I’m unhappy with my current agency — how does a switch work, and what should I watch in the contract?

Irregular reporting, no effort statement, and the three numbers never being discussed. All three together mean the issue isn’t personal chemistry but a missing system; criteria in the reporting article. 🚩

When the system is sound but results are slow: if measurement exists, reports arrive and decisions get made, the problem may be patience or budget. Dismantling a correct system at the wrong moment sends you back to zero. ⏳

A written correction: a two-item expectation list plus one month. A serious party treats that as an opportunity; an unserious one gets defensive. Both responses are information. ✍️

With a table: the last three months’ three numbers, what was delivered, which decisions were made. If the table is empty the decision is clear; if it’s full, the discussion runs on the system rather than on personalities. 📊

In one sentence: domain, hosting, website, analytics and ad accounts are held in the client’s name; the supplier receives access. Without this clause the others are weak; the logic sits in who to hire. 🏠

Three things: a notice period (30 days is reasonable), penalty-free conditions, and a handover list. Clauses like “12-month commitment, full payment on early exit” are insurance policies for poor service. 🚪

Measurably: monthly capacity (VERNIS), report date and contents, meeting cadence. If scope reads “as required”, the other party will define the requirement. 📋

Usage rights to produced content, images and code should pass to you, with mutual confidentiality. A model that withholds the rights to content you paid for can threaten to empty your site at separation. 🔐

Five items: domain management, hosting and site admin access, analytics and Search Console ownership, ad accounts, and content and design files. The list is signed and ticked off item by item. 📦

Never send a termination notice before securing access: verify ownership first, then start the process. The reverse is the classic scenario where good faith gets expensive. 🔁

Three things matter: preserving URL structure or building a 301 map, handing over measurement without interruption, and taking backups. Detail sits in rebuild or rescue; unplanned migration kills equity. 🗺️

With documents in order, days; without them, weeks. Almost all of the delay comes from missing paperwork — which is why the ownership clause is discussed on day one. ⏱️

A takeover audit: a written picture of the current state — what works, what’s broken, what should continue. Anyone who wants to reset everything is erasing accumulated value without reading it; method on our audit page. 📸

Whatever the numbers defend: pages producing traffic and leads are kept and strengthened. “The old work was bad” is an easy sentence; a consultant who reads the data will also tell you what was good. ♻️

Three things: a takeover report, a priority list, and a reporting calendar. Jumping into production volume before those arrive means the new relationship repeats the old mistake. 📅

Politely and with documents: sign the handover list, say thank you, leave the door open. The market is small, and a clean parting is both reputation and future collaboration. 🚪

This: “Never sign a contract without ownership, exit and reporting clauses.” That sentence removes most transition risk, and we hand over the checklist at discovery. ✅

Three steps: access and ownership verification, a takeover audit, and a 90-day priority plan. Production starts after those three; the rhythm sits in how consulting works. 🪜

Ownership with you, 30-day notice exit, committed monthly capacity and reporting, content usage rights yours. We don’t use lock-in clauses — the system itself should be reason enough to stay. 📑

Prices are fixed for six months and any update is announced at least a month ahead. The tariff is published: Core 30 · Pro 60 · Max 90 VERNIS — detail in the cost article. 💳

Bring your current contract: at the discovery call we read the clauses together and mark the risk points. For a pre-takeover photograph, take a digital audit; the model sits on our pillar page. 🎯

Related reading from the archive: maintenance plan clauses · choosing the next consultant.

Contacting the domain registrar and hosting provider directly resolves most cases, usually with invoices and corporate identity documents. The process takes time — which is exactly why the ownership clause is written at the start.

If the site stays where it is, no — only management changes hands. Ranking risk arises in migrations and rebuilds and is managed with a 301 map.

A short overlap of one or two weeks is usually helpful: campaigns keep running and knowledge transfers properly. A long overlap blurs accountability and doubles the cost.

Source: Google Search Console Help — ownership verification and access management