Key facts
- Google Ads lets an agency manage your campaigns two structurally different ways: linked to your own account through a manager account for access, or built directly inside an account the agency itself created and owns.
- When campaigns run inside an account the agency created, the account's login, history, and audience and remarketing data belong to that account, and by extension effectively to the agency, not automatically to you.
- Google Ads account access is managed through account-level user permissions, so you can check your own account's access and security settings to see exactly which manager accounts and individuals currently have access.
- An agency linked to your account through their manager account can be removed from access at any time by you, while an account they created and control requires their cooperation, or a formal ownership transfer, to move to you.
- Historical performance data, past audiences, and conversion history generally stay with the account itself, so which account structure you use determines whether that history is portable if you switch agencies later.
Two Structurally Different Setups, With Very Different Consequences
There are two fundamentally different ways an agency can run your Google Ads: linked to an account that's yours, through their own manager account for access, or built directly inside an account they created and control from the start.
This isn't a technical formality. It decides who effectively controls the account, its history, and its data if the relationship ever ends.
Most reputable agencies default to the linked-account model precisely because it protects the client, and because it costs the agency little to nothing to set up that way instead.
How to Check Which Setup You Actually Have
Log into your own Google Ads account, or ask for access if you don't currently have it, and check the access and security settings.
Look for whether a manager account is listed as having access to an account that's genuinely yours, versus you being added as a user inside an account you don't recognize creating in the first place.
Ask the agency directly which structure they use and why. Note how directly and specifically they answer, since hesitation on this exact question is meaningful.
Why Some Agencies Prefer to Run Ads From Their Own Account
Legitimate reasons exist: consolidated billing across their agency, familiarity with internal reporting tools built around their own account structure, or simple habit.
These conveniences serve the agency more than they protect you, though, and a better alternative exists through manager account linking, which still gives agencies the tools and visibility they need.
An agency that insists on their own account with no willingness to even discuss the linked alternative is prioritizing their convenience over your ownership.
What to Do If It Turns Out Campaigns Aren't in Your Account
Raise it directly and ask for a plan to migrate to a properly linked structure going forward.
This can typically be done without losing all history if it's handled deliberately, though not everything transfers cleanly between accounts.
Treat this as a priority fix rather than a someday project, since every month it continues is another month of real risk if the relationship ends unexpectedly.
Related questions
It happens, and it's not automatically a scam, but it's rarely the better option for you. Some agencies prefer it for internal convenience like consolidated billing. A properly linked manager account gives an agency nearly the same convenience while keeping the account itself, and its history, in your name. Ask why they need their own account specifically.
It depends on how the split is handled. If the account technically belongs to the agency, they can choose to transfer it to you, but they aren't obligated to unless your contract says so. This is exactly why checking account structure early, before a dispute, matters far more than sorting it out during one.
Log into the account and check the access and security settings, which list every user and manager account with permission, along with their access level. If you don't have login access yourself, request it directly, since you should always be able to see who can touch your own account. The same check works for Analytics and Search Console too, since each platform keeps its own separate permissions list.
Often, yes, though not every piece of history moves cleanly. Conversion history, past audiences, and account-level data generally live with the original account, so a full transfer or a careful rebuild, done with the agency's cooperation, gets you the closest result. Acting sooner rather than after a falling-out makes this much smoother.
Yes, and it's a fair, direct question to ask any prospective agency. A confident, transparent answer about how they structure account access is a good sign. Hesitation, vagueness, or pressure to just trust them on this specific point is worth treating as a real warning sign before you commit. Settling this in writing before signing protects you far more than raising it after the contract is already active.
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