Guides

Listed Agencies publishes short guides for founders who are shortlisting an agency. Alphabetical order on this page is by title. It is not a ranking. These guides do not choose an agency or collect quotes. A fee appears only when a public survey states it, and the fee links to that survey.

Four pages are tools that stay in your browser: a brief you can copy, a budget planner, a checklist, and a specialty quiz. No sign-up. They do not name an agency.

Each guide sends you to a specialty page: demand gen, ABM, programmatic, landing pages, CRO, SEO, Google Ads, influencer, UGC, Klaviyo, retention, email, paid social, Meta Ads, TikTok Ads, LinkedIn Ads, HubSpot, or Shopify.

• Agency checklist before you talk

  Mark what you have asked. Copy or print the list. No sign-up. It does not name an agency.

• Choosing a B2B marketing agency: criteria to compare

  B2B marketing is more than one specialty page. Use the same criteria, then open demand gen and ABM.

• Choosing a CRO agency: criteria to compare

  Match the research, the tests, and the traffic to your site. Then open the CRO page.

• Choosing a LinkedIn ads agency: criteria to compare

  Match the buyer, the CRM, and the reporting to your pipeline. Then open the LinkedIn Ads page.

• Choosing a Meta ads agency: criteria to compare

  Match the client type, the creative, and the tracking to your account. Then open the Meta Ads page.

• Choosing a specialty agency: criteria to compare

  Decide the platform, the client type, and how you will pay. Then read each agency's own site.

• Choosing a TikTok ads agency: criteria to compare

  Match the videos, the creators, and the tracking to your account. Then open the TikTok Ads page.

• Choosing an ABM agency: criteria to compare

  Match the account list, the plays, and the sales rhythm. Then open the ABM page.

• Demand gen agency or ABM agency? Which you need

  Reach a market, or work a named account list? Use the check, then compare the demand gen and ABM pages.

• Email agency, freelancer, or in-house for retention

  A freelancer for a defined set of flows, an agency when several skills run together, or an in-house hire when retention is a daily job.

• Google Ads agency: what to ask before you hire

  Need Google Ads only, or Google plus other channels and creative? Use the check, then compare the Google Ads page.

• How much does a marketing agency cost? Public benchmarks

  See the pricing models, then the public survey figures. Each figure links to its source.

• How to choose a Shopify agency: a step-by-step guide

  Write a short brief, shortlist agencies whose stated work fits the project, then compare proposals on scope and post-launch support.

• How to shortlist a Klaviyo or retention agency

  Read who each agency serves on those pages, then keep a few listings you can explain.

• HubSpot agency, in-house hire or freelancer: how to decide

  An agency for a defined build or migration, an in-house hire when the work is daily, or a freelancer for a narrow task.

• Influencer agency or UGC agency? Which you need

  Creators posting to their own audience, or creator-style ads you run? Use the check, then open both pages.

• Landing page agency or CRO agency? Which you need

  Need new pages built, or a testing program on the pages you have? Read the check, then open both lists.

• Marketing agency hiring checklist before you sign

  Write down the goal, the budget, and who owns the work. Then ask who does the work and who owns the accounts.

• Paid social agency vs freelancer vs in-house: how to decide

  Compare cost, speed, control, and skills. Then open the paid social page.

• Plan an agency budget from the numbers you type

  Add a fee, media spend, months, and a start fee you type. The page totals those numbers.

• Programmatic agency: what to ask before you sign

  Name the channel, the DSP, and who owns the account before you compare. Then open the programmatic page.

• Retainer vs project pricing: how to pay a marketing agency

  Use a project fee for work that ends. Use a retainer for work that continues.

• SEO agency or AI search agency? What to ask

  Need classic SERP SEO, or citation work inside AI answers? Use the check, then compare the SEO page.

• SEO agency vs freelancer vs in-house: how to decide

  Compare cost, speed, control, and skills before you pick a staffing model.

• SEO agency, PPC agency, or content agency

  An SEO agency earns free traffic from Google over time. A PPC agency buys it right away. A content agency writes the pages both of them use.

• What an email or CRM agency retainer covers

  Name the books of work before you compare proposals. Dollar amounts are not published here.

• Which specialty page to open

  Two questions, then one specialty page. The quiz does not name an agency.

• Write an agency brief you can copy

  Turn the work and the budget you type into text you can copy. No sign-up.