In digital advertising, control is everything. You can run the most creative, high-performing campaigns in the world, but if you don’t actually own your ad accounts, you’re giving away one of your most valuable assets: your data.
Your Data Is the Real Gold
When your agency runs ads from their accounts instead of yours, all of that data, clicks, conversions, audience behavior, learning history, stays with them.
If you ever decide to switch agencies, you’re basically walking away from years of performance data. They might hand you a few spreadsheets on the way out, but you can’t import that learning history back into Google Ads or Meta. You’re starting from zero again.
Owning your own accounts means you own your data. You can bring in any agency you want, and they can hit the ground running with what’s already been learned.
Don’t Give Away Your Leverage
When agencies run ads on their ad accounts, they control you!
It’s not uncommon for an agency to “hold” client accounts as a way to keep them from leaving. If your entire marketing history, audience data, and campaign structure live inside their account, they know it’s painful for you to walk away.
That’s not partnership. That’s leverage. And it’s not healthy for your business.
Most Platforms Make It Easy to Share Access
Every major ad platform (Google Ads, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn) lets you own your account and grant access to whoever manages it. Agencies don’t need to run your ads from their master account.
If they insist otherwise, that’s a red flag. You can (and should) own the account, then invite your agency in as a manager. That way, if you ever part ways, you just remove their access. No drama.
Billing Should Be Transparent
When you own the account, the charges for ad spend go directly to your card. The agency can bill separately for management or creative work.
That’s how you get clarity on what’s actually being spent on ads versus what’s going to the agency. You’ll never have to wonder if what your $5,000 monthly bill from your agency includes.
Bottom Line: Protect What’s Yours
Owning your ad accounts isn’t just a technical detail, it’s a business safeguard. It keeps your data, your history, and your ad dollars in your control no matter what happens.
A reputable agency will always encourage this setup because they want partnership, not dependency.
So before you run another campaign, make sure the accounts are in your name.
