Your first 90 days with a marketing agency, month by month
What you should receive, when, and how to tell whether it's working, so you can hold any agency to it, including us.
In the first 90 days, a good marketing agency should deliver research in weeks 1–2, a launched foundation (site, tracking, campaigns) in month 1, improvements based on real data in month 2, and growth you can see in the numbers by month 3. Every month should end with a written report that explains what happened and why.
In this article
Before you sign: what you should already have #
Before any money changes hands, you should have three things in writing:
- What happens in the first 90 days, month by month, not just "strategy, then execution".
- What gets measured, and how calls and enquiries will be traced back to their source.
- Who owns what. Your domain, website, ad accounts and tracking should be in your name. If an agency builds everything in its own accounts, leaving later means starting from zero.
Weeks 1–2: research you should receive #
The first two weeks should be about your market, not your logo. You should get a written research document covering:
- Your customers and your offer: who buys, why they choose you, and what makes you different.
- Demand: what people search for in your market, and roughly how often.
- Competitors. For an ads-led plan: the ads your competitors run right now, what they promise and where the gap is. For an organic plan: their websites, what they rank for and what they're missing.
- Your current position: your site, listings, tracking and any campaigns already running.
- The plan: what gets built in month 1, and why. See what our research covers →
- Weeks 1–2Research
- Month 1Foundation
- Month 2Refine
- Month 3+Grow
Month 1: the foundation #
This is where most of the visible work happens:
- Website: structure, copy and design built from the research, with a page for each service and each place you serve.
- Tracking before launch: calls and forms tracked to their source from day one. Without this, months 2 and 3 are guesswork. How call tracking works →
- Campaigns (if ads are part of the plan): built and ready, with landing pages that match each ad. How we run Google Ads →
- A launch, not a "we're still working on it".
For most local businesses, traffic starts within 30 days of launch when the site is built around real search research. How long until a new website brings in customers →
Month 2: the first refinements and the first report #
Launch always reveals something:
- searches you didn't expect
- pages that get visits but no calls
- ads that spend without converting
Month 2 is for acting on that evidence. By the end of it you should have:
- A list of changes made, each one linked to a reason in the data.
- Your first monthly report: what went up, what went down, and why, in plain English.
- Ads live and learning, if they're part of the plan. Google's automated bidding has a learning period of up to 7 days1, so a month of data is the first fair look.
Want this 90-day plan run for you?
It's exactly how a Growth Partnership works. Research is included.
Month 3: growth and the first real decision #
By month 3 the pattern should be clear: which searches and ads bring enquiries, which pages convert, and where the next gain is. You should get:
- A month 3 report comparing all three months side by side.
- A recommendation for the next 90 days: what to double down on, what to cut, and what it costs.
- A decision meeting where you make the call. A good agency explains its reasoning. You decide.
Evergreen Spa, month 1 to month 3
| Measure | Month 1 | Month 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Searches it appeared for | 23 | 124 |
| Times shown in Google | 552 | 1,980 |
| Clicks from Google | 8 | 41 |
Google Search Console. Small numbers, reported as they are. Source: Aroc client data2
The questions to ask at day 30, 60 and 90 #
| When | Ask |
|---|---|
| Day 30 | Is everything tracked? Can you show me one call or form traced to its source? Is the site indexed? What did launch reveal? |
| Day 60 | What did you change this month, and what evidence was each change based on? What went down, and why? |
| Day 90 | What does each channel cost per enquiry? What would you do with another month, and what would you stop? |
The 90-day checklist
Every deliverable above, with ticks. Tick as you receive each one. 0 of 21 done.
Red flags #
- No research in weeks 1–2. They went straight to design or ads.
- Accounts in the agency's name. You don't own your own data.
- No call tracking. "Traffic is up" with no word on enquiries.
- Reports that only show good news, or a dashboard with no explanation.
- Long lock-ins with no 90-day review. Commitment is reasonable while the foundation is built; after that you should be able to leave.
How we run the first 90 days #
This list is how we run every Growth Partnership: research in weeks 1–2, the foundation in month 1, refinements in month 2, growth in month 3, and a written report every month. After 90 days it's month to month. See the 90-day plan → See how we run SEO →
Questions people ask
What should a marketing agency do in the first month?
Research your market, then build the foundation: the website, tracking and (if planned) campaigns, and launch it. Month 1 should end with something live and measured.
How long before a marketing agency shows results?
For most local businesses, first traffic arrives within 30 days of launch. Steady enquiries usually build over months 2 and 3. Competitive national markets take longer.
Should I sign a long contract?
A commitment while the foundation is built (around 90 days) is reasonable. After that, month to month keeps everyone honest.
Who should own my ad accounts and website?
You. Every account should be in your business's name, with the agency given access.
What should a monthly report include?
What went up, what went down, the reasons, what was changed, and what's next, in plain English, with enquiries traced to their source.
Sources
- Google Ads Help, "Duration of the learning period for campaigns and what affects it." (accessed 30 Oct 2026) https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13020501
- Evergreen Spa, Google Search Console, July–October 2026 (Aroc client data, published at /work/evergreen-spa).
