Nairobi has no shortage of marketing agencies. Search for one and you’ll find large international networks, full-service local firms, specialist SEO and Google Ads shops, social media studios and freelancers, and almost all of them call themselves “leading” or “the best”. So how do you choose a digital marketing agency in Nairobi that will actually move your business or organisation forward?
This guide gives you a practical, step-by-step way to compare agencies: what to decide before you start talking to them, what proof to ask for, which contract terms protect you, and the red flags that should make you walk away. It works whether you’re a small business, a growing brand or an NGO planning a campaign (see our NGO communications work).
Step 1: Start with your goal, not the agency’s package
Before you compare agencies, write down what success looks like in plain words. For example:
- “More enquiries from our website each month”
- “More bookings for our restaurant on weekends”
- “Donor and partner awareness for a new programme”
- “A professional website we can show in tenders”
- “Online sales through M-Pesa checkout”
A clear goal tells you which services you need. Many organisations need only one or two channels, say a strong website plus Google Ads, not a 12-service retainer. Agencies tend to sell what they have; your goal keeps the conversation on what you need.
Step 2: Understand what a digital marketing agency actually does
“Digital marketing” covers several distinct skills. Know which ones matter for your goal:
- Website design and development: the base for everything else, where your ads and posts send people.
- SEO (search engine optimisation): helping your site appear in Google results for the searches your customers make.
- Google Ads and other paid search: paying to appear when people search, usually charged per click.
- Social media management: planning, creating and publishing content and managing your pages.
- Paid social advertising: Meta (Facebook and Instagram), TikTok, LinkedIn and X ads.
- Branding and content: logos, visual identity, copywriting, photography and video.
Some agencies do all of these in-house; others specialise. Neither is wrong. What matters is that the agency is strong in the channels you need.
Step 3: Check real proof of work
Ask every agency on your shortlist for work you can verify:
- Live websites you can open and test on your own phone. Do they load quickly? Are they easy to use? Is the contact form working? (You can browse websites we have built.)
- Campaign examples with a clear explanation of the goal, what the agency did and what happened. Be wary of case studies with impressive percentages but no context.
- Work in your sector, or a similar one. An agency that has built sites for clinics, law firms or construction companies already knows the questions those customers ask.
- References you can call. Two short conversations with past clients often tell you more than any pitch deck.
A good sign is an agency that tells you plainly what it has not done before, instead of claiming expertise in everything.
Step 4: Look at the agency’s own digital presence
An agency’s own marketing is a free preview of its skills. Check:
- Is its own website fast, clear and up to date?
- Does it show up on Google for the services it sells?
- Does it have a Google Business Profile with genuine reviews?
- Are its social media pages active and professional?
This isn’t the only test. Busy agencies sometimes neglect their own channels. But an agency that sells SEO and can’t be found on Google should be able to explain why.
Step 5: Ask who will actually do the work
In Nairobi, as anywhere, some agencies pass work to freelancers or partners. That can be fine, but you should know about it. Ask:
- Who will manage our account day to day?
- Is design, development and ad management done in-house or outsourced?
- What happens when our account manager is on leave?
- How quickly do you reply to messages, and on which channels?
Step 6: Insist that you own your accounts
This is one of the most important and most overlooked points. Your organisation should own its digital assets, including:
- The domain name and hosting account
- The website’s admin login and files
- Google Ads, Google Analytics and Google Search Console
- Facebook/Instagram pages and the Meta Business portfolio
- Any design source files you paid for
The agency should be given access to your accounts, not hold them in its own name. Google Ads lets you grant different access levels to different users, and Meta lets a business give a partner access to specific assets in its business portfolio without handing over ownership. If an agency insists on running your ads from its own account, ask how you would get your data and history back if you part ways.
Step 7: Agree how results will be measured and reported
Before you sign, agree on:
- The few numbers that matter for your goal: enquiries, calls, bookings, sales, cost per lead or donations. Followers and impressions alone are not results.
- How they are tracked: conversion tracking in Google Ads, goals or key events in Google Analytics, call tracking, form submissions.
- How often you’ll see a report, and in what format. A short monthly report in plain language, with what was done, what happened and what’s next, beats a 40-page export nobody reads.
- A realistic timeline. Paid ads can bring traffic within days. SEO usually takes months to build.
Step 8: Read the contract and the pricing carefully
Agency pricing in Kenya ranges from one-off project fees to monthly retainers. Whatever the model, make sure the proposal states:
- Exactly what is included each month (number of posts, campaigns, articles, hours)
- Whether ad spend (the money paid to Google or Meta) is included or billed separately
- The minimum contract period and the notice period to cancel
- What happens to your content, files and accounts if you leave
- Who pays for licences, stock photos and tools
If a website is part of the work, our guide to website design cost in Kenya explains typical published price ranges and running costs.
Step 9: Check data protection basics
If the agency will handle personal data such as your customers’ names, phone numbers or emails from forms and ad leads, ask how they look after it. Kenya’s Data Protection Act, 2019 is enforced by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC), which keeps a public register of data controllers and processors. Ask whether the agency is registered where it is required to be, and make sure your website has a clear privacy policy.
Red flags to watch for
- Guaranteed #1 rankings on Google. Google’s own guidance says no one can guarantee a #1 ranking.
- Unverifiable badges. If an agency says it is a Google Partner, you can check that in Google’s public Partners directory.
- No live work to show, or only mock-ups.
- Refusing to put accounts in your name.
- Vague proposals with no clear deliverables, or prices that change after you sign.
- Long lock-in contracts with no exit terms.
- Fake-looking reviews or follower counts.
Questions to ask before you hire
- Which of our goals can you help with, and which can’t you?
- Can you show live work similar to what we need?
- Who exactly will work on our account?
- Will all accounts and files be in our name?
- How will you measure success, and how often will we get a report?
- Is ad spend included in your fee?
- What is the notice period, and what do we keep if we leave?
Local agency or international agency?
A Nairobi-based agency usually understands local search habits, M-Pesa payments, Kenyan media and the mix of English and Kiswahili your audience uses, and you can meet face to face. A large international network may suit regional campaigns with big media budgets. For most Kenyan businesses and NGOs, the right choice is the team that understands your audience and will be accountable for the results you agreed, whatever its size.
How Icon Gersis works
Icon Gersis is an advertising and digital marketing agency at The Promenade, General Mathenge Rd, Westlands, Nairobi. Our Debish Tech division builds seamless, fast websites and runs social media, Google Ads and SEO, so strategy and delivery sit with one team. We set accounts up in your organisation’s name, send a written proposal with scope, timeline and cost before work starts, and report in plain language. See our full list of digital marketing services in Nairobi, or contact Icon Gersis to talk about your goals.
Frequently asked questions
What does a digital marketing agency do?
A digital marketing agency plans and runs online marketing for a business or organisation. That can include website design, SEO, Google Ads, social media management, paid social advertising, branding and content, depending on what the client needs.
How do I know if a digital marketing agency in Nairobi is good?
Look for live work you can verify, references from past clients, a clear written proposal, honest timelines, and a willingness to put all accounts in your name. Check its own website and Google Business Profile as well.
Can an agency guarantee first place on Google?
No. Google states that no one can guarantee a #1 ranking. Treat ranking guarantees as a red flag, and ask instead what work the agency will do and how progress will be reported.
Should ad spend be included in the agency fee?
It can be either way, but the proposal should say clearly. Many agencies charge a management fee and bill ad spend separately, or have you pay Google or Meta directly from your own account.
Who should own my Google Ads and social media accounts?
Your organisation should. The agency should be given access as a user or partner, so you keep your data, history and pages if you change agencies.
Is it better to hire a freelancer or an agency?
A freelancer can suit a single, well-defined task. An agency is usually better when you need several services coordinated, cover when someone is away, and one team accountable for the overall result.