How to compare a marketing agency or freelancer quote

Two marketing quotes can have the same price and buy very different work. One may include implementation; another may only provide recommendations. One may include software; another may add usage charges later.

Compare the job before comparing the fee. A freelancer, an agency, a fixed-price specialist and a do-it-yourself approach can each be sensible. The right choice depends on the problem, your available time and what you can afford to risk.

Disclosure: More Hands is a Foundry Works brand offering related website and digital help. This is a buyer's checklist, not an independent ranking of suppliers.

Write a brief every supplier can price

Describe the current problem in observable terms. For example: people reach the booking page but cannot find the right service, or enquiries arrive while you are working and wait until the evening for a reply. Avoid starting with a vague instruction to improve marketing.

• State the business goal and the evidence you have for the problem.
• Name the pages, accounts or workflow involved.
• Set the available budget, deadline and your own time commitment.
• List what you can supply, such as photographs, service details or account access.
• Ask for a specific output, how it will be checked and what is excluded.

A small diagnostic or fixed task can be a better first purchase than a broad retainer. Google itself notes that small local businesses can do much of their own search work. Paying for help should buy capability or time you need, not a package you cannot explain.

Put every quote into the same worksheet

Ask what automation or subcontracting is used, what information is shared and who is accountable for mistakes. If somebody promises human checking, ask which work is checked and when. Do not assume a person's presence in the sales call means they will review every deliverable.

Compare first-month and ongoing costs separately

Use two totals: the cash needed to start and the expected cost of a normal month. Add a third total for the full minimum commitment. Keep advertising spend distinct from the fee for managing it.

Fictional example, not market pricing or a More Hands offer: Provider A proposes £300 setup plus £180 a month for three months. Provider B proposes no setup and £260 a month for three months. Both quote before VAT. Assume their scope is identical and there are no extras. A totals £840 before VAT; B totals £780. At an assumed 20% VAT charged by both, the invoice totals would be £1,008 and £936 respectively.

Those figures do not tell you who will do better work. They show why the cheaper monthly number need not mean the smaller commitment. Check actual VAT treatment and any ability to reclaim it with your adviser. If scope, ad spend or software differs, this is no longer a like-for-like comparison.

Also price your own contribution. A cheaper package that needs hours of writing, uploading and checking from you may still be right, but it is not the same purchase as a done-for-you task.

Ask for evidence, not certainty

Request a relevant example and ask what changed, over what period, and what else could explain the result. A screenshot without context does not tell you whether the provider caused the improvement. Distinguish enquiries from bookings, and booked revenue from completed, paid work.

Google warns that nobody can guarantee a number-one ranking. Its guidance also says advertising with Google does not improve organic search ranking. Treat guaranteed AI recommendations with similar caution: ask the supplier to identify the controllable work instead.

For an initial search audit, Google's advice is to provide read access to Search Console rather than write access. Grant only the access needed for the agreed stage and use individual accounts rather than sharing your main password.

Agree ownership before the first invoice

Ask to keep primary control of the domain and business accounts, with the supplier added through suitable permissions. Confirm what happens to the site, forms, tracking and paid licences if the relationship ends.

Do not assume paying an invoice automatically transfers every right or licence. Record the agreement for website files, photographs, copy and other assets. Ask whether an export is usable elsewhere or only a copy of data that still needs rebuilding.

Choose an exit you can live with

There is no universal best contract length. A defined project, a short pilot or an ongoing service can all be reasonable. Check the minimum term, automatic renewal, notice deadline, pause rules and outstanding charges. Get appropriate advice on unclear or significant contract terms.

Agree a review point with a simple decision: continue, change the scope or stop. Review delivery against the agreed checks and outcomes against the available evidence. Do not mistake a delivery deadline for a guaranteed search-results timetable.

Before signing, you should be able to explain what you are buying, what it will cost, what you retain and how you leave. If those answers are still unclear, request a revised quote rather than filling the gaps yourself.

If your next step is a free website or a defined piece of done-for-you help, explore the current More Hands options and use this same checklist to assess them.