The engagement model, stated plainly

What we need from you

• Read access to analytics and the search console, and to the ad accounts if they exist
• Whatever enquiry or sales records you have, even informal ones
• Half an hour with somebody who knows the history, which usually cannot be reconstructed from the data
• An honest answer about which markets and services the business will actually take work in
• A named person who can approve content, and a realistic view of how long approval takes

Most delay on engagements like this comes from waiting for access rather than from the work itself, which is why it is listed first.

What you can hold us to

• A measure agreed before the work starts, reported against a baseline
• Monthly reporting with the raw data available, not only a summary
• The same practitioner from diagnosis through to reporting
• A ninety-day view on whether the approach is working, stated plainly either way
• Documentation that lets your own team continue the work
• No tactic that depends on a search engine not noticing

And one thing you cannot: a ranking guarantee. Nobody honest offers one, because the result depends on competitors’ behaviour as much as on ours.

Common questions

How long is the minimum commitment?

The diagnostic phase stands alone, so the minimum is that. What follows is scoped from the finding, and for retained work three months is the shortest period in which a trend becomes readable.

Can we start with a small piece of work?

Yes, where the diagnosis says a defined piece is what is needed. That is often the right answer, and it is a better test of whether we are worth keeping than a long contract is.

Who will we actually deal with?

One practitioner, from the first call through to reporting. There is no account manager layer, which is both the advantage and the capacity limit. The sequencing matters: Dallas before Delhi NCR, not the other way round.

What if we disagree with the diagnosis?

Then we look at the data together. A finding that cannot survive being questioned is not one worth acting on, and the diagnosis is written so it can be argued with. Finance and fintech is the one people underestimate. Healthcare and clinics is the one they over-invest in.

Do you work with our existing agency?

Often, on a defined scope so the responsibilities do not overlap. Two parties doing the same work is worse than one doing it badly, so the split gets written down. For the mechanics, Google Ads Management. For what it costs to get wrong, Lifecycle and Email.

What happens at the end of an engagement?

A handover document, the measurement still running, and a note on what we would have done next. The goal is a capability rather than a dependency, even though the second is better business for us. The audit version of this is First-party data or Third-party data. The ongoing version is GA4 or Matomo.