# How to audit your marketing agency | Crank OS Source: https://wearecrank.com/insights/crank-os/how-to-audit-a-marketing-agency A fair, practical way to check what your agency reports: five checks you can run from your own sales records and ad accounts, without starting an argument. --- [![Crank - Providing your levers for growth](/images/crank-logo-full.png)![](/images/crank-icon.png)](/) [Book a live demo](/contact?enquiry=live-demo)[Chat now](https://wa.me/447457416922?text=Help%20my%20business) Guide · Independence # How to audit your marketing agency **Crank** Updated 28 October 2026 · 3 minute read The short answer Audit an agency by comparing what it reports with records it does not control: your own sales or lead records, and ad accounts that sit in your company's name. Five checks cover most of it: ownership, tracking, reconciling results, settings, and what is actually running. Treat it as a shared check, not an accusation. Most gaps come from settings and tracking, not bad faith. ## Start with ownership Before any numbers, find out who owns the accounts. If your agency owns the ad accounts, the tracking or the data, you can lose your history if you leave, and you cannot check anything without asking them. Every ad account is in my company's name, and we have admin access. Our tracking and analytics accounts are in our name too. We can see the money going out, not only the results. We know who else has access, and why. ## Five checks ### 1\. Is the tracking right? Does it record every sale or lead, and has anyone tested it recently? Browser tracking misses sales when ad blockers and privacy settings get in the way. See [server-side tracking](/crank-os/tracking/server-side-tracking-setup). ### 2\. Do the results match your records? Put the platform's sales next to your own shop or sales records for the same dates. Our guide on [why Meta ads do not match Shopify](/insights/crank-os/meta-ads-not-matching-shopify) shows how. ### 3\. What do the settings count? Ask what counts as a conversion, how long after a click or view credit is given, whether searches for your own name are included, and whether any of it has changed. ### 4\. What is actually running? List the live campaigns and ads, what each spent, and what each produced. Look for spend with no result, and creative that has not changed for a long time. ### 5\. Does the report refer to the plan? A report should say what was planned, what happened and what changes next, not only list figures. ## Questions for the meeting * Which settings decide what counts as a sale in this report, and have they changed? * How much of the result comes from people searching for our own name? * Which campaigns would you pause, and why? * What did we learn this month, and what changes because of it? * Can someone outside the team check these numbers? A good agency welcomes a second pair of eyes. Both sides then work from the same numbers. ## When to get an independent view A report built by the people spending the money is not independent, however honest they are. If you want a read that does not come from them, [Crank OS](/crank-os) gives you one while your media team keeps running the campaigns. It never buys your media, and it earns nothing more when you spend more. For a shorter version of this guide, see [Is my agency reporting accurate?](/insights/crank-os/is-my-agency-reporting-accurate). For shops, the [free scan](/crank-os/free-scan) is a free way to start. ## Questions ### Will an audit damage the relationship? Not if you frame it as checking the numbers together. A good agency will welcome both sides working from the same numbers. ### How often should I audit? Check the basics every quarter, and again after any change of settings, tracking or team. ### Do I need technical skill? The first checks need only admin access to your ad accounts and your own sales records. ### What if the numbers do not match? Find out why before you decide anything. A gap is often down to settings or tracking, which can be fixed. ## Read next [GuideIs my agency reporting accurate?](/insights/crank-os/is-my-agency-reporting-accurate) [GuideWhy Meta ads do not match Shopify](/insights/crank-os/meta-ads-not-matching-shopify) [ComparisonCrank OS compared](/crank-os/compare) ## Want an independent read on your accounts? Book a live demo with the Crank team, and bring your latest agency report. [Book a live demo](/contact?enquiry=live-demo)[Message us on WhatsApp](https://wa.me/447457416922?text=I%27d%20like%20a%20live%20demo%20of%20Crank%20OS)