Hiring a UK marketing agency from the US: what should you check first?

Yes, a US small business can hire a UK marketing agency and get good work, as long as you check six things before you sign: the hours you'll overlap, what you pay and who bills the ad spend, the contract term, whether the team knows US advertising rules, who owns your accounts and website, and what you'll see in every report. Get clear answers to those and the ocean between you stops mattering.

We're a UK agency, remote-first, and our team has worked with clients across 15 markets. Here's what we'd tell any US business owner weighing up an agency on this side of the Atlantic, us included.

How much time-zone overlap will you actually get?

The UK and the US keep different hours, and how far apart you are depends on where in the US your business sits. Ask the agency to name the hours it will be available in your time zone, and check them against your own calendar.

That gap works in your favor when it's planned. A UK team starts work before your day begins, so changes you ask for at the end of your afternoon can be waiting for you the next morning. Then check how the agency handles the hours you're both awake: who joins your calls, how fast they reply, and whether they'll meet on your hours. We meet US clients on their hours by video call, and we also work by phone and email.

Your campaigns themselves shouldn't run on UK time. A good agency sets your ad account to your own time zone and schedules your ads for the hours your team can pick up the phone.

What will you pay, and who bills the ad spend?

You should be quoted in US dollars, with the agency's fee and your ad spend kept completely separate. On our plans, Google and Meta bill you directly for your ad spend, so your budget goes from your card or account to the platform, not through us. Our management fee is a separate invoice.

When an agency bundles spend and fee into one number, you can't see what the platform received and what the agency kept. Ask for both figures in writing.

Our prices for US clients are set in US dollars. Google Ads or Meta Ads management is US$800 a month on Starter, US$1,500 on Growth and US$2,500 on Scale, with a free audit before you spend anything and campaigns live in 5 days on average. Websites start at US$2,000 for a brochure site and US$6,000 for a bespoke lead generation site, and our US web design page has a form to request your exact price. If you want the website, ads, SEO and GEO run together, the Growth Engine is US$1,999 a month on a 12-month term and includes a free custom website worth US$6,000 that you own after the term.

What contract terms should you expect?

Expect a minimum term, and make sure it's stated in plain numbers. Paid ads need time to gather data, cut the searches and audiences that don't convert and put more budget behind the ones that do. A single month isn't long enough to do that properly.

Our Google and Meta Ads management runs on a 6-month minimum. The Growth Engine runs on a 12-month term, because it includes a custom website built at the start, and that website becomes yours when the term ends.

Whatever agency you talk to, ask three questions: how long is the minimum, what happens at the end of it, and what notice do you need to give. If the answers aren't in the contract, they aren't agreed. This is general information, not legal advice, so have your own adviser read anything you're unsure about.

Does a UK agency know the US advertising rules?

It has to, and you should test it. US advertising has rules that don't exist in the same form in the UK, and some of them change how a campaign is built from day one.

The clearest example is Meta. Meta's developer documentation lists housing, employment, and financial products and services among its Special Ad Categories, and says that since December 4, 2019, businesses located in the US or reaching users in the US have had to identify new and edited campaigns offering housing, employment or credit opportunities, or their ads can't run. Once an ad is in one of these categories, Meta's documentation lists the limits: specific gender can't be chosen, "Location exclusion is not supported," lookalike audiences are unavailable, and audience options relating to protected classes are unavailable. If you're a realtor, a lender, a recruiter or anyone hiring, an agency that doesn't plan for this will either have ads rejected or build targeting it can't use.

Reviews and testimonials are the second. On August 14, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission announced a final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials. It covers fake or false reviews, paying for reviews that express a particular sentiment, insider reviews that don't disclose the connection to the business, and buying fake followers or views, and the FTC said the rule will "allow the agency to seek civil penalties against knowing violators." Any agency writing ads or landing pages for you should know where that line sits before it quotes a single customer.

Ask a prospective agency how it handles both, and expect a specific answer. These are summaries of official pages for general information; your own attorney is the person to advise on your business.

Who owns your ad accounts and your website?

You should. Your Google Ads and Meta ad accounts should be in your business's name, with the agency given access as a manager. That way you set your own budget, and if you ever part ways, your campaign history, audiences and conversion data stay with you.

The website is the same question. Ask who owns the domain, the hosting account and the site itself, and when ownership passes to you. On our Growth Engine, the custom website is yours after the 12-month term. Get the answer in writing for any agency you talk to, because rebuilding a site you thought you owned is an expensive surprise.

If you already have accounts, check that you hold the admin login before you hire anyone. An agency that wants to move your campaigns into an account it controls is a warning sign.

What should the reporting show you?

Every report should answer three questions: how many leads you got, what they cost, and what happens next month. Clicks and impressions are useful to the agency, but they don't tell you whether the phone rang.

Our Google and Meta Ads plans include conversion tracking set up in your own account, a monthly report covering leads, spend and next steps, and a dedicated account manager who knows your account. When you work in different time zones, that monthly review is where you hold the agency to account, so make sure the numbers in it come from the tracking in your own account, not a summary you can't check.

Is a UK agency the right fit for your business?

It's the right fit if the six checks above come back with clear answers. A remote agency gives you a team that can get work done before your day starts, and pricing in your own currency. It doesn't give you someone who'll drop into your office, and we don't have a US office or a US phone number, so if you need people in the room, factor that in.

If you're comparing agencies, start with the DLR US hub for the full picture, then look at Google Ads management or Meta Ads management for the channel you're considering. We're a Meta Business Partner, and our ads management starts with a free audit, so you'll see what we'd change before you commit.

Frequently asked questions

Do I pay a UK agency in pounds?

No. Our prices for US clients are set in US dollars, from US$800 a month for ads management. Your ad spend is billed to you directly by Google or Meta.

Will my ads run on UK time?

No. We set your ad account to your own time zone and run your ads during the hours your team can answer calls and messages.

Is there a minimum contract?

Yes. Google and Meta Ads management has a 6-month minimum, and the Growth Engine runs on a 12-month term, after which the website we built is yours.

Do you have a US office?

No. We're a remote-first UK agency, and we work with US businesses by video call, phone and email, on your hours.

Want a straight answer on what we'd change in your ads before you sign anything? Book your free audit, or call us on +44 1382 699595.