Before you start shortlisting
Be ruthlessly clear about what you actually need. "Grow our business online" is not a brief. The clearer your inputs, the better the partner you'll attract.
Write down:
- One primary business goal (revenue, leads, market share)
- One primary channel hypothesis (SEO, paid, content, all of the above)
- Your current monthly traffic, leads and revenue from digital
- A realistic monthly investment band
- Internal point of contact and decision rights
Questions to ask every agency
About them
- How long have you been in business and who founded you?
- Show me 3 case studies in our industry or category
- Who specifically will work on our account, and what is their experience?
- What's your team's average tenure?
About strategy
- Walk me through your first 30, 60, 90 days
- How do you choose channels for a brand like ours?
- What are you NOT going to do, and why?
About reporting
- What dashboard will I have access to?
- What's the cadence of reporting and reviews?
- What do you do when results miss targets?
About contracts
- What's the minimum engagement?
- What's the exit clause?
- Who owns the assets, ads, creative, accounts, when we part ways?
Red flags
- Guaranteed #1 rankings on Google
- "We don't share access to the ad accounts"
- Pricing that's dramatically cheaper than the market
- No clear point of contact
- No senior person in the pitch meeting
Green flags
- Honest about what they don't do
- Show you a failure case study, not just wins
- Push back on your assumptions
- Senior team in the pitch and on the account
- References you can call directly
Structuring the engagement
- Start with a 90-day pilot, not a 12-month contract
- Define 3 success metrics up front
- Monthly business review, not just a report
- Joint quarterly planning
Where to start
If you're a brand in India considering a partner, see our services, browse case studies, or contact Uddhavo for a scoping call.
Related:
External:
Related services and local support
Explore the service scope and local support relevant to this guide.
Related reading on Uddhavo
- 12 Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Marketing Partner, Buyer's Guide
- Digital Marketing in Bhutan: The Complete 2026 Guide for Hotels, Tours and Border Traders, Local SEO
- The Siliguri Digital Marketing Playbook: How Local Businesses Win Google in 2026, Local SEO
- How to Choose the Best Digital Marketing Agency in Siliguri (2026 Buyer's Checklist), Strategy
- Digital Marketing in Jalpaiguri: The Local Business Guide for 2026, Local SEO
- Darjeeling and Sikkim Tourism SEO: The Booking-Season Playbook for 2026, Local SEO
Useful external resources
Need help with this in Siliguri?
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Founder & CEO, Uddhavo · Uddhavo Digital Marketing Agency, Siliguri
Manashi leads SEO, performance media and web strategy at Uddhavo, working hands-on with 150+ brands across Siliguri, Darjeeling, Gangtok, Kolkata and the wider North Bengal market. She writes from live campaign data, not theory.
