What to Check When Taking Over a Google Ads Account
Changing agencies? Check Google Ads access, billing, conversion sources and campaign history. Plan the handover before removing the previous manager.
Quick Answer
What Is Being Handed Over?
Confirm the Customer ID and Access
Separate Billing from Tracking Dependencies
When Should You Remove the Previous Manager?
Record the Campaign State at Handover
What Evidence Closes the Handover?
Quick Answer
For a Google Ads account handover, confirm the customer ID, business access, payer and conversion sources. Resolve dependencies before removing the old manager, and record active campaigns and outstanding work. A handover does not require sharing a password or deleting the account.
The agency change is agreed, but the advertising account still lists the previous team's addresses. Campaigns are running, and nobody is sure who controls the tracking. Start by identifying the account and its dependencies before changing settings.
What Is Being Handed Over?
A Google Ads account handover means transferring the day-to-day management of an existing business account to another team. It does not mean buying an account or passing around a personal Google password. The client account holds the campaigns; a manager account connects to client accounts.
If you are still choosing a provider, clarify the work the agency will take on first. A business starting without an advertising account should follow the first Search campaign setup guide instead.
Confirm the Customer ID and Access
Record the account name, customer ID and advertised domain together. Do not mistake an empty account with a similar name for the one that is serving ads. An authorised business contact should sign in with their own Google account and check the campaigns. Screenshots supplied by the outgoing agency do not establish that the business has access.
Google Ads access levels allow different tasks. Someone who only reads reports may not need editing rights; managing users and manager links requires suitable administrative access. Assign roles according to the agreed responsibilities.
The incoming agency sends a manager link request using the customer ID. An authorised user checks which account sent it and accepts the request. Follow Google's linking instructions rather than sharing a password. Receipt of an invitation is not the final check: the new team should open the account and verify its access.
Separate Billing from Tracking Dependencies
The account administrator, payer and tracking administrator may be different people. Check payments profile access separately. Establish the billing contact, current payment arrangement, outstanding amounts and person authorised to make changes before removing an existing payment dependency.
| Area | What to Record | Acceptance Check |
|---|---|---|
| Account Access | Customer ID, users and manager links | The business and incoming team can open the correct account. |
| Billing | Payer, payments profile and changeover date | The person responsible can complete the required payment tasks. |
| Conversions | Action, data source and managing account | A test enquiry or order reaches the expected record. |
| Shared Resources | Audiences, tags and linked products | Resources supplied by the outgoing manager have a documented transition plan. |
If the business uses GA4 and a tag manager, test access to those systems too. Ask what a reported conversion represents: a button click, a completed enquiry or a sale. Submit a test enquiry and check its destination in the business system, rather than stopping at a tag firing. Keep test activity distinguishable from customer results.
When Should You Remove the Previous Manager?
Google's unlinking guidance says that a client account retains its own campaign history. Shared audiences, cross-account conversion tracking and monthly invoicing can still be affected. Removing a link does not transfer those dependencies to the incoming agency.
Resolve the dependencies, then agree when each team will make changes. For example, a campaign using the outgoing manager's conversion tracking needs a planned measurement transition and checks. If billing arrangements remain unclear, resolve them with the authorised contact before unlinking.
Record the Campaign State at Handover
Capture active campaigns, budgets, bidding strategies, conversion definitions and ongoing experiments at the changeover. Include the date range and source used in the latest report. Comparing different periods or conversion definitions can produce an apparent improvement or decline that is simply a reporting mismatch.
Change history helps investigate recent account edits, but it is not a complete record of business decisions. Ask why a campaign was paused or a keyword excluded. Mark unanswered questions as unresolved instead of inventing explanations.
If spending limits will change, use the Google Ads budget plan to distinguish media, management and measurement costs. Keep necessary transition tasks separate from later optimisation. Changing access, budgets, goals and ads together makes subsequent investigation harder.
What Evidence Closes the Handover?
- The authorised business contact and incoming team have signed in to the correct client account.
- The payer and post-handover billing arrangement have been confirmed.
- Tracking sources, audience dependencies and a sample transaction check have been recorded.
- Active campaigns, outstanding work and historical reports have been handed over.
- The removal time for obsolete access and the owner of remaining tasks have been agreed.
Keep unresolved items open with a named owner and required evidence. If you need help with the transition and subsequent campaign management, review our Google Ads management scope. Bring the customer ID and a description of the work to the discussion; you do not need to share a password.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
Ask an authorised administrator to arrange access for your own Google login. An agency can connect through a manager account. Verify that the invitation is accepted and that you can open the correct client account; do not use a shared password as the handover method.
The customer ID identifies the account for a manager link request. Confirm it alongside the account name and advertised domain. An unused account with a similar name should not be mistaken for the account serving campaigns.
No. A manager account links to other Ads accounts for management. The client account holds its own campaigns and identity. Record both separately so access and billing tasks are applied to the correct account.
An agency change does not by itself require closing the account. Review access, tracking and billing dependencies before removing the old manager. Unlinking and account cancellation are different actions; plan to retain the existing campaign history.
Do not assume so. Ads account access and payments profile access need separate checks. Identify the payment arrangement and the person authorised to complete each required task before the changeover.
There is no universal pause requirement. Review the transition against the actual dependencies and arrange any necessary interruption deliberately. Agree who can edit campaigns during the changeover, and keep unresolved payment or tracking tasks visible.
