Before you hire a digital marketing agency in Ghana, ask what result they will be measured on and who owns your ad accounts and data. Ask how they report, what you pay and what is included, who does the work, and how they will connect clicks to real enquiries and sales. Vague answers are a warning sign.
The audience is there. At the start of 2025, Ghana had 24.3 million internet users, about 69.9% of the population (DataReportal, Digital 2025: Ghana). The hard part is reaching the right slice of them without burning your budget. A good agency helps you do that; a poor one sends you screenshots of “reach” and “impressions” while the phone stays quiet. Use these ten questions to tell the difference.
Before the meeting: know what you want
Write down one business goal for the next six months, with a number. For example: “40 qualified enquiries a month for our catering service” or “GH₵30,000 a month in online orders”. Also write down your budget for both agency fees and ad spend, and what you can handle. There is no point generating 200 leads a week if one person answers the phone. Finally, decide who on your side will review reports, approve content and give feedback on lead quality, so the agency has one clear contact.
The ten questions
1. What result will you be accountable for?
Look for an answer tied to your goal: leads, bookings, sales or cost per lead. Be wary of agencies that lead with followers, likes or impressions. These can support a goal, but they are not the goal.
2. Can you show similar work, and explain what you did?
Ask for examples in your industry or a similar one, and ask what the agency changed and what happened next. A good agency can walk you through its reasoning even when client names must stay confidential. Ask whether you can speak to a past client.
3. Who will actually do the work?
The people who pitch are not always the people who run your account. Ask who will write your ads, manage your budget and answer your messages, and how much experience they have.
4. Who owns the ad accounts, pages and data?
This is the question most SMEs forget. Your Meta Business account, Google Ads account, Google Analytics property and website should be owned by your business, with the agency added as a partner or user. If you part ways, you keep your history, audiences and pixels. Get this in writing.
5. How will you track enquiries and sales?
In Ghana, many sales close on WhatsApp, by phone or by MoMo transfer, not through a website checkout. Ask how the agency will connect ad clicks to those conversations. Good answers include tagged links, WhatsApp click tracking, unique phone numbers or discount codes, and a simple shared sheet of leads and outcomes.
6. What will you report, and how often?
Ask to see a sample report. It should be short and show spend, leads, cost per lead and, where possible, sales, plus what the agency will change next month. Monthly reports with a short call are normal; weekly check-ins help during a launch.
7. What exactly is included in the fee, and what is extra?
Separate the agency fee from ad spend. Ask what the fee covers: number of posts, ad campaigns, designs, videos, landing pages and revisions. Ask how ad spend is paid. Paying the platforms directly from your own account is the most transparent way.
8. What is the minimum contract and notice period?
Three months is a reasonable first term for paid ads, because campaigns need time to learn. Be careful with 12-month lock-ins and no exit clause.
9. What do you need from us?
Good agencies need things from you: product details, photos, fast approvals and honest feedback on lead quality. If an agency says it needs nothing, it is probably planning to run generic content.
10. What would you do in the first 30 days?
Ask for a short plan: tracking setup, audience research, the first campaigns or content, and what they will test. Generic answers (“we will boost your posts”) show that no thinking has happened yet.
Compare proposals side by side
If you are speaking to two or three agencies, put their answers in a simple table so you compare like with like:
| What to compare | Agency A | Agency B |
|---|---|---|
| Result they will be measured on | ||
| Monthly fee and what it covers | ||
| Ad spend paid by you directly? | ||
| Account ownership in writing? | ||
| Lead and sales tracking method | ||
| Sample report shared? | ||
| Minimum term and notice period | ||
| Named people on your account |
The cheapest fee is rarely the best value. An agency that charges more but tracks every enquiry to a sale will often cost you less per customer than one that charges little and reports only reach. Ask each agency to estimate a realistic cost per lead for your industry, and see whose reasoning holds up when you push back. Then agree a 90-day review point in the contract, with the numbers you will judge them on.
Red flags
- Guaranteed first-page Google rankings or a guaranteed number of sales.
- They insist on owning your ad accounts or page.
- No sample report, or reports full of vanity numbers only.
- Pressure to sign today for a discount.
- They cannot explain what they will do in plain English.
Fix your website first
Even the best agency cannot fix a website that loads slowly on Android, hides the phone number or has no way to pay. Before spending on ads, check your site against these seven redesign signs. Ads amplify what is already there, good or bad.
How PED Solution Studios can help
We build the website and tracking that marketing depends on, and we offer digital marketing services focused on enquiries and sales, not vanity numbers. Our GH₵4,499 website package includes WhatsApp chat integration, SEO, social media links, and a free domain and hosting for the first year. If you are comparing several firms, our guide on how to choose a software development company in Ghana uses a similar checklist.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a small business spend on digital marketing in Ghana?
It depends on your margins and goals. Start with a fixed monthly test budget you can afford to lose, measure cost per lead, and increase spend only when the numbers work.
Should I hire an agency or a freelancer?
A freelancer can suit one channel, such as social media posting. An agency suits several channels with ads, design and reporting together. Ask both the same ten questions.
Who should own my Facebook and Google Ads accounts?
Your business should. Add the agency as a partner or user so you keep control and history if you change provider.
How long before digital marketing shows results?
Paid ads can bring enquiries within weeks but usually need one to three months to settle. SEO and content take longer, often several months.
What should be in a monthly marketing report?
Spend, leads, cost per lead, sales where trackable, what worked, what did not, and what changes next month.
Want a second opinion before you sign?
Book a call or send us a message. We will look at the proposal and tell you what to ask.