How to switch SEO agencies without losing your rankings

4 days ago

9 min read

Switching SEO agencies can feel risky when you're worried about losing everything you've already paid for. That's a fair worry.

No agency can promise your rankings will stay exactly where they are, and Google says plainly that no one can guarantee a number one ranking. But most drops after a switch come from mistakes you can avoid.

Follow the seven steps below. Each one says what to do and how to know it's done. You'll also get a handover email to copy and a full checklist.

Write down what the next agency must fix.
Check your contract.
Take control of your accounts.
Save a baseline and list the pages to protect.
Get the full handover.
Choose and brief the new agency.
Plan the timeline and remove old access.

One rule before you start: don't redesign your website in the same month. Two big changes at once and you can't tell what caused what.

Rather not run this alone? Talk to Monday Graph and we'll walk through the switch with you.

Key takeaways

Get control of your accounts before you give notice.
Save a dated baseline, so you can tell a switching problem from a normal dip.
Count a handover item as done only when you have proof of it.

Step 1: Write down what the next agency must fix

List every problem you have with your current agency.
Put one line of evidence next to each. "They feel slow" is vague. "Three monthly reports arrived late and none mentioned enquiries" is something you can hold a new agency to.
Turn the list into a one-page brief: your goals, your main services, your best customers, and how you want to be reported to.

Tip: if poor lead quality is why you're leaving, read why your website is getting traffic but no leads before you brief anyone new, so the next agency doesn't repeat it.

Done when: you have a one-page brief you could hand over in an interview.

Step 2: Check your contract

Do this before you give notice. Read your own agreement. Don't assume it says 30 days.

Find the notice period.
Find what you owe until the end date.
Find what it says about handing over work.
Find who owns the website, the content, the data and any paid tools.

Some tools are paid for by the agency and may switch off the day the contract ends. If ownership is unclear, ask the agency to confirm it in writing now.

Fill this in before you give notice. Delete the rows that don't apply and add any the agency set up for you.

Item	Who pays	Who owns it	What happens when the contract ends
Website and hosting
Written content and images
Analytics and tracking data
Paid SEO tools
Reporting dashboards

Done when: you have the end date, the final fees and the ownership answers written down.

Step 3: Take control of your accounts

You should be able to log in to each of these without asking the agency for help. Two terms to know: Search Console is Google's free tool that shows how your site does in search. Tag management is the tool that holds your tracking code.

Account	What to confirm	Proof to save
Domain and hosting	Your business can access and manage both	Account details and recovery contacts
Website	You can log in and a backup exists	Tested login and backup confirmation
Google Search Console	Your business is an owner	Screenshot of the users list
Analytics and tag management	You can add and remove users, and tracking works	Screenshot of permissions
Google Business Profile (if you have one)	You are an owner	Ownership confirmation
Reporting and SEO tools	You know which accounts and reports stay with you	Exported reports and a subscription list

Tips:

Sign in yourself and take a screenshot. A login on paper doesn't count.
Give the new agency its own login with only the access it needs. Never share one password by email.
Keep the recovery email and phone on your business, not on a person at the agency.
On Shopify? Here's how to add a user to your store.
Serve customers in one area? Your Business Profile matters most, and local SEO is where most small businesses should start.

Not sure how to check Search Console? Google explains how owners, users and permissions work.

Stuck on an account the agency holds? Ask Monday Graph for help.

Done when: you've signed in to every account yourself and saved the proof.

Step 4: Save a baseline and list the pages to protect

Without a saved starting point, nobody can say later whether a drop came from the switch or from something else.

Export your organic traffic (visits that come from search engines).
Export the enquiries, bookings or sales you can trace to those visits.
Save any past reports you can get.
Note where tracking has gaps.
Put a date on the file, so both agencies start from the same point.

Then make a "protect these pages" list. Ask the new agency to fill it in during week one, and review it yourself. Check that each page is still indexed in Google Search Console. A page that has dropped out of Google can't earn anything.

Page URL	What it's for	Current traffic	Leads or sales	Known issues	Proposed changes

Done when: the baseline is dated and saved, and the list covers every page that brings in money.

Step 5: Get the full handover

A final report isn't enough. The next team needs the whole work history. Ask for:

Finished work and unfinished work
Published content and drafts that never went live
Keyword research and the page each keyword is for
Website changes, redirects (instructions that send visitors from an old address to a new one) and known technical problems
Link-building records. A backlink is a link to your site from another website, so list which ones were built and which were only promised
Names of any publishers or bloggers they contacted for you, and where each conversation stands (they may refuse, but ask)
Reporting dashboards, with notes on how the tracking was set up
Renewal dates and third-party costs

Not sure what good keyword research looks like? Here's how to find long-tail keywords for free, which gives you a fair test for what you receive.

For every item, name who supplies it, who checks it, and the deadline. "Received" means a file you can open, a login that works, or a setup someone has tested. An email saying "it's done" doesn't count. Ask the new agency to check what arrives before the old one finishes, so gaps get caught while someone can still fix them.

Copy-and-send handover email

Subject: Handover before [end date]

Hi [name],

Our contract ends on [date], and I’d like to sort the handover early so nothing gets lost.

Could you send me these by [delivery date]?

Confirmation that we have admin access to Search Console, analytics and tag management, plus anything else you set up in our name
Your reports and dashboards, and a note on how the tracking works
What’s finished, what’s half done, and anything you’re worried about
Published content, drafts, and the keyword list with the page each keyword is for
Redirects, website changes and link-building records, including anything promised but not delivered
Any tools or subscriptions you pay for on our behalf, and when they renew

[Name] from [new agency] will get in touch if they have questions. If something on the list isn’t possible, tell me by [date] and we’ll work out another way.

Thanks,[your name]

Done when: every item has an owner and a deadline, and the email is sent with a date on it.

Want a second opinion on what the old agency sends back? See our SEO services.

Step 6: Choose and brief the new agency

Good agencies talk about the handover before you ask. Put these questions to each one:

What do you need from us before you start?
What existing work will you review before replacing any of it?
Who checks account access and tracking?
How will you explain a website change before it happens?
What will your first report show?

For a longer list, use this checklist on your next agency: 25 questions to ask an SEO agency before you sign anything. Ask to see real case studies too, and look at ours if you'd like something to compare against.

Thinking of keeping part of the work in-house instead? Read whether you can do SEO for your business on your own before you sign with anyone.

Then agree these in writing:

Who approves content and website changes
Who to call when something breaks
When reports arrive
How leads will be measured

Done when: the agency has answered your questions and the four points above are in writing.

Step 7: Plan the timeline and remove old access

Work backward from your contract end date.

Option	Cost	Risk	Best when
Short overlap: both agencies work together for a few days or weeks	Higher	Lowest	The setup is complicated and you can afford it
No overlap: the old agency hands over by the end date, the new one starts after	Lower	Gaps are harder to catch	Budget is tight and the setup is simple

Time-sensitive work, like a campaign or a site fix: give it its own plan, with one owner and one person who approves changes.
Pick one person to have the final say on website changes. That's usually you.

Keep website changes out of the handover. If someone wants to move pages or change addresses, treat it as a separate project (a migration). It needs a list of old and new addresses, redirects, and checks afterward. Part of those checks is knowing how to submit a sitemap in Google Search Console, so Google finds the new addresses sooner.

Before any change to an important page, ask the agency for a short note:

Which page is affected
What problem it solves
What evidence supports the change
What exactly will change
How they'll check it worked
How to undo it if it doesn't

Only when everything works, remove the old agency's access from every account. In Search Console, also ask someone technical to check for leftover ownership tokens (small verification codes left on your site). Google advises removing every unused ownership token, or a former owner can get back in.

Done when: you and the new agency can reach everything, and the old agency's users are gone.

The switch checklist

Here's the compact version of steps to follow while transitioning.

Stage	Action	Responsible	Proof of completion
Before notice	Review contract and cancellation terms	You	Written end date and obligations
Before notice	Confirm account control	You and a technical contact	Tested access
Before changes	Save the performance baseline	New agency	Dated report
During handover	Collect files and work history	Old agency	Handover folder you can open
Before completion	Check tracking and unfinished work	New agency	Review and issue list
After completion	Remove old access	Account owners	Updated access record

What if your old agency won't cooperate?

Start by putting every outstanding request in writing and keeping a dated record of every reply you get. Refer to your agreement and name exactly what's missing. Don't assume every agency-owned tool or subscription has to be transferred, because many don't.

Then deal with each problem separately, since they need different responses:

Situation	Next step
Missing account access	Check whether your business is already listed as an owner or admin. Use account recovery on the accounts you control, and ask the platform's support if needed.
Missing files or work history	Ask in writing for a specific list with a date. The new agency can rebuild a lot from your live site, analytics and past reports.
Unclear ownership	Point to the contract wording and ask for written confirmation of who owns what.
Agency-owned subscriptions	Treat them as ending. Plan replacements and export whatever reports you can before the end date.
A real contract dispute	Stop trading emails and get legal advice.

After the switch: check continuity before judging growth

The first report from the new agency shouldn't promise growth. It should show whether the basics survived. Ask for five things:

Confirmation that access and tracking work
A list of gaps found in the handover
The baseline, recorded and dated
The main issues, explained in plain language
Planned changes, with owners and approval dates

After that, tie reporting to business results. Traffic on its own tells you little. Your new agency should report like this, showing search traffic next to enquiries, bookings or sales, what changed, and what happens next. Where tracking has limits, the report should say so. Clear charts help too, and our piece on how visuals fit into modern SEO explains why.

What to investigate if numbers fall

A dip right after a switch doesn't have to be "normal." Check these in order:

Whether tracking is still working. Broken tracking looks exactly like lost leads.
Whether anyone changed the website, and on what date.
Which pages dropped, compared with your protected list.
Whether the drop lines up with a change, a missed task or a gap in the handover.

Bring the answers to your new agency and ask what they'll do about it.

FAQs about switching SEO agencies

What should I request from my old SEO agency?

Start with access to your own accounts. Then ask for past reports, a list of finished and unfinished work, published content and drafts, redirect and change records, and a note of any tools you’re paying for.

Do I need to give my SEO agency notice?

Most likely, yes. Your contract will say how much notice you need to give and whether any final fees apply. Don't rely on what's typical.

Can I switch if I don't control my website or analytics?

You can, but sort that out first. If the agency owns an account that holds your data, start by asking for ownership or an export in writing, before you give notice.

Should the old and new agencies overlap?

Sometimes. A short overlap helps the new team ask questions and review the setup. Your contract, budget and the work in progress decide whether it makes sense.

Does my new agency need to redo all the previous SEO work?

No. A sensible agency reviews what's there, keeps what works and explains why it wants to change anything else.

Finish the switch with a clear plan

Before anything else, make sure you control your accounts, the handover is written down, a baseline is saved, and responsibilities are agreed. If you'd like a second pair of eyes on your transition plan, talk to Monday Graph.