Before you cancel your marketing agency: get these 9 things back first
With John Bermudez · Updated November 2026
Quick answer
Before you give notice, make sure you have owner or admin access to your domain, website, Google Business Profile, Google and Meta ad accounts, analytics, tracking phone numbers, social pages and contact list, and that you have copies of your content. Read your contract for the notice period and who owns the website. Set up your own system first, then cancel, so leads never land in a dead inbox.
Affiliate disclosure: We earn a commission if you sign up for HighLevel through our referral link, at no additional cost to you. We remain an independent training provider, not a HighLevel employee, agent or official representative.
Step 1: Read your contract
Contract
- Notice period and the exact date you must give notice
- Auto-renewal terms
- Who owns the website, design files and written content after you leave
- Whether the website is "leased" (some agency sites go offline when you cancel)
- Any fees to transfer the domain or export data
Step 2: Get owner access to your accounts
Accounts in YOUR name
- Domain registrar: you are the account owner, not just a contact
- Website hosting and the website admin login
- Google Business Profile: you are Primary Owner (they can be a Manager)
- Google Ads: the account is yours, the agency is linked as a manager, not the other way around
- Meta Business Portfolio: you own the business, ad account, page and pixel/dataset
- Google Analytics and Search Console: you are an Administrator / Owner
- Social media pages and logins
- Email sending domain and any email marketing account
Ask for access while you're still a client. It's a normal request and much easier before notice is given.
Own your marketing system
Free for 14 days. Month-to-month after that. Your contacts, your pages, your logins.
Run it yourself: try HighLevel free for 14 daysAffiliate disclosure: We earn a commission if you sign up for HighLevel through our referral link, at no additional cost to you. We remain an independent training provider, not a HighLevel employee, agent or official representative.
Step 3: Save copies of everything
Exports
- Full contact/lead list as CSV (names, phones, emails, tags, notes)
- Website: a full backup or export, plus logo, photos and videos
- Ad creative, ad copy and landing pages
- Past reports, so you have a "before" baseline
- Reviews and testimonials you've collected
Step 4: Sort out phone numbers
Phone numbers
- List every tracking number on your ads, website and Google Business Profile
- Ask which numbers can be ported to you, and request it in writing
- If a number can't be ported, update your listings to a number you own before cancelling
Losing a tracking number that's printed on your Google listing or trucks means losing calls. Sort this out first.
Step 5: Set up your own system before you cancel
Don't cancel into a gap. Set up your replacement first: import your contacts, rebuild your key pages, connect your calendar, turn on missed-call text back and review requests, and test a lead end to end. HighLevel lets you do all of that in one account with a 14-day free trial, so you can run both side by side for a couple of weeks. Then give notice.
Step 6: Give notice and switch over
Switch-over day
- Give notice in writing, by the date in your contract
- Point your domain and forms to your new system
- Remove agency users from accounts after the last day (keep yourself as owner)
- Test: submit a form, call your number, book an appointment
- Watch leads daily for 2 weeks
Common questions
Who owns my website if an agency built it?
Can an agency keep my Google Business Profile?
Will I lose my Google Ads history if I leave?
Can I keep my tracking phone numbers?
How long does it take to switch to my own system?
Should I cancel first or set up first?
Keep reading
Own your marketing system
Free for 14 days. Month-to-month after that. Your contacts, your pages, your logins.
Run it yourself: try HighLevel free for 14 daysAffiliate disclosure: We earn a commission if you sign up for HighLevel through our referral link, at no additional cost to you. We remain an independent training provider, not a HighLevel employee, agent or official representative.
John Bermudez
HighLevel trainer and consultant · Built Live · South Florida
who has taught HighLevel to 50,000+ business owners in 5+ countries over 2.5+ years