Time to read: 5 minutes
Everything You’ll Need to Make for a Smooth Transition While Switching to Your New Marketing Company
We know that changing marketing agencies can feel overwhelming. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be. Whether you’re switching due to a lack of progress, new transitions, or anything else, for your new agency to succeed, it will depend on one thing: how well you hand things off.
Before your new agency can get started and show its worth, its team will need access to all the critical aspects of your company’s marketing. We’ve created these charts to help reinforce the various logins and access points they’ll need!
1. Access + Credentials
Your new marketing agency can’t get work done if they’re a sitting duck! Be sure to start by safely sharing these important logins and granting user access.
| Area | What to Provide | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Website CMS / Admin Logins | WordPress, Shopify, Drupal, Wix, etc. | Allows new content uploads, site edits, plugin updates, and SEO fixes |
| Hosting / FTP / cPanel Access | Hosting provider login or credentials | Needed for certain sites to upload content, as well as technical updates, redirects, and performance checks |
| Domain & DNS | Registrar info (GoDaddy, Cloudflare, etc.) | Needed for SSL issues, website redesigns, and hosting migrations |
| Google Analytics (GA4) | Add agency as Editor/Admin | For setting up proper goal tracking and reporting on traffic and conversions |
| Google Tag Manager | Admin rights to containers | To manage and update tracking codes across your website |
| Google Search Console / Bing Webmaster | Ownership or delegated access | For monitoring crawl errors, indexing issues, and performance data |
| Local Business Profiles | Google Business Profiles and Bing Local Profiles | For local search engine optimization campaigns |
| Google Ads / Microsoft Ads | Invite agency MCC account | If you are going to do PPC, needed for campaign management |
| Social Media Business Accounts | Buffer, Meta Business Suite, LinkedIn Ads, etc. | If running paid social or organic campaigns |
2. Existing Performance + Reports
Seeing what has worked and what hasn’t can be extremely helpful to new teams in identifying pitfalls and crafting their new strategy.
| Type | What to Include |
|---|---|
| SEO & PPC Reports | Last 6 months to last year’s performance metrics |
| Content Calendars | Any upcoming product launches, conferences, etc. |
| Keyword Lists & Rankings | Historical tracking from tools like SE Ranking, Ahrefs, or Semrush |
| Ad Copy & Creative Assets | Past campaigns, headlines, visuals, and CTAs |
| Brand Guidelines | Colors, fonts, and logo files |
| Tools & Licenses | Any SEO or marketing tools currently in use |
3. Third-Party Platforms + Integrations
If you’ve worked with marketing agencies in the past, they were likely using outside platforms to help.
| Category | Access to Provide | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Conversion Goals | GA4 goals/events documentation | Ensures continuity of conversion tracking |
| Call Tracking Platforms | CallRail, Invoca, etc. | Include labeling of numbers if not already done |
| Form Builders | Gravity Forms, HubSpot, or similar | Needed to connect leads to your CRM and for the team to track campaign efforts |
| CRM / Marketing Automation | HubSpot, Salesforce, ActiveCampaign | Enables ROI tracking and lead nurturing, also may be needed for email marketing |
| Email Marketing Tools | Mailchimp, Constant Contact, etc. | If necessary, for creating email campaigns |
| UTM Standards | Current tagging structure | Keeps campaign tracking consistent if the team plans to make new campaigns |
4. Permissions + Documentation
Keep access secure and organized. If you are worried about security, you can store credentials in a secure vault, such as 1Password, and grant access via invites instead of sharing passwords directly.
- User Access List – A spreadsheet of current logins, roles, and permissions
- Multi-Factor Authentication Setup – Include backup codes or shared access procedures
- Privacy / Compliance Policies – Share any GDPR, CCPA, or cookie consent documentation if your state or industry requires it
- Approval Protocols – Reiterate who will need to sign off on content, ads, and site changes
5. Nice-to-Have Extras (That Make a Big Difference)
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Competitive Research | Previous audits, research, etc. |
| Customer Personas | Demographics, pain points, buying behaviors |
| Journey Maps | From first touch to final sale |
| Heatmaps / Session Data | Clarity, Hotjar, Crazy Egg, etc. |
| Email Templates | For ongoing campaigns or drip sequences |
| Internal Contacts | Who to contact for approvals, IT, or billing |
How to Prep Before Switching to a New Marketing Agency
- Organize in advance – Scrambling last-minute during the kickoff is never any fun. Create a secure shared folder or dashboard for credentials, reports, and notes.
- Clean house – Remove outdated users from old agencies, previous employees, or accounts no longer in use.
- Set Clear Goals – This is something that should be discussed during the proposal phase before you sign on. If you haven’t, you must ask what to expect from their marketing initiatives in 30, 60, and 90 days.
Frequently Asked Questions About Switching Marketing Agencies
Q: Why do marketing agencies need so much access to my business?
A: Because marketing performance relies on integrated data. Without full visibility, they can’t track ROI, optimize campaigns, or troubleshoot technical issues.
Q: How can I securely share passwords with my new marketing agency?
A: Use a password manager like 1Password, Bitwarden, or LastPass to grant role-based access without revealing raw credentials. If you aren’t interested in any of those, you can always call your new point of contact over the phone and relay passwords or credit card info to avoid a digital paper trail.
Q: What if I don’t have access to the accounts they want access to?
A: Your new agency can help recover or verify ownership through Google, Facebook, or your hosting provider. However, if your current marketing partner is the owner of these items, you will need to communicate with them beforehand to help your new agency.
Q: Do I need to give them billing access, too?
A: This depends. If you are running any PPC campaigns from scratch, the answer is yes. Without it, your agency can’t set up proper billing measures to get things rolling.
