Should I own my ad accounts or let the agency own them?

Why ownership matters

Your ad accounts contain years of valuable history: audiences, conversion data, pixel learning, creative performance and billing records. If the agency owns them and you part ways, you may lose all of it and have to start from scratch. Owning your accounts keeps your marketing assets with your business.

What you should own

• Meta Business Manager and ad accounts, plus your Facebook page and Instagram account.
• Google Ads account and billing.
• Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager.
• Google Search Console and Google Business Profile.
• Website, hosting and domain registration.
• CRM and lead data.

How to give agencies access safely

1. Create the accounts in your business name with your own email.
2. Add the agency as a partner or user with the right permission level.
3. Keep at least two owners from your company on every account.
4. Use your own payment method for ad spend where possible.
5. Remove access promptly if you change agencies.

If your agency already owns them

Ask for ownership to be transferred or for admin access to be granted to you. Most platforms allow partner access to be moved between businesses. A good agency will help with this willingly.

Warning signs

• Refusing to share admin access.
• Billing ad spend only through their own accounts without showing invoices.
• Building your website or pages on platforms you cannot export from.

The healthy setup

You own everything; the agency manages it. That arrangement keeps both sides accountable and makes the relationship about results.

Check your ownership status today, even if you are happy with your current agency.