The difference between running a campaign and scaling your revenue is finding the right digital marketing agency that leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their campaigns. Every digital marketing agency out there claims to use AI; however, when choosing an agency that will help you grow, having a checklist will help ensure you find a quality partner you can trust with your brand, your budget, and your data. Whether you are looking for a global player or an Indian expert agency (like Shivoham Shiv Digital), asking the right questions will prevent you from being misled and find a true partner for growth.

How is AI used in campaigns?

When evaluating a digital marketing agency that claims to use AI, start by taking time to get beyond the buzzwords used by the agency. Request to see specific tools and workflows the agency employs in their searches, advertising, content creation, and analytical aspect of their campaigns. The best AI digital marketing agencies will be able to discuss predictive analytics, automated bidding strategies and AI audience segmentation. If you’re only hearing “we use ChatGPT for content,” you may not be working with a legitimate AI focused agency.

Do you have case studies with measurable ROI?

1. A top agency in 2026 will be able to provide you with proof of their work and the results of their efforts. Ask to see case studies from their previous clients (or even prospects). Look for detailed information: beginning metrics, the AI strategy used and the end result, whether it was an increase in leads, sales or both. Look for screenshots that represent before-and-after (performance) and documented (Growth) curves. If an agency like Shivoham Shiv Digital has consistently improved many industries using AI — that is a very strong trust signal.

2. How do you combine your human expertise with AI tools?

AI by itself is not a digital marketing strategy. An agency that uses AI as a leading digital marketing strategy should explain how they combine AI with the expertise of humans (strategists, media buyers, and content creators) who are responsible for overseeing the final output of the AI. The agency should have a team that utilizes AI to accelerate the pace of research, testing, and optimization, while humans are the final decision-makers in terms of creative strategy. Agencies that produce AI generated content, and allow it to be published without editorial control, risk jeopardizing their client’s brand voice and brand integrity.

3. How do you employ AI to improve your agency’s SEO strategies?

The Search engine landscape is changing rapidly, and as the search engines and their response systems continue to evolve with AI, the future of SEO will be greatly influenced by AI-driven content and the response to that content. Ask the agency how they use AI to analyse the competition, identify content gaps, build keyword clusters, optimize on-page elements, and establish topic authority. An effective digital marketing agency should be discussing how they are embracing long-tail intents, building entity-based SEO, and creating content that can be consumed by both users and AI-driven search engines. If they perceive SEO to be only “keywords and backlinks,” then they need to re-evaluate where they stand on the SEO curve.

4. What is your company’s approach for SEO that incorporates AI?

Search has changed dramatically over the last several years and in 2026, SEO will be predominantly impacted by AI (artificial intelligence) driven search engines and answer systems. Ask how companies are using AI to discover their competitors, identify content gaps, cluster keywords, optimize page elements and develop topic authority. The best digital marketing agency will also mention Long-Tail Intent, Entity-Based SEO, and structured content for users and AI driven search. If an agency still believes SEO consists of only “keywords and backlinks”, they have fallen behind.

5. What level of transparency is provided in your reporting and accessing your data?

When working with the best AI digital marketing agency, you should never feel left in the dark. Ask about the methods of reporting that you will receive (such as live dashboard access, weekly summaries, or monthly review strategies). Confirm that you will maintain direct access to all your paid advertisement accounts, analytical information, and CRM integrations. An honest agency will explain how their AI insights are translated into clear, human-readable reports so that you understand what is performing well, what is not, and what the agency is testing in the future.

6. How is data privacy and compliance handled?

The core of all AI systems lies within data and if it is not properly managed and processed then the risk of improper usage is high. Inquire about their storage and processing processes for collected user data in accordance with GDPR regulations.The best digital marketing agency must have well-defined practices, and – if necessary – complete non-disclosure agreements (NDA’s), defined roles for access to sensitive information, and a detailed process for protecting information about clients. If the agency doesn’t give sufficient weight to the safeguarding of its client’s data, don’t work with them.

7. Describe your onboarding and strategy process.

Before making a decision on which AI digital marketing agency is best for you, make sure that you understand their strategy for the first 30-60-90 days. A mature agency should:

Conduct an extensive assessment of your current advertising campaigns and their success rate.

Use AI to do research on the market you are in as well as the competition and the audience that you are trying to reach.

Collaborate with you to develop clear and measurable objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs), i.e. number of leads generated, sales generated, cost per lead (CPL), cost per acquisition (CAC), and customer lifetime value (LTV).

If an agency has no discovery process, or sells a one-size-fits-all package of services, then they are focused more on getting results quickly than creating a strategic solution for you. A focused agency, like Shivoham Shiv Digital, understands that to be successful, there must be time spent on creating an understanding and developing knowledge of your business.

8. Are your pricing and engagement models flexible?

As a result of lessons learned in the field of digital marketing, it is now common practice for the best digital marketing agencies in 2026 to offer many different pricing and engagement models, including project-based engagement, retainer-based engagement, performance-linked pricing, or some combination of the three. Be certain to ask what the pricing includes, whether it be the development of strategy, creation of creative elements, AI technology usage, advertising management, landing page optimization, and analytic reports. Be careful about bargains where there is little to no information about the offering, as well as high-priced offerings where there is no clarity about what is included. The best agencies will be able to transparently show you everything included in the price, and provide reasons for why that price is quoted.

9. Differentiation of Your Business From Others Who Also Provide AI Services:

If you are trying to find an agency that can help you with your digital marketing in this ever-changing world of AI, you need to start asking the right questions. Today, every agency can say they are the best digital marketing agency thanks to all of the buzz surrounding AI and digital marketing.

All agencies need to define what is unique about their agency and how the agency can help you reach your business goals:

– Do they specialize in certain industries (for example: real estate, healthcare, e-commerce)?
– Do they have proprietary workflows/frameworks/tools unique to the agency?
– Do they have the ability to provide strategic consulting in addition to execution?

An example of how a successful agency like Shivoham Shiv Digital stands out among other agencies is that they not only combine AI automation with their extensive domain knowledge of the Indian and global markets, but they also possess hands-on content and performance knowledge. Most importantly, when selecting an agency to work with, you want an agency that feels like a true extension of your team instead of just another vendor that is going to push some buttons in the various ad manager systems.

Final Thoughts: Select a Partnership as Opposed to Just Services

In order to find the best digital marketing agency in the year 2026, you need to first determine who can use AI to create a compounding growth engine for your business, as opposed to just being able to run ads and create blog posts. When evaluating an agency, whether it is a large international agency or a boutique agency like Shivoham Shiv Digital, remember to use the above nine questions as an overall guideline. By doing so, you will be able to determine the best partner for you who understands not only how technology can impact your business but also how technology will impact both the current and future success of your business.