Good. Seriously — good for you. Most business owners stay too long.
But now you’re staring at a gap. Maybe leads dried up. Maybe you don’t know what the agency was even doing for the past eight months. Maybe you’re realizing you never actually had access to your own Google Ads account.
Here’s what to do, in order.
Step 1: Find Out What You Actually Own
This is the one most people skip — and it costs them.
Before you do anything else, run through this list:
- Google Ads: Go to ads.google.com. Can you log in? Is it under your email or theirs? If the agency created the account, you may not have admin access — and they may pause campaigns or revoke access now that you’ve left.
- Google Analytics + Search Console: Same deal. These should be tied to your business email, not their agency account.
- Meta Business Manager: If they ran Facebook or Instagram ads, find out if the ad account is owned by your Business Manager or theirs.
- Your website: Who hosts it? Who owns the domain? Check your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains). If the agency registered it, you need that transferred.
- Email marketing platform: Mailchimp, Klaviyo, ActiveCampaign — does the account belong to you?
If any of these are under their control and they’re not cooperating, platform support teams can help you reclaim ownership. It takes time. Start now.
Step 2: Pull a Baseline Before Everything Resets
Whatever was running, document it before it goes dark.
Screenshot your ad performance. Export your keyword rankings if you have access to any SEO tools. Save your analytics data. Download your email list.
You need to know what was actually working — because not everything the agency was doing was worthless. Some of it was probably fine. Some of it was definitely not worth what you were paying. You can’t tell the difference without the data.
If your lead generation system was producing any results at all, you want to know which part of it. That’s where you restart.
Step 3: Don’t Hire Another Agency Right Away
This is where most business owners make the same mistake twice.
You’re frustrated. Leads are slow. The natural move is to find someone new fast. But fast is how you ended up in this situation.
According to HubSpot’s 2024 Agency report, 34% of businesses that switch agencies end up switching again within 12 months. The problem usually wasn’t the agency. It was not knowing what to look for before signing.
Take 30 days. Understand what broke. Figure out what your website is actually converting at right now. Identify whether your issue is traffic, lead capture, or follow-up. Those are three different problems with three different fixes — and a new agency that doesn’t know the difference will burn your budget on the wrong one.
Step 4: Get Clear on What You Need Before You Buy It
A good marketing partner won’t pressure you to sign before you understand the plan. They’ll tell you what’s broken, what it’ll take to fix it, and what realistic results look like on your budget. Real numbers. Real timeline.
If that sounds like what you’re looking for, schedule a free 30-minute call. No pitch — just a clear picture of where things stand and what makes sense next. You’ve spent enough money guessing.
