Businesses -You Need To Own Your Google Ads Account

This is your periodic reminder that as a business who is running advertising on any digital ad platform that you NEED to own your accounts on those platforms. This is not up for debate. It is your business you are advertising. You need to own and control the accounts and allow access to agencies or consultants to work on the accounts, not the other way around.

I have been doing this work for over 25 years, so trust me when I tell you if you do not do this, you will end up in a situation where someone is holding your account hostage at some point. And you really, really do not want that headache! Because if they won’t turn the account over to you, then you either have to (a) stay with a provider you don’t want to be working with or (b) literally start over. Both options suck.

If a provider gives you a song and dance about why they need to set up your account under their umbrella, run. Your ad account history is too important for you to not be in control of it. Especially today, when the internal machine learning and AI relies heavily on that data! If you have to start over, not only are you having to have everything rebuilt, you are also losing all of that account history, iteration, etc.

If a provider starts spouting about proprietary this or proprietary that, please let that give you pause. That word in this context does not mean what you think it means. It is generally a code word for we will control your account, not you. Because there is nothing proprietary about digital ads account management. Yup, I said it. There isn’t. You pay for setup, strategy and management services for your account. Once you pay the work done is part of your account, not something a provider can rip away from you.

Be very careful about this. Ask questions about ownership of the account and the data within it. Read engagement contracts carefully. And if this is not spelled out, make sure language clearly stating who owns the account and its data is included.

I have worked with too many businesses over the years who find themselves in a position of having lost control of their ad accounts. If a provider won’t budge on this? Don’t hire them. Your future self will thank me later!