How do you switch marketing agencies without losing your website or leads?
Switch in an order that keeps you in control. First confirm that you own, and can log in to, your domain, website, hosting, analytics, ad accounts and business profiles. Then give notice. Before access ends, collect your content, lead data, phone numbers and reports. Overlap the old and new agency briefly where you can, and change passwords once the handover is done.
Before you give notice
- Read the contract for the notice period, who owns what, and what happens to the work when it ends.
- Check that your domain is registered in your name and that renewal is billed to you.
- Log in yourself to every account as an owner or administrator, not only as a user the agency added.
- Write down everything the agency runs for you, including small tools you may have forgotten.
The handover checklist
| Item | What to secure | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Domain name | Owner login and renewal in your name | Losing it takes your website and email with it |
| Hosting and website | Owner access and a full backup | So the site stays up and can be moved |
| Content and files | Copy, photos, videos, logos and designs | So nothing has to be recreated |
| Lead data | An export of every form, call and record | Your history of who asked and what they became |
| Phone numbers | Any tracking numbers, transferred or forwarded | Old numbers may still be printed on trucks and cards |
| Reports and analytics | Past reports and owner access to analytics | Your baseline for judging the new agency |
| Business profiles | Owner access to Google, Facebook and review sites | These carry your reviews and contact details |
| Ad accounts | Owner access and billing in your name | Keeps your account history and settings |
What to ask the old agency
- A full list of every account and tool they manage for you, with your admin access to each.
- An export of all lead data in a spreadsheet.
- Whether any phone numbers, images, plugins or code are licensed to them rather than to you.
- What will stop working on the end date because it is billed to their account.
- A list of work in progress and anything they do on a schedule.
Timing
Avoid switching right before your busy season. Give notice only after you have confirmed your own access, and ask for a short overlap so that nothing goes dark between the two agencies.
Once the handover is complete, remove the old agency's access, change shared passwords and keep a record of where everything now lives. A clean handover usually costs a few weeks of attention, and saves months of rebuilding.
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