41 new questions to ask during a full-service digital marketing agency RFP in 2026

Key takeaways

• Use these 41 questions to find where an agency’s thinking, staffing, reporting, pricing and AI use fall short, not to confirm what you already believe.
• Insist on direct access to your ad accounts, analytics and dashboards, and on owning all creative and strategy files.
• Ask for the agency’s share of total spend versus working media, and whether platform rebates are passed back to you.
• Chrome kept third-party cookies after Google dropped its deprecation plan in 2025, so judge an agency’s first-party data answer on accuracy, not urgency.
• Pew Research found Google users clicked a regular result in 8% of visits when an AI summary appeared, versus 15% without one, so ask how agencies plan for AI search.

Choosing a full-service agency through an RFP is a big decision. Older RFP question lists no longer fit, because AI tools, new measurement models and pressure for media transparency have changed what you should expect. Emulent built these 41 questions for how agencies work in 2026.

How should you prepare before asking agencies these questions?

Know your own goals, marketing maturity and priority channels first, because that decides which questions matter most. An RFP is only as good as its questions. Agencies have polished answers to the usual ones, so the goal is to ask what they do not expect.

Treat the RFP as a diagnostic tool. You want to see where an agency’s thinking breaks down, where its process has gaps, and whether its team is the one you want to work with every week.

What questions show how an agency thinks strategically?

Strategy questions separate agencies that set direction from agencies that only execute tasks.

1. How do you build a marketing strategy when a client arrives with no clear direction? Look for a defined discovery process before any channel recommendations.
2. How do you match channel strategy to stages of the sales funnel? Look for agencies that map channels to stages and focus on outcomes.
3. What do you do when your recommended strategy conflicts with what the client wants? The answer shows whether the agency argues for what works.
4. How do you decide which channels deserve the most budget? Look for an evidence-based method, not a default to the channels the agency likes selling.
5. How do you account for seasonal demand in planning? Strong agencies forecast seasonality from the start.
6. How have your recommendations changed in the last two years because of shifts in search behavior or platform algorithms? This tests whether the agency stays current.
7. How do you combine brand and demand generation rather than running them separately? Integration keeps the experience consistent across channels.

What questions reveal who will do the work and manage your account?

Account questions show how the agency staffs and runs accounts after the contract is signed. The team you work with daily affects results more than agency leadership does.

8. Who will be our day-to-day contact, and what is their background? Ask for names and details to avoid surprises.
9. How many clients does each account manager handle on average? There is no industry standard, but a manager juggling more than about ten accounts rarely gives each one regular attention.
10. What happens when a senior team member leaves? The answer shows how continuity is protected.
11. Do you use offshore staff or contractors on client accounts, and for which tasks? Know who touches your account.
12. How many other clients will our assigned team manage at the same time? An honest answer guards against overpromising.
13. How do you onboard a new client, and what happens in the first 90 days? Detailed onboarding signals maturity.

What questions test how an agency measures and reports results?

Reporting questions test accountability, because agencies that rely on vanity metrics cannot tie marketing to business results. Before signing, ask for a real, anonymized report from an active client, not a template. That document says more about accountability than any pitch deck.

14. What attribution model do you use by default, and what are its limits? A good agency acknowledges the blind spots of last-click attribution.
15. How do you connect top-of-funnel activity to pipeline and revenue? Look for multi-touch measurement, not vague claims.
16. Which analytics platforms do you use, and do you require specific tools? Make sure the data and access stay yours.
17. How do you report when results miss targets? Choose agencies that address problems directly.
18. How do you measure what content and organic search contribute to revenue, beyond traffic? Traffic alone does not show business impact.
19. Will we have direct access to our ad accounts, analytics and dashboards at all times? The answer must be yes.
20. What is your approach to first-party data and privacy-compliant tracking? Google announced in April 2025 that Chrome would keep its current third-party cookie approach and drop the planned choice prompt, then retired most Privacy Sandbox APIs that October. Safari and Firefox still block third-party cookies, and consent laws still apply, so look for an answer built on consent, server-side tagging and first-party data rather than a “cookies are going away” pitch.

What questions clarify pricing, contracts and transparency?

Pricing and contract questions show exactly what you pay for and whether the agency’s incentives match your goals. Full-service pricing varies widely.

21. How is your fee structured, and what share of our total budget goes to your agency versus working media? Ask for a specific number.
22. Do you receive bonuses, rebates or preferred rates from media platforms, and do you pass them on? How an agency handles rebates reveals its ethics.
23. What is your minimum contract length, and what are the exit terms? Long contracts are not a problem in themselves, but short notice periods protect you if performance slips.
24. How do you bill for out-of-scope work? Scope-creep billing is one of the most common sources of friction, so get the process in writing.
25. Do we own all creative assets, campaign files and strategy documents at the end? Confirm that ownership transfers to you.
26. How do you shift budget between channels mid-campaign when data supports it? Know the process before you commit.

The contract conversation separates confident agencies from nervous ones. An agency that pushes back hard on reasonable exit terms or data ownership is telling you something about how it handles accountability.

What questions show how an agency uses technology and AI?

Technology questions show whether an agency uses AI and marketing technology with real oversight. Agencies that use AI well in creative, analysis and optimization move faster than those relying only on manual work.

27. Which AI tools are in your active workflow, and for which tasks? Ask for tools, tasks and the human review step.
28. How do you use AI in paid media optimization, and what human oversight exists? Fully automated bidding and targeting without review can waste budget and create brand safety problems, especially in niche markets.
29. How has generative AI changed your content production, and how do you control quality? Review processes vary widely, so find out what happens before content reaches your audience.
30. How do you approach visibility in AI search, including Google AI Overviews and answer engines? In a Pew Research analysis of 900 US adults’ browsing, users clicked a traditional result in 8% of visits when an AI summary appeared, versus 15% without one. An agency with no view on this is working from an outdated picture of search.
31. What marketing technology do your clients typically use, and how do you support integrations? Agencies tied to a narrow set of platforms may struggle with a complex stack.
32. How do data and testing shape your creative decisions? A testing culture signals an agency that wants to improve rather than repeat itself.

Does the agency go deep in its channels or only wide?

Channel depth questions show where a full-service agency is strongest and where it may be stretching. Few agencies are expert in every channel.

33. Which channels does most of your client work rely on, and where is your team deepest? Honest agencies name their strengths, and those should match your priorities.
34. How do you approach SEO in 2026, with more zero-click searches and AI results? This separates legacy SEO from organic strategy built for how results look today.
35. How do you keep messaging and creative consistent across paid search, paid social and organic? Fragmented messaging is one of the most common and costly problems in full-service work.
36. How does your approach differ for B2B and B2C, and where is your experience stronger? The two need different targeting, content and conversion work.
37. Can you walk us through a time you changed channel strategy because of performance data, and what happened? This tests whether claims are backed by evidence.

For website work, ask which platforms the agency builds on. Emulent recommends WordPress with Kinsta hosting, and Shopify for ecommerce, and a good agency should explain its own choices just as plainly.

Will the agency relationship actually work?

Relationship questions test fit, because you need a team you can talk to easily and trust when problems come up. Skills and strategy matter, but a multi-year partnership also depends on the working relationship.

38. What does a healthy client-agency relationship look like to you, and what do you need from a client to do your best work? This flips the usual dynamic and shows how self-aware the agency is.
39. What do you do when a client’s internal team disagrees with your recommendation? You want an agency that holds its ground when evidence supports it and stays collaborative. Pushovers and combative agencies are both problems.
40. What is your longest client relationship, and what has kept it going? Long tenure is a strong sign of consistent performance.
41. Can you give us three references from clients in a similar industry or with a similar budget that we can contact directly? Hesitation to provide direct contacts is itself informative.

The best long-term agencies treat clients as partners rather than transactions. You can usually see it in the RFP answers: how honest they are about their limits, and whether they seem interested in your business or only your budget.

How do you get more from your agency evaluation?

Use the 41 questions to start real conversations, not as a checklist. Follow up on vague answers and pay attention when a response tells you something new about how an agency works. One caveat: no list replaces reference calls and a paid trial project where your budget allows one.

Emulent works with businesses that want a transparent, results-focused agency partner. If you are running an agency RFP or reviewing your current partners, contact the Emulent team to talk through what fits your goals.