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The first 90 days with a marketing agency: what should happen, week by week

A good first 90 days moves from access and audit, to fixing leaks, to launching one or two channels with tracking. By day 90 you should know your cost per booked job for each channel, even if the numbers aren't where you want them yet.

Written by Ali Sedighi, MBAPublished: Last updated:

The first 90 days with a marketing agency decide whether the relationship works. Done well, they move in a clear order: get access, audit what exists, fix the leaks, then launch channels with tracking from the first day. Done badly, they produce a burst of activity and a report full of numbers that don't connect to booked jobs.

This guide lays out what a well-run first quarter should look like for a trades company, what you'll need to provide, and the checkpoints that tell you whether things are on track. It applies to any agency, including us.

Before day 1: the handover list

You can speed up the first month by gathering these before work starts:

  • Logins or owner access for your domain registrar, website hosting, Google Business Profile, Google Ads, Meta Business account, analytics and any call-tracking service.
  • Licence or registration numbers where your trade and province require them on marketing.
  • Your numbers: average job value by job type, close rate, gross margin, and your busy and slow months.
  • A list of priority towns and towns you'd rather avoid.
  • Job photos: twenty to thirty real ones, with customer permission where faces or addresses appear.
  • Your three toughest competitors, the ones customers mention most often.

If you can't get into some of these accounts, say so early. Recovering a Google Business Profile or a domain from a former employee or agency can take weeks, and it shapes the plan.

Days 1 to 14: access and audit

The first two weeks are about seeing clearly. Expect the agency to:

  1. Confirm access to every account, ideally as a manager under your ownership rather than with your password.
  2. Audit your website for speed, mobile layout, broken pages and missing contact options.
  3. Audit your Google Business Profile for categories, service area, duplicates and wrong details.
  4. Check how calls are handled: how many go to voicemail, how fast messages get answered.
  5. Map where you appear today in map results for your core services in your priority towns.
  6. Review any existing ad accounts for waste.

Checkpoint: by day 14 you should have a short written audit in plain language, with a ranked list of fixes. If you get a 60-page PDF of automated scores instead, ask for the one-page version.

Days 15 to 45: fix the leaks and set up tracking

Before spending more on traffic, a good agency fixes what's already losing you work. Typical fixes:

  • Call and text buttons visible on every page of the website.
  • Correct business name, categories and hours on your Google profile; duplicate listings merged or removed.
  • Separate tracking numbers for the website, Google profile and each ad channel.
  • Analytics set up to record calls, texts and quote requests, not just page views.
  • A review-request routine written into your job close-out process.

A worked example of why this comes first: if your site gets 800 visits a month and 2% call, that's 16 calls. Moving the phone number above the fold and clarifying service pages might lift that to 3.5%, or 28 calls, before a single extra dollar goes to ads.

Checkpoint: by day 45, tracking should be live, and you should be able to see calls by source for at least a couple of weeks.

Days 30 to 75: launch one or two channels

With the foundation in place, the agency launches the first growth channels. For most trades that means some combination of:

  • Search ads aimed at your highest-value, highest-intent services in your priority towns.
  • Local search work: service and area pages, citations, regular profile activity.
  • The reviews routine, now running on every completed job.

Good agencies launch fewer channels and track them properly rather than switching everything on at once. If five channels start the same week, you'll never know which one worked.

Checkpoint: by day 60, you should receive your first report showing calls by channel, and, if you share booking data, booked jobs by channel.

Days 75 to 90: the first honest review

By the end of the quarter there should be enough data for a real conversation. The review should cover:

  1. Spend, calls and booked jobs for each channel.
  2. Cost per booked job for each channel, compared with the target you agreed.
  3. What's working, what isn't, and what changes next quarter.
  4. Any fixes still waiting on you, such as photos, approvals or account access.

Paid channels should have a cost per booked job you can judge. Organic channels will usually still be early, so look for direction (more profile calls, more organic visits to service pages) rather than final numbers. The cost per booked job guide explains how to read these figures.

Checkpoint: by day 90 you should be able to answer, in one sentence, whether each channel is worth continuing.

Your side of the deal

Agencies can only move as fast as their clients. Over the first 90 days, expect to:

  • Spend an hour on the kickoff call and about 30 minutes on each monthly review.
  • Answer quick questions by text within a day or two.
  • Approve website wording and ad copy promptly.
  • Share which calls became jobs, at least roughly.
  • Tell the agency about changes: a new truck, a new service, a full schedule, a price rise.

The single most useful habit is noting the lead source when you book a job. It turns guesswork into real numbers.

Warning signs in the first quarter

  • No written audit by the end of the first month.
  • Tracking still not set up by day 45.
  • Reports full of impressions and traffic, with no mention of calls.
  • New accounts created in the agency's name instead of yours.
  • Everything launched at once, with no way to tell what's working.

If you see these, raise them directly. A good agency will welcome the question.

How we run our own first 90 days

Our onboarding follows this sequence: access and audit, then fixes and tracking, then one or two channels, then a full review at the end of the quarter. Everything is set up in your company's name. The about page explains how the work is staffed, the services page describes each channel, and the contact page explains how to start with a free consultation.

Frequently asked questions

Should I expect more jobs in the first month?

Sometimes, if fixes or paid ads go live quickly. But the first month is mostly setup, access and fixing what leaks. Judge the agency in month one on whether it did what it said it would, not on job counts.

What if the agency asks for my passwords?

It shouldn't need them. Most platforms let you add a manager or partner account by email, so you keep the owner login. Share passwords only where there's no alternative, and change them when the engagement ends.

When should I worry?

If by day 45 you haven't seen an audit, tracking isn't set up, or you can't get a straight answer about what's running, raise it directly. By day 90 you should have real numbers for each channel.