Who owns your website and marketing accounts? What to hold yourself and how to give an agency access

You should hold the accounts for your domain, website, Google Ads, Analytics, Search Console and Business Profile, and give an agency user access that you can remove. Google’s help pages for each tool let you keep the owner or administrator role and give the agency a lower one. Review the user list when the work ends.

By Donnie Strompf. Updated October 2026.

I’m Donnie Strompf and I’ve done SEO since 2008. I run an agency, so read this as advice to a buyer. This page describes what the platforms allow and says nothing about any agency’s contract. Ask every provider, including us, for its terms in writing.

Key takeaways

• Create the accounts yourself under logins that belong to your business, then invite the agency.
• Keep two owners or administrators on every platform, and make at least one of them a person at your company.
• Give an agency the lowest role that lets it do the work. Analytics, Search Console and Business Profile each have a role that cannot manage users.
• A Google Ads account that an agency creates starts out owned by the agency’s manager account, so ask who created yours.
• Copyright in a website or its text moves to you through a signed written agreement, so read that clause before you pay.

What should a business own?

Your business should hold the domain registration, the hosting account, the website and the Google accounts for ads, analytics, search data and your map listing. Give the agency its own user access wherever the platform allows it, so it never needs the top login.

Asset	You should hold	An agency can be given
Domain name	The registrant record and the registrar login	A delegate login at the registrar
Hosting	The hosting account and billing	A user role, where the host offers one
WordPress site	An Administrator account	Editor or another role that matches the tasks
Google Ads	The account, with an Admin user from your company	A link from the agency’s manager account, or a Read-only or Standard user
Google Analytics 4	Administrator on the account	Editor or Viewer at the property
Search Console	A verified owner	Full user
Business Profile	Primary owner	Manager

Hosting access varies by provider, so ask your host who the account holder is.

How does Google Ads access work with an agency?

An agency usually works through a manager account, which Google describes as “a Google Ads account that lets you view and manage multiple Google Ads accounts” (Google Ads Help, About manager accounts, no date shown, read October 15, 2026). Google’s ownership page says: “If a manager creates a new account, the manager will automatically become the owner of that account.” A manager who links an existing account does not get ownership by default (Google Ads Help, About ownership of client accounts, no date shown, read October 15, 2026).

To keep administrative control of the account:

1. Create the Google Ads account yourself, with a login your company controls.
2. Let the agency send a link request from its manager account using your Customer ID. Your administrator accepts it under Access and security, then Managers (Google Ads Help, link requests, no date shown, read October 15, 2026).
3. Or invite an individual user. Google’s table says Standard users can edit campaigns, edit billing information and, on postpay accounts, make payments, so choose Read-only if billing should stay with your business. Read-only users can view billing information and run reports but cannot edit campaigns. Only Admin can change access levels (Google Ads Help, About user access, no date shown, read October 15, 2026).
4. Keep a second administrator. Google warns that with one, you may lose access to your tags if that person becomes unavailable (Google Ads Help, Manage access, no date shown, read October 15, 2026).

Your exit is the unlink. Google says users of the client account “can always unlink a manager with ownership” and that the client account “still owns its data” (Google Ads Help, About ownership of client accounts, no date shown, read October 15, 2026). After unlinking, the account keeps its campaign history, lists that rely on the manager’s shared tag stop populating, and the manager’s conversion tag stops recording new conversions (Google Ads Help, About unlinking, no date shown, read October 15, 2026).

Before you unlink a manager, check who pays the bill. Google says an account on monthly invoicing with the manager as paying manager stops serving after unlinking, so billing has to change first (Google Ads Help, About unlinking, no date shown, read October 15, 2026). Ask who holds the payment method before you sign. Our Google Ads management page describes the service itself.

How do you give an agency access to Google Analytics 4?

Add the agency as a user at the property, with a role that cannot manage users. Google’s role table describes an Editor as “Full control of settings at the property level” who “Can’t manage users, but can view users across a property,” while an Administrator has full control including user management. A Viewer “Can see settings and data” and can change which data appears in reports (Google Analytics Help, roles, no date shown, read October 15, 2026).

1. In Admin, open Access Management under the account or the property.
2. Select +, then Add users.
3. Enter the person’s Google account email and choose a role, then select Add.

Those steps come from Google Analytics Help, managing users (no date shown, read October 15, 2026). The same page says adding users needs the Administrator role, and deleting users needs it at the account level. An account-level role applies to every property in that account, so choose the level on purpose.

How do you give an agency access to Search Console?

Keep a verified owner role and add the agency as a full user. Google’s permissions page says full users can submit sitemaps and use URL Inspection but cannot add or remove owners or users, and that only an owner can add or remove users (Search Console Help, permissions, no date shown, read October 15, 2026).

1. Open Settings, then Users and permissions.
2. Select Add user and enter the person’s Google account email. Email groups cannot be added.
3. Choose Full, then save.

Search Console access depends on verified ownership. The same page says a property needs at least one verified owner or no users will have access.

Google’s verification page says that if all verified owners lose access, all users lose access, and that removing the file or DNS record can end the verification that depends on it (Search Console Help, site ownership, no date shown, read October 15, 2026). If an agency verified your site with a file on its own server, confirm that you can verify it yourself with a method you control.

How do you give an agency access to a Business Profile?

Stay the primary owner and invite the agency as a Manager. Google says a profile can have several owners but only one primary owner, and that managers have nearly the same access as owners minus user management and profile removal (Business Profile Help, users, no date shown, read October 15, 2026).

1. Sign in at business.google.com. Open More, then Business Profile settings, then People and access.
2. Select Add, enter the email address and choose Manager under Access.
3. Select Invite. The agency must accept.

If an agency already holds primary ownership, only the current primary owner can transfer it. That person opens People and access, selects you, chooses Edit next to Access and picks Primary owner.

Google says to transfer primary ownership rather than only add an owner, so that business info such as reviews is maintained (Business Profile Help, transfer primary ownership, no date shown, read October 15, 2026). A new owner or manager gets errors if they try to remove other owners or transfer primary ownership in their first 7 days, so start early.

How do you keep control of the domain and the WordPress site?

Register the domain in your company’s name, at a registrar account you control. ICANN’s compliance page says registrant information is listed in the Whois database, and that a search at whois.icann.org shows details of a domain, including the registrar name. It also says registrars must impose a 60-day lock on transfers to another registrar after a change to registrant information, though a registrar may let you opt out (ICANN, About Change of Registrant, no date shown, read October 15, 2026). Look the domain up before you sign.

A designer who needs the registrar can use its delegate feature. GoDaddy’s help page says a delegate can open and use your products but cannot view or change account information such as payment methods and passwords (GoDaddy Help, invite a delegate, no date shown, read October 15, 2026). Other registrars name this differently, so check yours.

In WordPress, the Administrator role manages users and, on a single site, installs plugins (WordPress.org, roles documentation, last updated September 2, 2026). The same page’s guidance is to “only grant the capabilities required for the tasks the role is intended to perform.” Add the agency on the Add New User screen, where a username and an email are required and you choose the role (WordPress.org, Users Add New screen, last updated June 9, 2024). Our website development page describes building a site.

Who owns the website design and the written content?

Check your contract for who owns the finished design and text. The U.S. Copyright Office says a commissioned work counts as made for hire only if it falls in one of nine listed categories and both parties sign a written agreement saying so. Otherwise the creator remains the author (U.S. Copyright Office, Circular 30, revised August 2024). A transfer of copyright is not valid unless it is in writing and signed by the owner (17 U.S.C. 204(a)).

Before work starts, ask each designer and developer to state in the contract who owns the finished site, the text and the logo, and when ownership passes to you. This is general information for the United States and not legal advice.

What if the agency already holds your accounts, and how do you remove it later?

Platform	If the agency holds it, ask for	To remove the agency later
Google Ads	Admin access on your account, or ownership turned off	Access and security, then Remove access. Unlink a manager only after billing is moved.
Google Analytics 4	Administrator on the account. The help page describes no step without an existing Administrator, so ask in writing.	Access Management, select the user, then REMOVE.
Search Console	Owner status for your own Google login, or verify the property yourself, which Google says multiple people can do	Users and permissions, remove the user. Remove a verified owner’s token too.
Business Profile	Primary owner transferred to your login, which only the current primary owner can do	People and access, select the person, Remove person. Only owners can do this.
Domain	The registrar login, or a transfer out after you check the Whois record	Remove the delegate at the registrar.
WordPress	An Administrator user for your own email	Delete the agency user from your WordPress user list.

If an agency will not give you access to your accounts or reports, treat that as a red flag. The guide to choosing an SEO company asks who owns your accounts and what you keep in its questions 19 and 20, and the SEO pillar guide covers what monthly work should produce. Management fees for each service are on our pricing page, reviewed October 2026. For the full breakdown, see our guide to how much digital marketing costs for a small business.

Google says removed Business Profile users keep their earlier replies and posts. Remove access on the day the contract ends, and keep a dated list of who had it.

Related reading

• 10 email marketing landing page tips to increase conversions
• Website Redesign SEO Checklist: What to Do Before, During and After Launch
• WordPress vs Wix vs Squarespace vs Shopify: which fits a small business?

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FAQ

Who owns a Google Ads account an agency creates for me?

Google’s help pages say the manager that creates a client account becomes its owner by default. You can still unlink that manager, and Google states that the client account owns its data. If you want ownership to start with you, create the account first and then link the agency.

What role should an agency have in Google Analytics 4?

Editor at the property level covers most agency work, including settings, and it cannot add or remove users. Viewer is enough for reporting alone. Keep Administrator for people at your company, because that role controls every other user on the account.

Can I take my website with me if I leave an agency?

It depends on who holds the domain and hosting accounts, who holds the WordPress logins and what the contract says about copyright. Settle all of it before you sign. As general information, not legal advice: U.S. law requires a signed writing to transfer copyright, so a verbal assurance does not count.

How do I find out who a domain is registered to?

Search the domain at whois.icann.org, which ICANN names as the way to find the registrar. If an agency or designer is listed as registrant, ask for a change early, because ICANN rules lock transfers for 60 days after registrant details change.

How many owners should each account have?

Two, with at least one at your company. Google Analytics will not let the last Administrator delete themselves, Search Console needs a verified owner for anyone to have access, and Google Ads warns about a single administrator. A second owner stops one lost login from locking out the business.

Is it normal for an agency to ask for my passwords?

The Google tools above add people by their Google account email, so an agency has no need for your password there. Invite its team at a role that fits the work. If a tool offers only a shared login, change that password when the work ends.