Local business marketing vendor due diligence

What to take away

Start with ownership and access

Before pricing, establish who holds the keys. Ask whether the vendor will work inside your own Google Ads and Business Profile accounts or set up new ones in its name. The second option is common and costly.

If the supplier owns the profile, you lose reviews, history and verification the day you part ways. Google's guidance on managing Business Profile owners and managers explains how access is granted and removed. Read it before agreeing to any arrangement that puts a third party in control.

For Google Ads, keep an admin user under your control and give the supplier only the access level its work needs: standard or read-only where sufficient. Google Business Profile has primary owner, owner and manager roles: keep your business as primary owner and give the supplier manager access.

Ask the same question about your domain, call tracking numbers and analytics property. Anything registered in a vendor's name becomes a negotiation at exit rather than a handover.

Check data and reporting rights

Ask what happens to lead data, call recordings and form submissions when the contract ends. A vendor claiming ownership of enquiry records sells dependency, not a service.

Ask for reporting that ties spend to booked jobs rather than clicks alone. Request a clear trail from enquiry source to booking and revenue, with cancellations and attribution assumptions shown, so you can test the figures against your own records.

Identify whether you or the supplier is the data controller or processor for each set of enquiry records; the roles depend on how the data is actually used. For UK personal data, check obligations under the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018. Check the ICO's data protection fee register and whether the supplier is required to pay the fee; not every organisation is required to pay. If the supplier processes personal data on your behalf, require a written data processing agreement (DPA) covering instructions, security, sub-processors, breach support, and return or deletion of the data when the contract ends.

If a supplier cannot explain its attribution method in plain terms, treat the reporting as decorative.

Verify platform and technical claims

Local campaigns run across several ad systems, each with its own rules, formats and reporting quirks. A vendor claiming deep expertise should describe how it structures campaigns on the platforms it uses.

For Microsoft's products, the Microsoft Advertising technical documentation covers campaign structure and local ad formats, which helps you test whether a supplier's description matches how the system works.

Request the name of the person who will actually run your account, not the person who pitched it.

Ask for one live walkthrough of a campaign the vendor currently runs. Not a case study. A screen share.

Check the supplier's standing

For an incorporated supplier, ask for its legal name and company number, then check its status and filing history at Companies House. If it charges VAT, verify its VAT number using HMRC's VAT number checking service and confirm that VAT registration applies.

Ask for evidence of relevant insurance, such as professional indemnity or public liability cover, and check that it fits the work being contracted. Request references from clients with comparable local-service needs and follow them up.

Score the shortlist on a rubric

Use the same table for every supplier. Score each row from 1 to 5, multiply by the weight, and add the totals. Set the weights before you start scoring, not after.

Have two people score independently before comparing notes. A gap of more than a point usually marks something the vendor left unexplained.

A supplier scoring below 60 per cent overall should not make the shortlist, however persuasive the pitch.

Test the exit before signing

Write the handover into the contract: what transfers, in what format, and within how many working days. Cover ad account ownership, creative files, landing page assets and tracking setup.

Attach a schedule of every asset to the contract. That schedule becomes the working document on the final day.

If the vendor resists a written exit clause, that resistance is the finding. The switching costs that decide most deals are set out in our guide to local service marketing software selection.

Budget for overlap: most handovers need two to four weeks of transition, which you should price as a real cost.

Common questions

How long should due diligence take?

For a small local contract, two to three weeks is realistic. Larger retainers with data integrations justify four to six weeks, and rushing usually means missing the ownership question.

Do I need a trial before committing?

A paid pilot of 30 to 60 days on one service line gives better evidence than a free trial, because the vendor has something to lose. Agree the success measures in writing.

What if the vendor refuses to work in my accounts?

Treat it as a warning. Some agencies have legitimate reasons, but they should explain them and offer safeguards such as read-only access and a data export clause.

Where should I start with suppliers I already use?

Score them on the rubric using evidence you hold, then read the wider local service marketing tools and supplier guide to check what you may have overlooked.