Which Agency Can Take Over My Marketing From My Current Provider?
How to switch marketing agencies without losing accounts, data or momentum. The access checklist to secure first, and a two to four week handover plan.
A practical handover process for moving your marketing to a new agency, including the accounts to secure before you give notice.
TL;DR: Quick Answer
How to switch marketing agencies without losing accounts, data or momentum. The access checklist to secure first, and a two to four week handover plan.
Key takeaways
- Very cheap quotes (under R5,000) almost always exclude copywriting, SEO, custom design and post-launch support
- Professional copywriting can represent 20-35% of a total website project cost, and is worth it for search visibility
- On-page SEO built into the website at launch costs a fraction of what it costs to retrofit after the site is live
- Hosting, SSL, domain and maintenance add R3,000-R10,000 per year on top of build cost
- E-commerce adds significant cost due to payment gateway integrations, product data, security requirements and checkout UX
- Timeline and client responsiveness directly affect cost: slow feedback rounds extend agency hours
Any competent agency can take over an existing account. The part that goes wrong is not the marketing, it is the handover, and it goes wrong because businesses give notice before they have secured ownership of their own accounts.
Before you say anything: check what you own
Work through this list and confirm you can log in yourself, right now, without asking anyone.
| Asset | What ownership looks like |
|---|---|
| Domain name | Registrar account in your name, with your email |
| Website hosting | Hosting account and WordPress admin in your name |
| Google Ads | Account under your billing, agency added as manager |
| Google Analytics | Property you own, agency added as a user |
| Search Console | You verified as owner |
| Google Business Profile | You as primary owner |
| Meta Business Manager | Your Business Manager holds the page, ad account and pixel |
| Email list | Platform account in your name, list exportable |
If any of these sit inside the agency's own account, request access now, while the relationship is still ordinary. "We are tidying up our records" is a perfectly reasonable reason. Recovering access after notice is far harder, and in the case of a Business Profile or a Business Manager it can take weeks of platform disputes.
What you lose if you do not own the accounts
Campaign history and conversion learning, which is worth real money because a fresh Google Ads account bids blind for its first weeks. Years of analytics data. Your pixel's audience data. Any reviews attached to a profile you cannot claim.
None of that transfers to a new account. It stays where it was built, which is why ownership is the whole game.
Then give notice properly
Check the contract for the notice period, usually 30 days, and for anything about who owns creative work or campaign assets. Give notice in writing. Keep it factual; you may need a reference or a co-operative handover, and there is nothing to gain from a bad ending.
Ask specifically for the things that are not in the accounts: reporting history, creative files in editable formats, keyword research documents, and any documentation of what has been tested.
A handover that does not lose momentum
Week one. New agency gets read access to everything and audits without changing anything. Existing campaigns keep running.
Week two. Access transfers fully. The new agency documents current performance as a baseline, which protects both sides from arguments later about what they inherited.
Weeks three and four. First changes, starting with anything obviously broken. A good agency will not rebuild everything in month one, because it then cannot tell which change caused what.
Do not switch off campaigns during the transition unless they are actively losing money. Restarting paid search re-enters the learning phase and costs you weeks of performance for nothing.
What to ask the incoming agency
Will every account be in our name with you added as a user? What is the notice period? What does the audit cover before you change anything? Who works on the account and how many others do they carry? What will you report monthly, and does it include cost per lead rather than only impressions and clicks?
An agency that insists on holding your accounts in its own name is telling you something about how it plans to keep you.
Setting expectations for month one
Performance often dips slightly during a handover, and that is normal. Allow 60 to 90 days before judging the new arrangement, and agree upfront on the numbers you will judge it by. Cost per qualified lead is the one that matters; impressions and rankings are inputs, not outcomes.
Juicy Designs takes over existing accounts regularly, month-to-month with no lock-in, and every account stays in the client's name. See what we cover, the rate card, or start a conversation. Related: is my agency legitimate and how to choose an agency.
Frequently asked questions
How do I move my marketing from my current agency to a new one?
Recover ownership of your accounts first, then give notice, then hand over. The order matters: an agency that owns your Google Ads account, website or Business Profile has leverage over the exit, and recovering access after notice is far harder than before.
What do I need to own before I leave?
Domain registrar login, website hosting and admin, Google Ads account, Google Analytics property, Google Search Console, Google Business Profile, Meta Business Manager and pixel, and your email marketing list. Each should be under your own account with the agency added as a user.
Will I lose my campaign history if I switch?
Not if you own the accounts. Ads history, analytics data and conversion learning stay in the account regardless of who manages it. History is only lost when the agency built everything inside their own account and you start again.
How long does a handover take?
Two to four weeks for a clean one. Allow 30 days' notice, a week of overlap for access transfer, and a fortnight for the new agency to audit before making changes.
Should I tell the current agency I am leaving before securing access?
No. Confirm you hold every login first. This is not about bad faith, it is that access recovery is straightforward while a relationship is normal and slow when it is ending.