How to grant me read-only access to your Google Ads account.
For the Full Audit, I need 5 minutes of read-only access. I can’t change anything — Google enforces that at the platform level. You can revoke access in two clicks at any time.
What read-only access lets me see — and what it doesn’t.
Read-only is a Google-enforced permission tier. I can see your account performance. I can’t change anything in it — even if I wanted to.
Read-only audit data
- Campaign and ad group structure
- Active keywords and their Quality Scores
- Ad copy, ad extensions, and landing page URLs
- Negative keyword lists
- Search terms report (what people actually type)
- Conversion tracking setup and history
- Budget allocation and bid strategies
- Geographic and demographic targeting
- Historical performance metrics (CTR, CPC, conversion rate)
Read-only means read-only
- Change any keyword bids
- Pause or enable any campaigns
- Edit ad copy or landing page URLs
- Move budget between campaigns
- Add or remove negative keywords
- Change targeting settings
- Access billing information or payment methods
- Make any account-level changes
Google enforces this at the platform level. The access type is locked the moment you grant it.
Find your Google Ads Customer ID.
Your Customer ID is the 10-digit number Google uses to identify your account. It always looks like XXX-XXX-XXXX (three digits, three digits, four digits).
- Sign in to ads.google.com
- Your Customer ID is in the top right corner, right under your email address
- Copy it (or just the digits — the dashes are optional)
The Customer ID tells Google exactly which account to send the access request to. It’s public-facing information (visible on any Google Ads invoice). Sharing it doesn’t grant access by itself — you still have to explicitly approve the request in step 3.
Send me your Customer ID.
Once you receive my free audit email, reply with your 10-digit Customer ID.
Within an hour or two, I’ll send a manager link request to your Google Ads account from the Animaclarus manager account. This is what triggers the approval step in your dashboard.
Google sometimes takes 10–30 minutes to process the request before it appears in your dashboard. If you don’t see it immediately, wait an hour and check again before assuming something went wrong.
Accept the request in your dashboard.
Inside Google Ads:
- Click the Tools & Settings icon (wrench) in the top right
- Under the Setup column, click Account access
- Click the Managers tab at the top
- You’ll see a pending request from Animaclarus (XXX-XXX-XXXX) — click Accept
Google labels read-only access as Standard in this UI. It’s the same thing — I can see the account but can’t modify it. If you ever see an option for Admin access, ignore it. I never need that and never ask for it.
I’ll send your Full Audit within 72 hours.
Once the link is approved, I get to work. A typical Full Audit is a 3–5 page PDF covering:
- Account structure assessment (campaigns, ad groups, hierarchy)
- Quality Score analysis for your top-spending keywords
- Negative keyword gaps (where money is leaking)
- Ad copy and landing page mismatch issues
- Three to five specific recommendations, ranked by impact
You’ll receive the audit by email. No call required. The audit is yours regardless of whether you choose to work with Animaclarus afterward.
How to revoke access at any time
You can remove my access in under 30 seconds, with no notice required:
- Sign in to ads.google.com
- Tools & Settings → Setup → Account access
- Managers tab → find Animaclarus
- Click the three-dot menu → Remove access
That’s it. The link is severed immediately. I receive no notification — you don’t need to explain anything.
Start your Full Audit.
The Full Audit is free, takes 72 hours, and requires only 5 minutes of your time to grant access. The PDF you receive at the end is yours either way.
Request the Full Audit →Things people ask before granting access.
What if I don’t have a Google Ads account yet?
Then a Full Audit isn’t the right starting point — there’s nothing to audit. Instead, request a Quick Audit, which analyzes your public-facing presence (website, competitors, local market). Once you’re running ads, we can do a Full Audit later.
What if my current agency manages my account?
That’s actually the most common case. The audit doesn’t require you to fire your current agency — it just gives you a second, independent read on whether the work being done is good. If it is, I’ll tell you that. If it isn’t, you’ll have clear evidence to bring back to them.
What if my agency owns the Google Ads account?
Some agencies set up campaigns in their own account rather than yours — this is a red flag because you don’t actually own your data, but it’s also reversible. If this is your situation, mention it when you submit the audit request and I’ll explain how to either get a read-only link from the agency or request your data exported to a new account in your name.
Can I just send you a PDF export instead?
You can, but the audit will be less useful. A static export doesn’t show Quality Scores (which is the single most important metric), real-time search terms data, or interactive cause-effect tracing between keywords and conversions. A 5-minute read-only link produces a dramatically better audit than any export.
Will this work if I’m using Smart Campaigns or Performance Max?
Yes, with caveats. Smart Campaigns and Performance Max are intentionally opaque — Google hides the keyword-level detail. The audit will still surface structural problems and recommend whether switching to standard campaigns makes sense for your practice. In most vet PPC cases, it does.
What if I change my mind partway through?
Remove access from the Managers tab (see step 4 above). The link is severed instantly. If I’ve already started the audit when access is revoked, I still send you whatever I’ve found up to that point. No hard feelings.