Hiring an offshore digital marketing agency: a checklist for Australian businesses

Plenty of Australian businesses work with marketing teams overseas. Some of those relationships run for years; others fall apart in a quarter. The difference rarely comes down to the country. It comes down to ownership, communication and honesty, all of which you can test before you sign anything.

Full disclosure: Arnira Infotech is an India-based agency that works with Australian businesses. This checklist is the one we’d want a client to use on us.

1. Make sure you own every account

Your Google Ads, Meta Business Manager, Google Analytics, Search Console, domain and hosting should be registered to your business, with you as an administrator. The agency should be added as a user. If an agency insists on running campaigns from its own accounts, you lose your history and data the day you leave.

2. Work out the real overlap in hours

India is 4.5 to 5.5 hours behind Sydney and Melbourne, depending on daylight saving, and 2.5 hours behind Perth. Ask for the agency’s actual office hours and compare them with yours. A short daily overlap is workable when the agency plans for it with written updates, scheduled calls and clear approval rules. It isn’t workable if every question waits for a meeting.

3. Ask how communication will actually run

• Who is your day-to-day contact, and who covers when they’re away?
• How quickly are messages answered during your business day?
• What arrives each week and each month: a written update, a dashboard, a call?
• How are approvals handled, so nothing goes live without your sign-off?

4. Get pricing in AUD, with ad spend separated

Ask for the proposal in Australian dollars, with the management fee and the recommended ad spend shown separately. Ad spend should be billed by Google or Meta to your own card, not passed through the agency. Ask your accountant how GST applies to services you import, so there are no surprises at BAS time.

5. Check they write like an Australian business

Australian customers notice Americanisms and awkward phrasing. Ask for samples written for Australian audiences, or a short paid test piece. Check spelling (optimise, colour, enquiry), tone and whether the writer understands your category’s terms.

6. Ask how they handle privacy and marketing rules

Australian Privacy Principle 8 deals with sending personal information overseas, the Spam Act 2003 governs commercial email and SMS, and the Australian Consumer Law prohibits misleading claims. Health services also have Ahpra’s advertising guidelines. An agency doesn’t need to be your lawyer, but it should know these exist and flag work that needs advice.

7. Look at real work, and ask what they won’t claim

Case studies should name the client (with permission), describe what the agency actually did, and avoid numbers without context. If most of an agency’s work is in another market, it should say so plainly. Be wary of guaranteed rankings, guaranteed leads or a fixed return on ad spend.

8. Start with a defined first 90 days

A good engagement begins with an audit and tracking, then quick fixes, then campaigns and content, then optimisation. Ask for that sequence in writing, with what you’ll see at the end of each month.

Red flags worth walking away from

• Guaranteed first-page rankings or guaranteed leads.
• Ad accounts or domains held in the agency’s name.
• Prices far below the market with no explanation of scope.
• Reports full of impressions and followers, with nothing about enquiries.
• Vagueness about where the team is or who does the work.

Putting it together

Score each shortlisted agency against these eight points. The right partner will answer specifically and won’t be offended by the questions. If you’d like to put them to us, read how our Australian engagements work, or request a proposal in AUD.