When you hire an agency, give them their own access to your Google Ads account. They can then work in the account without you sharing a password, and you keep a clear record of every change through the Change history tool. Here is how to do it.
How to grant a user access to your Google Ads account
- Sign in to your Google Ads account.
- Click Admin at the bottom of the left-hand menu.
- Select Access and security.
- Click the plus (+) button above the list of users.
- Choose the access level you want to grant (see the levels below).
- Enter the email address of the person you are inviting.
- Click Send invitation.
The person you invited gets an email. Access takes effect once they accept it and sign in with that email. If they have not accepted within 24 hours, check that they received the invitation and resend it if needed.
Google Ads access levels
- Admin: full access, including billing and the ability to add or remove other users.
- Standard: manage campaigns, but no access to billing or user management.
- Read-only: view campaigns and reports, no editing.
- Email-only: receives reports and notifications, no account access.
- Billing: manages payment details only.
Most agencies need Standard or Admin. Grant the lowest level that lets them do the job.
RELATED: How to Add a User to Google Search Console
How to grant access to an MCC (manager) account
Most agencies run client accounts through a My Client Center (MCC), now called a manager account. Linking your account to their manager account is cleaner than adding individual users, because the agency manages access on its side.
- Sign in to your Google Ads account.
- Copy your 10-digit Customer ID from the top-right corner of the page.
- Send that Customer ID to your agency.
- The agency sends a link request from its manager account to your Customer ID.
- In your account, open Admin -> Access and security -> Managers, find the pending request, and click Accept.
Once you accept, the manager account can work in your account at the access level you approve. You can revoke the link from the same Managers screen at any time.
If you would rather hand the whole thing to a team that runs paid search end to end, our paid search team can take it from access setup through campaign management. Granting access is also the first step before you grant access to your Google Analytics account, so your agency can tie ad spend to results.
For a wider view of why this channel earns its budget, see why PPC matters for your organization.
Direct user access vs manager account access
Direct user access is simple when one person needs to help inside the account. Manager account access is better for agencies because the agency can manage its own team members without asking you to invite every strategist, analyst, or specialist individually. You still control whether the manager account is linked.
If you are working with a professional paid search team, ask whether they prefer a manager account link. It is usually cleaner for ongoing campaign management, reporting, and team changes. Direct access can still be useful for a freelancer, an internal employee, or a short audit.
Which Google Ads access level is safest?
Read-only access is enough for an audit or reporting review. Standard access is usually enough for campaign management. Admin access should be used when the partner needs to manage users, product links, or account-level settings. Billing access should be limited to people responsible for payment methods and invoices.
Do not give Admin access just because someone asks for it. Ask what task requires it. A good partner can explain whether they need campaign editing, conversion setup, billing visibility, manager-account linking, or user administration.
Security checklist before inviting an agency
- Confirm the agency email domain and the exact email address receiving the invite.
- Use manager account linking when the agency has a formal Google Ads manager account.
- Grant the lowest access level that supports the work.
- Review Change history after major edits or launches.
- Remove access when the engagement ends.
Access setup is not just an admin task. It protects your spend, campaign data, conversion tracking, and account history while still letting the right partner do the work.
Sources checked: support.google.com, support.google.com.
