Choosing who runs your ads
Who should own your Google and Facebook ad accounts?
By Zachary Spencer, founder of Zenith Co.
Published
You should. The ad accounts should be in your business's name, billed to your own card, with whoever runs your ads added as a user. That way you see exactly what the platforms charge, the account's history stays with your company, and changing who runs your ads is an email instead of starting over.
It sounds like a technicality. It isn't. Who owns the ad account decides what you can see, what you keep, and how hard it is to leave. Tree companies find this out at the worst time: when they want to switch agencies and learn that the account, the history and sometimes the landing pages belong to someone else.
What "owning" the account means
Google Ads and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) both let one business own an ad account and give other people access to it. Ownership is about who has the top level of control and whose payment method is on file. In a healthy setup:
- The account is created in your business's name, under a login your company controls.
- Your card is the payment method, so the platform bills you directly.
- Whoever runs your ads gets user access, enough to do the work, which you can remove.
Why it matters
You see the real spend
When the platform bills your card, the number on your statement is what the ads actually cost. When an agency pays the platforms and invoices you one combined number, you can't tell what went to ads and what went to the agency.
The history stays with you
Every month an ad account runs, it builds up a record: which ads got clicks, which areas responded, what a lead cost, which homeowners took action. That record helps the next campaign. If the account belongs to the agency, it leaves when they do.
Leaving is clean
If you own the account, changing who runs your ads means removing one user and adding another. If you don't, it can mean starting a new account from nothing, losing your history, and sometimes arguing to get access to your own data.
How to check who owns yours
This takes about five minutes. The menus move around from time to time, but the ideas don't.
- Google Ads: sign in and open the account's access and security settings (under Admin). It lists every user and their access level. You or someone at your company should be an admin. Then check billing: the payment method should be yours.
- Facebook and Instagram: open your business settings in Meta Business Suite and look at your ad accounts. Check which business owns each one and whose payment method it uses. If the ad account belongs to your agency's business, it isn't yours.
- If you can't sign in at all, you have your answer. Ask whoever runs your ads to add you as an admin. A good partner will do it the same day.
Red flags
- You get one monthly invoice that combines "ad spend" and "management" with no platform receipts.
- The agency won't give you admin access, or says you don't need it.
- The ad account is named after the agency, or sits inside their business.
- The contract says the account or the campaigns are the agency's property.
How we set it up
Your ad accounts are in your business's name and you pay the ad platforms directly, on your own card. You give us access to run them. If you stop, you keep the accounts. The only thing that comes down is the landing page we host. The full terms.
Questions about ad account ownership
Should my marketing agency own my Google Ads account?
No. The account should be in your business's name with your card as the payment method, and the agency should have user access. That way you see the real spend, keep the account's history, and can change agencies without starting over.
How do I check who owns my Facebook ad account?
Open your business settings in Meta Business Suite and look at your ad accounts: it shows which business owns each one and whose payment method it uses. If the account belongs to your agency's business, ask them to transfer ownership or set up a new account in your name.
What happens to my ads if I fire my agency?
If you own the ad accounts, you remove their access and keep everything, including the history that helps future campaigns. If they own the accounts, you may lose the history and have to start a new account from scratch.
Should ad spend go through my agency's invoice?
It's better if it doesn't. When the ad platforms bill your card directly, you see exactly what the ads cost. A combined invoice makes it impossible to tell ad spend from agency fees.
Who owns the ad accounts when Zenith Co. runs my ads?
You do. The ad accounts are in your business's name, you pay the ad platforms directly on your own card, and you keep the accounts if you stop.