Who really owns my Google Ads Account?

It’s not uncommon to hear that customers do not actually own, or even have access to, their Google Ad account.

When we come across a Google Ad account that the business does not own, or even have access to, we have to rebuild the account, because the previous agency is unable or unwilling to release their account.

A transparent agency never builds a Google Ad account in their name, it is always the client’s account, and in the client’s name. Some of the reasons agencies give for not handing over your ad account are:

The account was created under our manager account and can’t be unlinked.

This is not true. A Google Ad account can be unlinked from a manager account by making you an administrator and removing their own access.

The account was set up under our agency billing account so cannot be transferred.

Again this is not the case. The billing settings for any Google Ad account can be changed anytime.

The Google Ad account is our Intellectual Property.

While this can be awkward, the account does contain your work, you have paid for this service, and the data essentially belongs to you and your business. I would ask why an agency needs to retain the data specific to your business.

If we allow access to our account you will see all of our clients data.

This is also not true. For many years Google has made provision for agencies to work on behalf of clients by providing an account structure that allows you to gain access to just to your own account.

In considering the above points, the most important thing is that you are in control of your own business account because the performance benchmarks and the subsequent data is important to your business and to understanding the market. You do not want to give away the data that you have paid for nor the control for access.

Over the years we have seen organisations who either do not own their account or know who has access to Google Search Console, Google Ads, Google Tag Manager, Google Merchant Centre, Google My Business, Facebook Pages, or Facebook Ad manager accounts. Some do not even own their own website hosting accounts and domain name registrations.

It should be a red flag if your existing agency refuses to allow you access to your own accounts.

Let us know any questions about this article or contact us for some advice on your accounts.

Silkies Rose Farm
Silkies Rose Farm
09:47 20 Apr 20
Thanks Mike and your team for turning our business around from very negative previous IT management - yes, it's taken... some time but together we've achieved magnificent results and we're so pleased that we will move forward positively despite the challenges of Covid-19. We very highly recommend your business - best wishes - Graham & Diana Sargeantread more
Canopy Fouryou
Canopy Fouryou
23:46 02 Dec 19
It's hard to find good people, but when I chose BRAVE from several competitors, I made the best of decisions. I have... worked with Mike and the team at BRAVE in building over 7 different websites using Virtuemart, Joomla, WordPress & Magento platforms. Mike is extremely knowledgeable and instead of telling me what I want to hear, he listens to my ideas, my goals and then works with us to develop a website that is professional, cutting edge but most importantly, functional, SEO friendly and easy for users to navigate. Mike and the team at BRAVE are all knowledgeable and - above all - able to convert your mental 'wishful thinking' into something that works. They have worked with me on Branding, Design, Development, Hosting, Online Marketing, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Social Media So, excellent service, great product, very competitively priced.....need I go on? I'd unhesitatingly recommend Mike and BRAVE Websites to any business or anyone who needs anything at all in the new frontiers of 'virtual space' that business now occupy.read more
Justine Barrow
Justine Barrow
05:06 26 Nov 19
BRAVE designed Sunbury Physiotherapy website and I am extremely happy with both the end result ( it looks great!) as... well as the service provided throughout the process. Mike took the time to get to know and understand our business and that shone through in developing a website that was truly reflective of our core values. I have no hesitation in recommending BRAVE for website services.read more
Darryl van Rooy
Darryl van Rooy
02:05 18 Jul 19
Mike and his crew turned my average home made site into something that provides a much better image for my business. ... With a bit of training, Mike has also shown me how to update the site with new posts and pages, thus making it easier for me to maintain my own site.read more
m vale
m vale
02:43 24 Apr 19
Mike & his team were great to deal with in transferring (and redesigning) our WordPress website to Shopify, money well... spent! After-sales support is equally as good, happy to help with any questions and discussing changes etc.read more
Luke Heubusch
Luke Heubusch
01:58 01 Aug 18
The web site is very professional and user friendly. Mike and his team assisted me along the process to get this web... page live. They are currently training me as needed on how to manage and update the web page. Very Happy.read more
Josh Mills
Josh Mills
01:53 18 Aug 17
I have had the pleasure of working with Brave Webstores. Their experience and knowledge of the market is what sets them... aside from the rest. Mike and his team lead the way when it comes to helping your customers find you!read more
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