. (Conduct)

Source: Google Ads policy pages, retrieved 2026-10-20. Guide (https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/9457109). Policy (https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/6086450). Conduct (https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/6086787). Compiled by Wrench & Ring.

The questions are ours. The right-hand column puts Google’s pages in plain words, with the page name in brackets, so open the page when a line matters to you. The guide is written for advertisers like you. The policy and conduct pages are rules for the agencies.

What the answers tell you

A good agency should answer the first six without a pause. They are about your account and your money. Google says you have the right to know your clicks, impressions and total cost. So “it’s all in our system” is not a full answer.

The fee question matters as much as the ad budget. Google’s guide says agencies often charge a fee on top of what you pay for ads. It also says to count that fee when you work out your return. Ask for both numbers every month.

The top spot question is a quick test. Google says nobody can promise a fixed position, because an auction sets it on every search. The guide says an agency that promises the top position every time is misrepresenting how Google ads work.

The last two questions are about how the agency treats you. Google’s rules do not allow repeated cold calls, or undue pressure to sign up or to stay. They also do not allow an agency to delete or damage the account of a customer who is leaving.

Two more tips from Google’s guide

Thinking of trying two agencies at once? The guide says to test them one at a time.

The guide also says to take time each month to check what you put in and what came back. For a plumbing shop, what came back means booked jobs, not just ringing phones. Ask the agency how it will help you count them.

What Google’s pages do not cover

Google’s pages are about ads and accounts. They do not cover your contract with the agency. The guide does say to get the agreement in writing, and these lines belong in it:

• How long is the contract, and does it renew on its own?
• Is there a fee to cancel?
• Will you bill me after I stop?
• If I leave, do I keep my phone number and my website?

If something already went wrong

Google’s guide says to talk to the agency first. If that does not fix it, the guide links to a form for reporting an agency that breaks these rules (Google’s guide). Google says it may not reply in person, but it will look into what you send.

How Wrench & Ring answers these questions

Here is how we answer the list ourselves. Google Ads is set up in your business’s name, and Google bills your card directly. You can see your clicks, impressions and cost in your own account. Our fee is separate, and it is listed on our fees page. We work month to month, with no cancellation fee. We work by email and do not make sales calls.

If you want to see what a page for your shop could look like, it takes about a minute. See your free page.