How long should I give a marketing agency before seeing results?

SEO typically needs 6-12 months. Paid search should show signals in 30-60 days, results in 90. CTV needs 90+ days. If you're past these timelines with adequate budget and seeing nothing, the agency may be the problem.

What should I do before firing my marketing agency?

Secure access to all accounts and assets, document current performance baselines, understand what you own vs what stays with them, get all passwords and logins, and have a transition plan ready before giving notice.

How do I transition to a new marketing agency?

Get all account access first. Document everything the current agency has done. Export all data you can. Provide 30-60 days notice per contract. Brief the new agency before the old one exits. Expect a 30-60 day transition period.

When to Fire Your Marketing Agency

Not every marketing relationship works. Knowing when to end one, and how to find the right law firm marketing partner, saves months of wasted budget and frustration.

Clear Signs It’s Time

No Results After Fair Timeline

SEO needs 6-12 months. Paid search should show signals in 30-90 days. CTV needs 90+ days. If you’re past these timelines with adequate budget and seeing nothing, ask hard questions.

Communication Has Broken Down

Emails unanswered for days. Calls not returned. Monthly reports stop. You chase for every update. Questions get deflected. If getting a response feels like pulling teeth, the relationship is broken.

They Can't Explain What They're Doing

Ask “What specifically are you doing this month?” Red flags: “ongoing optimization,” “working on SEO,” vague jargon. Good answers are specific: “Publishing 4 posts targeting X keywords.”

Metrics Are Going Backward

Some fluctuation is normal. Sustained decline isn’t. Traffic down 20%+ over 3 months, declining lead volume, rising CPL with no explanation = problem.

Trust Is Gone

You’ve caught them in lies, they miss commitments, you suspect they’re not doing the work, they blame you unfairly. If you dread every interaction, it’s over.

Channel-Specific Timelines

Channel	Reasonable Timeline	What to Expect
SEO	6-12 months	Rankings movement, traffic increase
Paid Search	30-90 days	Lead flow, conversion data
CTV	90+ days	Branded search lift, traffic
Social	60-90 days	Engagement, traffic signals

Budget Is it adequate for the channel/market?

Expectations Are they realistic for the timeline?

Market Has competition increased significantly?

Your side Did you provide what they needed?

Communication Red Flags vs. Green Flags

Regular scheduled check-ins
Proactive updates (not just when asked)
Quick response to questions
Clear explanations of strategy
Honest conversations about challenges

Emails unanswered for days
Calls not returned
Monthly reports stop arriving
You have to chase for updates
Questions deflected or ignored

Red Flag vs. Acceptable Answers

When you ask “What are you doing this month?”

Publishing 4 blog posts targeting these keywords
Building 8 backlinks from these types of sites
Testing these ad variations against these audiences
Fixing these technical issues on your site

Ongoing optimization
Working on your SEO
Managing your campaigns
Technical jargon without substance
Deflection to proprietary methods

Warning Signs Before Crisis

Catch these early indicators before it gets bad:

Signal	What It Means
Turnover on your account	Institutional knowledge lost, you’re not priority
Reports getting shorter/vaguer	Less work being done
Missed deadlines	Capacity issues or deprioritization
Strategy never evolves	Set-and-forget, not active management
They’re always “on it”	But nothing changes

Red flag Agencies that never report problems are hiding them

Reality Marketing has challenges. Algorithms change, competitors move, creative fails

Healthy 'We tried X, it didn't work, here's what we're doing instead'

Before You Fire

Verify It’s Actually Them

Run through this checklist:

Budget issues:

Is budget adequate for the channel/market?
Have you funded what was agreed?
Are expectations aligned to budget?

Your side:

Did you provide needed access/materials?
Did you approve work in timely fashion?
Have you been responsive to their requests?

Market factors:

Has competition increased significantly?
Were there major algorithm changes?
Is the market just harder than expected?

If you’ve contributed to the problem, own it. But if the issues are on their end, proceed.

Secure Your Assets First

Before giving notice, confirm you have:

Do this quietly. Once you announce you’re leaving, cooperation may decline.

Document Current State

Before transition, record:

Current rankings for target keywords
Current traffic levels
Current lead volume and cost
All active campaigns
What’s been done (content, links, etc.)
What’s in progress

This becomes your baseline for the next agency.

Review Your Contract

Know before you announce:

Required notice period (typically 30-60 days)
Cancellation penalties (if any)
Asset ownership terms
Data portability rights
Transition requirements

Having the Conversation

Be Professional

Even if they’ve frustrated you, stay professional:

What to say: “We’ve decided to end our engagement effective [date per contract]. We appreciate the work you’ve done and want to ensure a smooth transition.”

What not to say:

Personal attacks
Detailed grievances
Threats or ultimatums
Emotional venting

You may need their cooperation during transition. Don’t burn bridges unnecessarily.

Request Transition Support

Ask for:

All account access confirmed/transferred
Final reports and data exports
Documentation of work completed
Handoff call with new agency (optional)
Any assets in progress

Most contracts require reasonable transition support. Use it.

The Transition Period

Agency Transition Timeline

Week 1-2: Announce & Verify

Announce departure per contract terms. Verify all account access is confirmed. Begin asset inventory.

Week 2-3: Export & Document

Export all data you can access. Document current campaign status, performance baselines, and work in progress.

Week 3-4: Brief New Agency

Bring new agency up to speed. Begin overlap period if possible. Hand off documentation and access.

Week 4-6: Full Transition

Complete handoff to new agency. Monitor for any issues. Expect 30-60 day adjustment period for new team.

Common Transition Problems

Problem	What They Say	Your Solution
Access denied	”We need to verify identity”	Reference contract terms, escalate if needed
Work disappears	”That content was on our servers”	Secure assets BEFORE announcing departure
Sabotage	Changes made to hurt performance	Document everything, have new agency review immediately
Knowledge gaps	New agency doesn’t know what was done	Thorough documentation before transition

What to Take With You

Website (domain, hosting, code, content)
All analytics data (export historical)
Ad accounts and history
Call tracking data and lead records
Creative assets and brand guidelines
Research or strategy documents

Proprietary tools or platforms
Their methodology documentation
Relationships with vendors
Team knowledge (you can't take people)

Finding the Next Agency

Learn From This Experience

Before hiring again, identify:

What specifically went wrong?
What did you need that you didn’t get?
What will you do differently?
What questions should you have asked?

Revisit how firms actually allocate advertising budgets so you can set realistic expectations with the next partner.

Better Vetting This Time

More reference checks
Clearer deliverable expectations
Better contract terms
Shorter initial commitment
More explicit success metrics

Consider Alternatives

Maybe you don’t need a full-service agency:

Specialist for one channel
Fractional CMO for strategy
In-house for some functions
Different agency structure

The Bottom Line

Fire your agency when:

Results aren’t coming after fair timeline
Communication has broken down
They can’t explain their work
Metrics are declining without explanation
Trust is gone

Before firing:

Verify it’s them, not budget/market
Secure all assets and access
Document current state
Review contract terms

During transition:

Be professional
Get transition support
Overlap with new agency
Expect 30-60 day adjustment

Bad agency relationships waste time, money, and opportunity cost. Knowing what marketing ROI looks like by channel gives you a concrete benchmark to measure every partner against. Once you’ve determined it’s not working, moving on is the right business decision.