Several offers look alike: an ad account, support and billing. One costs less, but does it cover the same things? The difference may only become obvious when you need a report, a campaign stops, or you want to end the service. Operational questions deserve attention before signing and handing over a budget.
Start with daily requirements, then ask what happens when things do not go to plan. The checklist below helps an agency compare answers. Legal rights and obligations come from the agreement and appropriate professional review, not from the service description alone.
1. Separate ownership, access and payment
Create four fields: account or asset owner, contracting entity, payer, and the person or entity granting permissions. These roles may sit with one organization or several. Ask how they relate instead of accepting “the account is in your name” as a complete answer.
In Google Ads, linking an existing account to a manager account does not automatically grant that manager ownership access. Use this distinction to ask about the actual setup; do not treat Google’s terminology as a universal ownership rule across platforms. [1]
2. Ask what support actually includes
Does it cover setup checks, campaign management, or following up a platform issue? Who receives the request, and what information do they need? Ask for an example of the support process, including scope and exceptions.
If account transfer or replacement is mentioned, ask about the conditions and what happens to data and permissions. TikTok’s ability to share assets with a partner does not establish that every asset can be transferred to another party. [2]
3. Follow the money from funding to reconciliation
Compare more than the service fee. Check currency, payment and foreign-exchange fees, relevant taxes, and how spend appears on invoices. Distinguish money added as funding, spend actually incurred, and a balance refundable under the terms.
Request a sample invoice and a reconciliation walkthrough. Who confirms the balance? What happens to pending transactions? Who handles a refund request, if refunds are available? Written answers are more useful than a general promise of flexibility.
Practical exercise: compare the answers you received
This is an illustrative worksheet, not any provider’s terms. Use actual documents and mark unanswered questions “needs clarification.”
| Area | Question | Evidence needed | Risk of an unanswered question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assets | Who controls the domain and event source? | Access record and authorized confirmation | Difficult handover or interrupted measurement |
| Billing | Are fees, exchange rates and taxes itemized? | Agreement and sample invoice | Full cost cannot be calculated |
| Disruption | What support applies when an asset is restricted? | Escalation process and written terms | Support expectations cannot be checked |
| Exit | What remains available after termination? | Handover list and agreed timing | Loss of important operational access |
Do not turn the comparison into a score that hides a critical issue. Unclear data handover at termination may matter more than many other benefits. Record the open question and who will answer it.
4. Agree the handover before you need it
List the reports, settings, shareable files and access reviews required at the end of the service. Define timing, responsibility and confirmation of receipt. Transferring an audience or advertising asset requires checking rights, policies and technical capabilities; downloading a report does not establish that transfer is possible.
Before accepting the offer, send the provider a short list of unresolved points. The decision becomes easier when you know what you will pay, what you will receive, and how the work will continue—or end—in an orderly way.
Official sources
Source documentation reviewed: 16 October 2026. Features and eligibility may change; check the linked documentation before implementation.
