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How to switch Google Ads agencies

How to change agencies without losing account history, tracking or a month of leads.

By Shane K. Penrod

Published · Updated · 2 min read

Key takeaways

  • You can switch Google Ads agencies without losing history or leads if the account lives in your own login and the new agency audits before it rebuilds.
  • Before giving notice, confirm your own email holds admin access to the account and that the GA4 property, Tag Manager container, call tracking and landing pages are in your name.
  • A good takeover audits in read-only first, keeps the campaigns that work, fixes tracking before bids and restructures in stages.
  • Expect the audit in week one, tracking fixes in week two and structural changes through weeks three to six, with performance improving by day 45.
  • Be wary of a new agency that wants a fresh account, proposes a 12-month contract or won't name who works in your account every business day.
On this page
  1. Before you give notice
  2. How a takeover should run
  3. Timeline
  4. Red flags in the new agency

Switching Google Ads agencies doesn't have to cost you history or leads, as long as the account lives in your own Google Ads login and the new agency audits before it rebuilds. The failure mode is an account the old agency owns, a new agency that starts from zero because it's easier, and a month of dark spend while the algorithm relearns. All three are avoidable.

Before you give notice

Find out who owns the account. Log in to ads.google.com with your own credentials and check the access level on your user. Being able to see the account isn't ownership: a read-only or standard user can view every campaign and still lose everything if the agency removes them. You own it when your own email holds admin access and the account is not owned by the agency's manager account. If your only access is a report or a login the agency created, ask for the account to be moved to your email or your manager account before you give notice. Agencies that refuse are telling you what kind of agency they are.

Export what you can. Change history, search terms, conversion definitions and the last 12 months of performance data. If the account is theirs and they won't transfer it, this data lets a new agency rebuild without starting blind.

Check what else they own. GA4 property, Tag Manager container, call tracking account, landing pages and the domain they're on. Each should be in your name.

How a takeover should run

  1. Audit first, in read-only. The new agency reads structure, search terms, conversion setup and wasted spend before touching anything. You get the findings in writing.
  2. Keep what's working. Campaigns with history and good conversion data are an asset. Restructuring them to look new resets learning for no reason.
  3. Fix tracking before bids. If conversions are wrong, every bid change is wrong. Tracking gets verified in the first week.
  4. Restructure where the data says to, in stages, so the algorithm doesn't lose everything at once.
  5. Written 90-day plan so you know what's changing and when.

Timeline

Access and audit in week one. Tracking verified and quick wins (negatives, budget rebalancing, broken ads) in week two. Structural changes rolled through weeks three to six. New landing pages alongside. Performance should be steady through the handoff and improving by day 45.

Red flags in the new agency

Wants to build a fresh account instead of taking yours over. Doesn't ask how you count a lead. Proposes a 12-month contract. Won't name the person who'll be in the account every business day.

Frequently asked questions

Will switching reset my Quality Scores?
Not if the account, campaigns and keywords are kept. Quality Score lives with the account, not the agency.
What if my old agency owns the account and won't transfer it?
Request it in writing. If they still refuse, rebuild in your own account using the exported data; a good structure recovers within 30 to 60 days. Then never let it happen again.
How much notice should I give?
Whatever the contract says, usually 30 days. Line up the new agency's audit to overlap so there's no gap. How we handle takeovers.
Paid searchHow much does Google Ads management cost?What agencies charge, the four ways they charge it, and what the fee should include.Read the guide →Paid searchShould you run Performance Max?The three conditions that decide whether Performance Max adds leads or takes credit for them.Read the guide →Paid searchGoogle Ads account structureOne intent per campaign, a page per theme, and why automation makes structure matter more.Read the guide →
Shane K. Penrod

Shane K. Penrod, founder of PPC & Co

Search since 2000, paid search since 2012, 2015 Google Partners All-Stars winner. Writes every guide on this site.

More about Shane →LinkedIn →

Next steps

Find out what your account is missing.

A senior strategist audits your Google Ads or Microsoft Ads account and sends you the findings in writing, with a 90-day plan. The audit is free.

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  1. Request the audit

    We need your email, your website and your Google Ads customer ID.

  2. Approve the access request

    You'll get a read-only request from us inside Google Ads. Once you approve it we can see the account. We can't change anything.

  3. Get the findings in writing

    A senior strategist reads the account and sends you what they found, with a 90-day plan.

  4. Walk through it on a call

    It takes 20 minutes. Then you decide. We work month to month, so there's no contract to sign.

What you can expect

Senior people in your accounts, every change documented, and a written report every month.

Contact

support@ppcandco.com
Tampa, Florida, working nationwide

Founded by

Shane K. Penrod, 2015 Google Partners All-Stars winner. About the agency