What Information Does an SEO Agency Need From You?
An agency cannot work in the dark. To audit your site, measure progress and make changes, it needs the right access and context from you. Here is exactly what to share, how to share it safely and why you should always grant access rather than hand over ownership.
An SEO agency needs access to your website, your analytics and Search Console and your Google Business Profile, along with your goals, your customers and competitors and any history such as a past penalty or previous agency. Crucially, you grant access rather than hand over ownership. The more honest context you share early, the faster the agency can do useful work.
What to hand
over at a glance
A quick handover of the right things gets the work moving. These three numbers frame it.
Things to share
Website, analytics, Search Console, Google Business Profile and goals.
Ownership kept
Grant access as a user, never sign your accounts over to an agency.
Passwords by email
Add the agency as a user instead of sharing raw login details.
What to give the agency
Getting the handover right at the start saves weeks later. An agency needs two things from you: access to the tools it will work in and context about your business. Here is what each of those covers and how to share it without putting your accounts at risk.
Why access matters
SEO work happens inside your website and your data. Without access, the agency is guessing. The right permissions let it audit the site, see how visitors behave, make on-page changes and measure what is working. Sorting this quickly is one of the most useful things you can do, since nothing slows an engagement like waiting on a login that never arrives.
Your website and content system
The agency needs a way into your website to make changes, whether that is your content system, your developer or a staging area. Add the agency as a user with a sensible level of permission rather than sharing your own master login. If changes go through a developer instead, make sure everyone knows who does what so work does not stall.
Analytics and Search Console
These two tools are how SEO is measured. Analytics shows how people use your site, while Search Console shows how Google sees it. The agency needs access to both to set a baseline and track progress honestly. If you do not have them set up, a good agency will help you create them, always in your own name so you keep control.
Your Google Business Profile
For any business that serves local customers, the Google Business Profile is central. The agency needs manager access to optimise it, keep details accurate and work on local visibility. As with everything else, you remain the owner and simply add the agency as a manager, which can be removed cleanly later if you ever need to.
Goals, customers and history
Beyond access, share context. Your goals, your ideal customers, your competitors and any history all help the agency aim the work. History matters more than people expect, since a past penalty or a previous agency leaving things in a mess shapes what needs doing first. Honesty here saves the agency from discovering problems the hard way.
Grant access, keep ownership
The golden rule runs through all of this: grant access, never give ownership. Every account stays in your name with the agency added as a user or manager. This keeps your assets secure, makes leaving clean if it ever comes to that and protects you from the most damaging trap in the industry. The panel below lists what to share and how.
Access, context
and history
The tools
Your website, analytics, Search Console and Google Business Profile. Granted as a user, so the agency can audit, change and measure.
The picture
Your goals, your customers and your competitors. The understanding that lets the agency aim the work at the right people.
The backstory
Past penalties, previous agencies and brand assets. The context that shapes what needs fixing or building first.
What to share
with your agency
Six things to provide so the agency can start fast, with ownership staying yours.
Four rules for
granting access
Sharing access does not mean taking risks. Follow these four and your accounts stay secure.
Sharing safely
vs a risky handover
Both get the agency working. Only one leaves you in control of your own assets.
Granted and secure
- Agency added as a user or manager
- Accounts stay in your name
- No raw passwords changing hands
- Access can be revoked cleanly
- You always remain the owner
Given and exposed
- Accounts set up in the agency name
- Your master logins handed over
- Passwords sent by email
- No clean way to revoke access
- You could be locked out later
Access granted,
ownership kept.
We work as a user on accounts that stay in your name, so your assets are always yours. Clear about what we need and why, never more. Free quote today, from £350 per month.