Honestly, I see this same frustration all the time - agencies that lock you into their own accounts and make it a nightmare to leave. So yeah, that original post hits the nail on the head. From what I've seen on the analytics side of things (GTM implementations, tracking audits, the works), here's what actually matters when you're vetting someone to manage a $5k/mo SEM budget:
Account ownership stays with you, full stop. If an agency or freelancer refuses to give you admin access or set up the account under your own MCC, walk. I've cleaned up too many messes where someone had to start from scratch because the previous manager held the account hostage.
First 30 days should be an audit, not a demolition. A good SEM person will look at what's already running, find where the budget is leaking (wasted clicks, broad match nonsense, unsegmented campaigns), and only pause things after showing you the data. You don't burn down a house just because you don't like the colour of the front door.
$5k/mo is a healthy testing budget. With that, you can run proper conversion-focused campaigns across Search and Shopping, plus a couple of ad variants for creative testing. the key is making sure the person you hire understands both the media buying and the technical conversion side (tagging, event tracking, attribution). A lot of "paid media specialists" ignore half the pipeline.
If you're still looking, ask to see a real audit example from a previous client - not just a case study, but a screenshot of how they restructured a campaign. that tells you more than any sales pitch ever will.
