How Long Does It Take To Get Access To A New Client's Accounts?

How long it takes to get access to a new client's accounts depends on the platform, but the honest range is anywhere from same-day to two weeks. Google Ads and Analytics access can be granted in minutes if the client is at their desk and knows their login, but Google Business Profile ownership transfers, agency link requests, and old hosting credentials routinely stall the start of a campaign.

The biggest delay isn't usually technical, it's organisational. A client says "yes, go ahead" but the actual admin access sits with a previous agency, a staff member who's left, or an email inbox nobody checks. A concrete example: requesting primary ownership of a Google Business Profile that's still linked to a developer's personal Google account can trigger a verification step that requires a postcard to be posted to the business address, which alone can add one to two weeks before any local SEO work begins. Google Ads manager account link requests sent via email notification are also commonly missed, because they land in a folder the client never opens.

Because of this, before any work starts we request access to the core accounts directly: Google Ads, Google Analytics (GA4), Google Search Console, Google Business Profile, and either WordPress admin or domain/DNS login if web changes are part of the scope. We ask for these as a named list on day one rather than a general "can you send me access" request, because specificity speeds up the response. Where a client doesn't have admin rights themselves (for example their previous agency built the account under its own login), that ownership gap needs resolving first, and that's the step that actually adds the time, not the technical access request itself.

For anyone starting a new SEO, Google Ads, or web project and unsure what access they'll need to hand over, it's worth working from a checklist rather than waiting for an agency to ask account-by-account. If you want that checklist applied to your own accounts, get in touch with Jordan James Media.