Paid search guide 02
Make sure someone at your business is an admin on the Google Ads account, can see billing, and can remove an agency without losing the account's history. Give agencies their own named access or link their manager account. Never run the account on a shared password.
← All Google Ads and paid-search guidanceName business admins
List every user
Review manager links
Verify billing view
Test provider exit
Why this matters
Campaign history, search-term learning, conversion settings, and billing records become more valuable over time. If only an agency can sign in, you may be unable to check spending, pause ads, investigate a security problem, or hand the account to someone new. A business admin plus a current access list removes that dependency without giving everyone broad permissions.
Google separates your individual Google Ads account from a manager account an agency uses to run several clients. Linking a manager account does not make it the owner. ‘Administrative ownership’ is a stronger status that adds control over users and links, so grant it only when needed. Google also says your account keeps its data when a manager is unlinked.
Responsible practices
Make sure at least one current person at your business has admin access to the Google Ads account, and consider a second for backup. Record the customer ID, account name, time zone, and currency. Don't let an agency login be the only way in.
Invite each person through their own Google Account and give only the access level they need. Remove access when someone leaves. Google advises against shared sign-ins. Keep recovery phone numbers and emails with the person who owns each login.
An agency may link its manager account to yours. Record the manager name and ID, what it can do, and whether it has administrative ownership. A link and ownership are different; grant ownership only when its extra powers are understood and needed.
Know who owns the payment method, who receives invoices or statements, and who can change payment settings. Keep Google ad spend separate from management and other fees. Check the live account, because billing setups vary.
Keep a list of users, linked manager accounts, linked products, and who can change budgets, conversions, ads, or access. Review unexpected account and billing activity. Remove inactive users. Decide who can pause campaigns or remove access during a problem.
Confirm a business admin can sign in directly, see billing, find the manager link, and find the unlink control. Separately list things that don't move with the account, such as call-tracking numbers, landing pages, analytics, or CRM connections.
Account access list
Start an access list with the customer ID, users, access levels, linked manager accounts, and review date.
Confirm someone at your business has admin access, and add a second business admin for backup.
Replace any shared logins with named Google Account access.
Lower each user to the least access they need, and remove inactive users.
Record every linked manager account and whether it has administrative ownership.
Trace one recent Google Ads charge to your own records, and note who controls the payment method.
Practice the exit: have the business admin find the unlink, billing, pause, and export controls without changing anything.
Avoid these failures
Auctions, demand, clicks, conversion volume, lead quality, acquisition cost, booked work, margin, and revenue depend on factors outside any provider's control. Results are not guaranteed.
Questions business owners ask
A manager account can create a new account, but Google says that manager then becomes its owner. If an agency does this, make sure your business also has direct admin access before spending starts. If your business already has an account, linking it to the agency's manager account usually keeps ownership clearer.
No. Google says linking does not grant ownership by default. Administrative ownership gives the manager extra powers over users, other managers, product links, and security settings. Grant it only when those powers are needed and approved.
Google notes a continuity risk when an account has only one admin. Two current, protected business admins is a sensible default. Avoid giving broad access just to raise the count.
Google says your account keeps its campaign history when unlinked from a manager account. But things outside the account—call-tracking numbers, landing pages, analytics—may not move with it. List those first and plan the handoff.
Primary guidance
Keep the advertising record with your business