> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.get-ryze.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Moving from an agency

> What to reclaim from an SEO or ads agency before leaving, what Ryze replaces, and what still needs a human.

Moving from an agency to Ryze is mostly an access problem. Agencies frequently own accounts, properties, and assets that should be yours, and reclaiming them is easier before you give notice than after.

## Reclaim access first

<Note>
  Do this **before** ending the engagement. Recovering access afterwards ranges from slow to impossible.
</Note>

Confirm you own, not merely have access to:

* **Google Search Console** — the property, with you as owner
* **Google Analytics** — the GA4 property, under your organisation
* **Google Ads** — the account itself, not a sub-account of their MCC
* **Meta Business Manager** — the ad account and Pixel
* **Google Merchant Center**
* **Your domain registrar and DNS**
* **Your CMS and hosting**
* **Any tracking or tag manager containers**

An agency-owned Google Ads account cannot simply be handed over if it sits inside their manager account — request account ownership transfer explicitly.

## Reclaim assets

* **Content they produced** — articles, landing pages, creative files
* **Backlink records** — what was built, and where. Essential for future audits and disavows
* **Keyword research and strategy documents**
* **Reporting history** — your baseline for judging what comes next
* **Creative source files**, not just exported ads

## What Ryze replaces

* Technical SEO audits and fixes
* Content production and publishing
* Backlink building
* Rank and AI visibility tracking
* Campaign management and creative generation
* Reporting

## What it does not replace

Being direct about the limits:

* **Commercial strategy.** Positioning, pricing, and what business you are trying to win are yours to decide.
* **Brand and creative judgement.** Generated creative needs review against a brand you understand.
* **Relationships.** PR, partnerships, and editorial placements involving people.
* **Category context.** Agencies with deep vertical knowledge bring judgement no tool has.

Some brands run both: Ryze for execution volume, a strategist for direction.

## The handover checklist

1. Confirm ownership of every account listed above
2. Export all historical reporting — this is your baseline
3. Obtain the backlink record
4. Obtain content and creative assets
5. **Remove agency access** on the agreed date
6. Connect Ryze and run a baseline audit *before* changing anything
7. Compare the audit against what the agency last reported

Step 7 is worth doing carefully. A gap between reported and actual state is common, and it is far easier to establish while the relationship is still cordial.

## Setting up

[Connect your store](/connect-shopify), [Search Console](/connect-gsc), analytics and ad accounts, then set [agent context](/agent/context). See [quickstart](/quickstart) and [your first 7 days](/first-week).

Agencies running Ryze for clients: see [agency and multi-workspace](/plans/agency-multi-workspace).

## Related

* [Import your data](/migrate/import-your-data)