Updated 3 October 2026.
The agencies worth talking to are the ones whose claims you can check, and you can usually cut a list of ten down to three in an afternoon without a single sales call. We are one of the agencies you might be comparing, so read this as a method, not a ranking. We name no other agency here and rank none.
The old version of this post argued that digital marketing matters. You already know that, or you would not be shortlisting. This version helps you choose.
How to build a shortlist of three
Start with what you need, not with who is famous. Write down the one number the work has to move: qualified enquiries, online orders, calls booked, organic traffic from a particular set of searches. If you cannot name it, no agency can plan against it, and the first useful hour with anyone is spent finding it.
Then build the list from places you can verify. Ask peers in your industry who they use and why they would not switch. Look at the agencies’ own websites, because an agency’s marketing is the one work sample you can inspect without signing anything. Check that the site is fast, clear and says what the agency does. A company that cannot do that for itself is unlikely to do it for you.
Cut anyone whose published work is not in a category like yours, whose pricing you cannot get a rough sense of before a call, or who answers every question with a package name. That usually leaves three. Our guide on how to choose a digital marketing agency goes deeper on the questions to ask on the calls.
The comparison table
Score each agency on the same five rows. Give each row a plain pass, partial or fail, and write down the evidence behind it.
| Criterion | A good answer | A weak answer | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proof | Named clients, the start number, the period and the data source | A percentage with no base, or a logo wall with no work attached | Two case studies in your category and the analytics behind them |
| Team | Named people, with their other accounts stated | “A dedicated team” and a pitch led by someone you will never see again | The people who will do the work, on the first call |
| Pricing transparency | A published starting price, or a quote that itemises scope | A single number with no description of what is inside | What is billed extra: creative, tools, media, revisions |
| Reporting | Reports against the outcome you agreed, built from your own accounts | Impressions, followers and clicks with no link to sales | A real monthly report from another client with the name removed |
| Contracts and ownership | Your ad accounts, analytics and domain in your name, work product yours on payment | Accounts in the agency’s name, long lock-in, auto-renewal | The contract itself, before you decide |
Two agencies that score the same on proof can differ sharply on ownership, and ownership is the one you cannot fix later. If an agency owns your ad account, changing agencies means losing your conversion history.
How to read a case study
Most case studies fail one of four tests. They give no start number, they compare against a bad period, they credit the agency for something the market did, or they report volume where you care about money.
Take Fund Abroad, an education loan platform we run performance marketing for. The headline cost per lead was ₹170.75 on ₹3,13,838 of media and 1,838 leads. The result that mattered was the share of leads that qualified, which went from 5% to 15%, and that cut the cost per qualified lead by 67%. A report that stopped at cost per lead would have hidden the real story. The full breakdown is in the Fund Abroad case study.
Now compare two Omaxe projects. Hi Street in Lucknow cost ₹350 per lead on ₹25 lakh and more of spend over two months. Omaxe Chowk in Chandni Chowk cost ₹200 per lead on about ₹40 lakh, with 15% or more of leads qualifying and 2% of those qualified leads buying or leasing. A benchmark from one project did not carry to the next, even for the same developer. When an agency quotes you a cost per lead from another client, ask what the sales team thought of the leads.
For search work, ask for the Search Console chart and not a screenshot of a third-party tool. Our Pravek case study shows clicks from Google Search up 19% to 6.18K in the latest quarter, with an average position of 9.3. It is a modest figure on a real base, and it is more useful to you than a larger number with no context. You can read more of ours in the case study library.
Published prices, as reference points
Many agencies will not tell you a price before a call. These are our own starting prices from our service pages on 3 October 2026, all plus GST. They are our figures, not an industry average. We have no source for an average and will not invent one.
| Service | Our starting price | What stays separate |
|---|---|---|
| SEO, AEO and GEO | ₹50,000 a month | Scope grows with keyword volume and markets |
| Performance marketing | The higher of 15% of monthly media spend or ₹50,000 a month | Media spend, and creative billed on actuals |
| Social media | ₹1,00,000 a month for the entry tier | Ad spend, influencer fees, paid licences and travel |
| Website | From ₹1,00,000 | Hosting, paid licences, third-party tools and maintenance unless listed |
| Strategy sprint | From ₹75,000 | Work that follows the sprint |
One piece of arithmetic is worth knowing on performance marketing. The 15% figure overtakes ₹50,000 at ₹3,33,333 of monthly media. Below that, you pay the flat amount, and above it you pay a share of spend. Any agency charging a percentage should be able to tell you what happens to its fee when your budget changes. Our guide on what SEO costs in India shows how we think about scope and price for search.
Where DigiStreet fits and where it does not
We are a Noida agency, with a Delhi office in Vivek Vihar, and we have been at this for 14+ years across 250+ brands. We fit when the work needs search, paid media, content, a website and tracking to point at one number, and when the buying cycle is long or considered. Our strongest published work is in industrial and B2B categories, real estate, education finance and ecommerce.
We do not fit in several cases. If your budget is below roughly ₹50,000 a month, our smallest retainers start there, and a freelancer will serve you better. If your campaign is mostly television, print or outdoor, we are a digital agency and our view of those is second-hand, so talk to a media-buying specialist. For performance work, we suggest ₹50,000 to ₹1,00,000 a month of media as a floor, and below that a retainer costs more than the ads.
There are things we have not published. We have no SaaS performance case study you can read, so what we say about SaaS comes from practice. For a national brief, our digital marketing agency in India page explains the model. And if you are still deciding if an agency is the right route, our piece on advertising agencies and what they do covers the five types and how they charge.
Questions to ask every agency on your shortlist
Ask the same five questions of each. What is the base this result was measured from? Who exactly will work on my account? What is not included in the price? What would you tell me not to spend money on? What happens to my accounts and my data if we part?
The last two matter most. An agency that has never talked a client out of a service is selling, not advising. And one that hesitates over account ownership has already told you something.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I shortlist digital marketing agencies in India?
Write down the one outcome you need, then collect agencies from peer recommendations and their own published work. Cut those with no case studies in a category like yours or no way to see a rough price. Aim for three, and score them on the same five criteria.
What should a digital marketing agency’s case study include?
The client’s name, the starting number, the date range, the data source and the outcome that matters to the business, such as qualified leads or orders. A percentage without a base is marketing, not evidence.
How much does a digital marketing agency cost in India?
It depends on scope, and we have no industry average to give you. Our own starting prices are ₹50,000 plus GST a month for SEO, the higher of 15% of media spend or ₹50,000 plus GST a month for performance marketing, and ₹1,00,000 plus GST for a website.
Is a full-service agency better than a specialist?
Not automatically. A specialist suits a narrow, well-understood job. A full-service agency helps when search, ads, content and the website all affect one result. What matters is whether one team answers for a single scorecard.
What should I look for in an agency contract?
Ownership of your ad accounts, analytics and domain, ownership of the work on payment, a notice period you can live with and a clear handover of reporting data. Avoid long lock-ins and renewals with no review window.
Should I choose an agency in my own city?
Not necessarily. Reviews and reporting can run remotely, and proof matters more than postcode. Meet in person when it helps the project, for example for a shoot or a workshop.
Does DigiStreet work with small budgets?
Only partly. Our retainers start at ₹50,000 plus GST a month, so below that a freelancer or an in-house hire is usually better. Our website packages start at ₹1,00,000 plus GST, which is a one-off project and not a retainer.
References
- DigiStreet Media, published case studies, each with its source and date range.
- DigiStreet Media, Fund Abroad performance marketing case study, figures from Meta Ads Manager.
