On this page
A linked manager account hides its users, not the link
Owners often ask whether a manager account keeps the agency unaware. We sell an independent check, Profit Forensics, so weigh our answer accordingly.
Google hides the people, not the link. The agency’s manager account has a Related managers tab that lists outside managers by customer ID, a Google Ads account’s unique number. Google’s page on viewing other managers adds: “You won’t be able to see information about users that have access to the other manager accounts linked to your client accounts.” This holds for either manager account.
This piece belongs to our Account Audits & Agency Reviews. Still choosing an auditor? Start with who can audit the account with no pitch to manage it.
| Where it shows | Auditor invited directly | Manager account linked |
|---|---|---|
| Users and Managers lists | The auditor’s email in Users, once accepted. | Its customer ID, under Managers. Users hidden. |
| Related managers | Nothing new. | The same customer ID. |
| Change history | Not documented. | Not documented. |
| Email or approval | No email to others described. Approval possible. | Link email to admins and owners. Approval marked enforced. |
Where the agency can notice the check
Users: visible to Read-only, Standard and Admin users
Google’s help on managing access lists an invitee on the Access and security page after they accept, and describes an email to the invitee and an in-account notice to you. In Google’s table of access levels, Read-only, Standard and Admin users can view users and managers, so an agency at those levels can see the auditor’s email. Google is silent on pending invitations, and only Admin can cancel others’ invitations. A direct Read-only user can also run reports and grant Email-only access.
Change history: invitations and links not documented
Change history, under the Campaigns menu, covers “the past 2 years”. Its User column “will show the email address of the person who made the change”: the author of an edit, not the person invited. Google adds: “Sometimes, not all account-level settings changes or changes made by Google representatives during consultations are listed.” Invitations and links go unmentioned, so an empty history proves nothing.
Link emails: the account’s admins and its owners
Google’s page on linking accounts names the recipients: “If you have administrative access to the invited account, or access to a linked manager account that has administrative ownership of that account, you’ll receive emails inviting you to link”. An agency that owns your account, or whose staff are admins on it, gets that email. Ownership travels up: Google’s ownership page says “all the managers above your manager account will also have ownership.”
Approval requests: more than 3 administrators
Google’s page on multi-party approval says it “is only applicable for accounts with more than 3 administrators”, and pauses it when an account drops to a single admin. Above that threshold, sensitive actions such as “adding a new user” need a second administrator. “All eligible account administrators within your hierarchy”, meaning your account and the managers above it, get an in-product notification, and “Manager accounts can view and approve pending requests for any of their linked child accounts.” A request expires after 20 days. So the agency may see your auditor’s request, and even approve it.
The page exempts “Read-only roles and API users” (software connections), but does not say plainly whether inviting a person at Read-only creates a request. Linking an existing account is marked “Enforced”, requiring a second administrator, with no threshold repeated.
On email, the page is inconsistent. It says “emails aren’t sent for these approvals”, yet its email table lists an Approval Request email for “All eligible Google Ads Account Administrators in the hierarchy” and a reminder after 3 days for those “with pending actions”. Until it settles, rely on notifications, not email.
What to check in your account
- Record the user list. Admin → Access and security → Users. Save it with access levels. Before removing an unknown address, check if it belongs to the owner, agency or billing.
- Count the admins. Above 3, approval applies. Whatever the count, check the Security requests tab there.
- Find the owner. The Managers tab, Owner column, names the manager account that owns yours. Ask the agency which manager accounts sit above it: they share ownership and the link email.
- Choose the route. Direct user: Access and security → + → the auditor’s email → Read-only → Send invitation. Manager link: the auditor’s manager account sends a request to your customer ID (Accounts → Sub-account settings → + → Link existing account); you accept it under Managers → Link request.
- Compare views. Your own manager account’s Related managers tab shows outside managers like the agency’s. A manager above you will not appear, so an empty tab proves nothing.
- Close the check. Remove the auditor in Users, or end the link under Managers, and confirm it. In Change history, the auditor’s email should not appear as an author. Keep both user lists.
When this does not apply
The agency’s manager account owns your account. A link request reaches its users, and its admins can “Accept and decline link requests from other managers to the client account”. A direct user avoids that email but appears in Users. Do not give the auditor’s manager account ownership: Google recommends it “if and only if the manager account requires these privileges”.
Agency staff are admins on your account. As admins of the invited account, they receive the link email. Above 3 admins, approval requests reach them too.
The audit needs the agency’s answers. An auditor sees settings, not the reasons. Tell the agency, and use our checklist, ranked by how reliable the evidence is, to ask for the screen behind each check. A note like this works:
“An independent examiner will review the account with Read-only access. Your responsibilities and access stay unchanged. Please back each answer with a screenshot or export, and tell us if an approval request reaches you.”
What you grant for Profit Forensics
Profit Forensics takes access from you through a manager account; ask any auditor for Read-only and no ownership. Google’s page on manager access levels lets Read only users browse linked client accounts and run reports, and says they “can’t make any changes to the account”. The published offer is £5,000, fixed, for one week.
The page also says: “I change nothing, and the change history will prove it.” Treat that as our promise, not Google’s guarantee: change history does not list every change. Hold us to the user list recorded before access, and to access removed and confirmed afterwards.
Researcher’s take
I would not sell a quiet audit as an invisible one. A direct invitation shows the auditor’s email; a manager link shows the account and hides only its people. Check your agreement with the agency, record who has access, tell the agency before the work starts, and remove the auditor’s access when it ends. A promise that nothing gets changed belongs to the examiner, not to the access level.
Igor Ivitskiy, Doctor Ads Profit Forensics
FAQ
Will our agency see it if we give an auditor read-only access through our own manager account?
They can see that manager account’s customer ID, but Google says they cannot see the users inside it. Your account’s admins and owners may also get the link email, and Google marks linking an existing account as needing a second administrator’s approval.
The agency offers a live walkthrough instead of read-only access. What is the difference?
A walkthrough grants no access: you see only the screens the agency opens. An audit opens the account itself.
Will our agency treat an independent audit as a threat?
That depends on the agency, not the settings. Settings decide whether the agency may see a user row or a manager ID, receive a link email, or receive and act on an approval request.
What access does an auditor need?
Read-only access to Google Ads, with no ownership. CRM data, Analytics and Search Console need separate access, if the question requires them.
How we know
Google Ads Help, checked 2 November 2026: Manager Accounts (MCC): Viewing other managers linked to your client accounts; About access levels in your Google Ads account; Manager Accounts (MCC): About user access levels for your manager account; Manager Accounts (MCC): About ownership of client accounts; Manager Accounts: Link accounts to your manager accounts; Manage access to your Google Ads account; About Multi-party approval for Google Ads; About change history.
No new client or campaign data in this article: it combines Google’s documentation (checked 2 November 2026) with what our audits look for.
The verdict and the user-list advice are Igor Ivitskiy’s judgement. The one-week engagement and £5,000 fee are the published Profit Forensics offer, not a finding about your account.