How to Choose a Digital Marketing Agency in Australia That Grows Revenue

You’ve seen it before. Digital marketing agencies that promise more traffic and clicks but fail to deliver on revenue growth. 

But at the end of the day, you’re running a business and the bottom line matters. 

Whether you’re a small business, large enterprise, a B2B brand or anything in between, your digital marketing KPIs should always be revenue-focused.

So, to ensure revenue growth is top of mind in your digital marketing strategy, in this article, we’re diving into: 

• How to choose a digital marketing agency
• The right agency model for your business
• What KPIs actually matter
• A practical agency selection checklist

Why Choosing the Right Digital Marketing Agency Matters

Before we get into the steps, let’s break down the importance of making the right choice for a digital marketing agency in Australia.

First, there’s the cost. From wasted ad spend to missed opportunities, choosing the wrong digital marketing agency can be costly. Spending some time doing your own due diligence is key to avoiding an expensive mistake.

Next, it’s essential to ensure your agency partner is engaged in revenue-driven marketing vs activity-based marketing. 

Focusing on the quantity of content, ads or other collateral is a sign of activity-based marketing. In contrast, focusing on strategic, holistic campaigns gives a better signal that revenue-driven marketing is at play.

Finally, you’ll also want to consider the true Australian market knowledge possessed by your digital marketing agency. 

With so many agencies now based overseas, those working on your business must understand the competition, consumer behaviour and cultural trends to ensure any marketing activity actually produces ROI.

With all that in mind, let’s go step-by-step to help you choose a digital marketing agency that actually increases revenue.

Step 1: Start with ROI Instead of Vanity Metrics

First, you’ll want to ensure you’re measuring your return on investment, not just metrics that “look good”, also known as vanity metrics.

Vanity metrics that might look good but don’t grow revenue include:

• Traffic
• Impressions
• Engagement

There’s nothing inherently wrong with marketing that drives traffic, impressions and engagement. However, if your digital marketing agency prioritises these metrics, it can be a red flag. 

These metrics should simply be a means to an end. Therefore, when discussing your digital marketing strategy with your agency, ensure that these metrics aren’t the main focus.

Instead, look for revenue-focused metrics such as:

• Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
• Return on ad spend (ROAS)
• Pipeline value (for B2B)
• Conversion rate and lifetime value

These are just a few examples of metrics that can give you a true understanding of how your digital marketing strategy is contributing to revenue growth. Be sure to choose an agency that focuses on the right metrics.

Step 2: Decide Between Full-Service and Specialist Agencies

There are two main models of digital marketing agencies in Australia: full-service or specialist. 

Full-service agencies can do it all, whereas specialist agencies focus on a specific aspect of digital marketing like SEO or Instagram ads.

A full-service agency makes sense if you want a well-rounded digital marketing strategy and is usually better for business owners with limited marketing knowledge. 

However, if you know exactly what you’re after and just need some help with execution, a specialist agency might be all you need.

Step 3: Assess SEO Capability (Not Just Rankings)

SEO stands for search engine optimisation, and it’s often the backbone of any digital marketing strategy. It’s a long-term strategy that optimises your website for search engines like Google and helps your business appear in search results organically.

There are many SEO gurus making big claims. But here’s what we suggest you look for in an SEO agency if revenue growth is the goal:

• Commercial keyword strategy
• Technical SEO foundations
• Content built for human conversion, not just search engines

A commercial keyword strategy is about more than just plucking a few high-volume keywords and pushing out content. It’s about adopting a holistic approach to structuring your entire website using keyword clusters and semantic correlation.

Additionally, a premium SEO execution requires strong technical SEO foundations. This means your meta data, schema, site maps, redirects and links are working as they should.

And while it’s easy to pump out content that search engines understand, when revenue is the focus, clicks don’t matter. Your content needs to not only appear on Google but also encourage customers to buy your products and services.

Step 4: Evaluate PPC and Paid Media Expertise

PPC stands for pay-per-click and it generally refers to digital advertising strategies such as Google Ads, display ads, social media ads and more.

Unfortunately, it’s easy to waste money on a poor PPC strategy. Yet with the right approach, PPC ads can produce a strong ROI and help you towards your revenue growth goals. A PPC agency with a strong track record is likely to have:

• An intent-based campaign structure
• Budget efficiency
• CRO and landing page optimisation

First, keywords have different “intent” and using an intent-based campaign strategy ensures that you’re not only optimising your ads for the right keywords, but also for the intent of the searcher. 

For example, some people are searching with the intent to purchase, while others are searching to browse. Your PPC strategy must understand intent.

Next, Google Ads operates on an auction structure where businesses bid for certain keywords. Timing, competition and volume all matter when it comes to efficiency, ensuring your PPC budget is used effectively.

And finally, when we’re focused on revenue growth, CRO (conversion rate optimisation) is essential. Often, this comes down to the landing pages linked to each ad. We’re paying for every click, so optimising for conversion is key to boosting your sales with PPC.

Pro Tip: Integrated SEO and PPC Teams Win SEO and PPC work hand in hand. As they’re both tied to the Google platform, SEO and PPC should inform each other. When SEO and PPC teams work together, you’ll get faster testing, better attribution and compounding results.  Often, SEO and PPC can be see as competition for each other, but with a shared strategy, revenue can truly remain at the forefront. At Shout Digital, our SEO and PPC teams are fully integrated ensuring revenue growth stays top of mind.  Book a free strategy call with our digital marketing agency Australia-wide.

Step 5: Demand Proof, Not Promises

When you’re looking for a digital marketing agency in Australia that can actually deliver revenue results, case studies are important.

Anyone can make empty promises but what you need is proof. And more than that, it’s important to ensure the agency you go with has experience in the markets that your business operates in.

In your early communications with a new digital agency, ask for credible case studies that include the following:

• Starting position: What was the problem this business was facing?
• Strategy: What digital marketing strategies were implemented?
• Measurable outcomes: What were the results of these strategies?
• Revenue impact: Did the business see actual revenue growth?

If you’re in a niche market, make sure the digital marketing agency you choose has experience in those fields. 

Remember, frameworks matter more than logos. Even if an agency has worked with household name brands, that doesn’t always mean they can get results for your small business. 

Experience in your market is essential so be ruthless when it comes to reviewing case studies.

Step 6: Understand the Reporting Process

Finally, before you sign up with a digital marketing agency in Australia, make sure you understand the reporting process. There’s nothing worse than getting a monthly email full of marketing jargon that you can’t make heads or tails of.

Your ROI depends on the results and if you don’t understand what’s being reported, it can be more difficult to spot potential issues and bottlenecks. 

Ask questions before you receive your first report and iron out any kinks to ensure the reporting is as transparent as possible. After all, you shouldn’t have to be an expert to decipher your own marketing results.

What Transparent Reporting Looks Like

Ensure you have a clear understanding of your agency’s reporting process which should include:

• Clear KPIs with a focus on revenue
• Competitor insights
• Actionable next steps
• Simple terms vs industry jargon

You’ll also what to clarify how often you’ll be hearing from your digital marketing agency. Most often, the cadence will include:

• Weekly performance signals
• Monthly reporting
• Quarterly strategy reviews

Final Thoughts: Choose a Growth Partner, Not a Vendor

When you choose a digital marketing agency in Australia that’s fully committed to a revenue-first approach, your bottom line results can skyrocket. 

It’s not about just another vendor for outsourcing a task. It becomes a true long-term partnership who is invested in your success.

Ready to find your growth partner?

Book a free strategy call to see if your current marketing actually drives revenue and how we can help you re-focus on the bottom line.