How to Give Idarity Access to Your Google Ads Account
How to Give Idarity Access to Your Google Ads Account#
Five minutes, done once.
You keep your password. Same principle as the Meta setup. You own the account, we get permission to work inside it, and you can revoke that permission whenever you like without moving anything.
Ownership matters here more than most people realize. Google Ads accounts accumulate conversion history, audience lists and machine learning that directly affects performance. That history is tied to the account, not to whoever manages it. Keep the account in your name and it stays yours forever. Let an agency run your campaigns inside their account and you start from zero the day you leave.
Never agree to that second arrangement. Not with us, not with anybody.
Before you start#
- A Google account. Your work email is fine.
- A credit card. Google bills you directly. We never touch it.
- Your business name and address as they appear on your tax filings.
If you don't have a Google Ads account yet, create one at ads.google.com. Google will push you hard toward a "Smart Campaign" during signup. Skip it if you can, or switch to Expert Mode. Smart campaigns hide most of the controls we need.
Option A: link to our manager account (preferred)#
This is the cleaner path and it's what we'd rather you do. It's business to business, it survives staff changes on both sides, and it shows up in one place for auditing.
Step 1. Find your Customer ID#
Sign in at ads.google.com. Your ten-digit Customer ID sits in the top right corner next to your profile icon, formatted like 123-456-7890.
Send it to us. That number alone gives nobody access to anything, so it's safe to email.
Step 2. Accept the link request#
We send a link request from our manager account. It lands in your account as a notification and by email.
Go to Admin at the bottom of the left menu, then Access and security, then the Managers tab. Our request will be sitting there. Click Accept.
That's it. You're done.
Option B: invite us as a user#
Use this if you'd rather not link accounts, or if your account already sits under someone else's manager account and you don't want to change that.
Step 1. Open Access and security#
In your Google Ads account, click Admin at the bottom of the left navigation menu, then Access and security.
Step 2. Add the user#
Click the + icon above the list of existing users. Enter the email address we sent you.
Step 3. Choose the access level#
Google offers five levels. Pick Standard.
| Level | What it allows | Right for us? |
|---|---|---|
| Email only | Reports by email, nothing else | No |
| Billing only | Payment settings only | No |
| Read only | Look, don't touch | No, we can't build |
| Standard | Build, edit and optimize campaigns. No user management, no billing changes | Yes |
| Admin | Everything, including adding users and changing payment methods | Not necessary |
Standard is deliberately the recommendation. We can do every part of the job with it, and we can't add users or change your payment method. Give admin access to yourself and to nobody else unless there's a specific reason.
Step 4. Send it#
Click Send invitation. We accept from our side and you'll get a notification confirming it. If we haven't accepted within a business day, tell us. Invitations expire.
While you're in there: two settings worth checking#
Auto-tagging. Admin → Account settings → Auto-tagging. Turn it on. Without it, Google Ads clicks don't carry the tracking parameter that connects a click to a conversion, and your reporting will be wrong in ways that are annoying to diagnose later.
Billing threshold. Google bills when you hit a spending threshold or at month end, whichever comes first. On a new account that threshold starts low, which means several small charges in a row rather than one clean monthly bill. That's normal and it isn't fraud. The threshold rises on its own as the account builds history.
What we can and can't see#
With Standard access we can build campaigns, edit keywords and bids, write ads, create audiences, and read every report.
We cannot change your payment method, add or remove users, or close the account. Your card details are not visible to us at any point.
Revoking access later#
Admin → Access and security → find the user or manager account → Remove.
Takes effect immediately. Every campaign, conversion action, audience and piece of performance history stays in your account, because the account was always yours.
If something goes wrong#
"You need admin access to do this." You're signed in with a Google account that has a lower access level on this account. Check the account switcher at the top right, or ask whoever set the account up originally.
The invitation never arrived. Check spam, then confirm the email address with us. Google sends from an address that filters sometimes catch.
You can't find Admin in the menu. It sits at the very bottom of the left navigation and the menu scrolls. If your account is in Smart Campaign mode the menu is different and shorter. Tell us and we'll walk you through switching to Expert Mode.
Your account is suspended. Usually billing, occasionally an automated policy flag on a new account. Check the notification bell first, then Billing. Suspensions on brand new accounts are common and usually clear with a verification step.
Once access is in place we'll confirm from our side and start on the account build. If you also need to set up Meta, that's here.