How to Use Google Ads Manager for Multiple Accounts

Managing multiple Google Ads accounts can quickly become a logistical nightmare. If you’re a Brisbane business owner running separate accounts for different locations, or a growing agency handling several clients, logging in and out of individual accounts is a recipe for burnout (and mistakes).

That’s where the Google Ads Manager Account, formerly known as My Client Centre (MCC), comes in. Think of it as a master key: one dashboard that gives you a bird’s eye view of everything, from budgets to performance, across every account you manage.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to set up your Manager Account, link your existing accounts, and use the advanced features to save yourself hours of admin every week.

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What you’ll need before starting

• A dedicated email address: It’s best to use a professional email (like marketing@yourbusiness.com.au) that isn’t already the primary owner of a personal Google Ads account.
• Your Customer IDs: If you’re linking existing accounts, you’ll need those 10-digit numbers (formatted like 123-456-7890).
• Administrative Access: You’ll need to be able to log into the accounts you want to link or have the owners ready to click 'Approve' on an email.

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Step 1: Create your Google Ads Manager Account

First thing’s first: you need to create the 'shell' that will hold all your other accounts.

• Navigate to the Google Ads Manager Account homepage.
• Click the "Create a manager account" button.
• The Setup Screen: You’ll be asked for a 'Display Name'. This is internal—your clients or staff will see this, so name it something professional like "[Business Name] Master Admin".
• Select your Primary Use: Choose "Manage other people's accounts" (even if the other accounts are also yours, this is the standard setting for an MCC).
• Billing Country: Set this to Australia. This is crucial for GST purposes.
• Time Zone & Currency: Ensure these are set to (GMT+10:00) Brisbane Time and Australian Dollar (AUD).

Step 2: Navigating the Dashboard

When you first log in, the dashboard might look a bit empty. Don’t panic—Google’s interface is notoriously cluttered, but it becomes intuitive once you know where the 'anchors' are.

• The Sidebar: On the left, you’ll see "Accounts", "Campaigns", and "Settings". This is your GPS.
• The Overview Tab: This will eventually show you a combined graph of how all your accounts are performing.
• The 'Plus' Button: Look for the blue circle with a "+" sign. This is your 'New' button for almost everything in Google Ads.

Step 3: Linking Existing Accounts

Now we need to bring your existing accounts under the master umbrella. This is where most people get a bit nervous, but it’s a very safe process.

• In your Manager Account, click Accounts in the left-hand menu, then click Performance.
• Click the blue plus (+) button.
• Select Link existing account.
• Enter the 10-digit Customer ID for the account you want to link. You can enter multiple IDs at once (one per line).
• Click Send Request.

Step 4: Creating New Accounts from the Manager

If you’re expanding—say, opening a new shop in the Gold Coast and wanting a fresh account for it—you don’t need to go through the whole sign-up process again.

• Click the blue plus (+) button in the Accounts tab.
• Select Create new account.
• Give the account a name, select the type (usually 'Google Ads account'), and confirm the country (Australia), time zone (Brisbane), and currency (AUD).
• Invite Users: You can invite people to this specific sub-account right now, or skip this to keep it private to the Manager Account for now.

Step 5: Setting Up Consolidated Billing

This is the "holy grail" for Australian business owners. Instead of getting 15 different invoices for 15 different accounts, you can set up one monthly invoice for everything.

• In the Manager Account, click Billing on the left menu.
• Go to Billing Setups.
• Click the plus button to add a new billing setup.
• You’ll need to provide your business details, including your ABN. Google will verify this, so make sure it matches your official records.

Step 6: Using Account Labels for Organisation

Once you have 5 or 10 accounts, the list gets messy. I highly recommend using Labels.

• In the Accounts > Performance view, tick the box next to an account.
• Click the Label dropdown menu that appears at the top of the table.
• Create labels like "Active", "Seasonal", "QLD Region", or "Client - Tier 1".
• Now you can filter your entire dashboard by these labels. It’s a lifesaver when you want to see how just your "Brisbane" accounts are performing compared to your "Sunshine Coast" ones.

Step 7: Managing Access Levels

One of the biggest mistakes I see is business owners giving "Admin" access to everyone. With a Manager Account, you can be much more precise.

• Standard Access: Good for staff who need to build campaigns but shouldn’t be changing billing or adding other users.
• Read-only: Great for stakeholders who just want to see the reports.
• Billing only: Perfect for your bookkeeper or accountant.

To manage this, go to Admin > Access and Security within the Manager Account. You can control who sees the whole Manager Account AND who sees individual sub-accounts.

Step 8: Cross-Account Reporting

This is where the magic happens. Instead of exporting five spreadsheets and trying to merge them in Excel (which is a nightmare, let's be honest), you can run reports across all accounts.

• Go to the Reports icon in the top right corner.
• Select Dashboards.
• Create a new dashboard and add charts that pull data from "All accounts".
• You can now see your total spend across the entire business in one single chart.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Double Billing: This is a classic. If you link an account that already has a credit card attached, and then you set up Consolidated Billing, make sure you know which one is being charged. Google usually defaults to the Manager Account's billing once set up, but always double-check your first month's statements.
• The Wrong Time Zone: I mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. If your Manager Account is in Sydney time and your sub-account is in Brisbane time, your reporting will be 1 hour off during Daylight Savings. It's an annoying headache for data reconciliation.
• Forgetting to Unlink: If you stop working with a partner or close a branch, remember to unlink the account. It’s a security risk to leave 'ghost' accounts sitting in your dashboard.

Troubleshooting

Next Steps

Now that your accounts are linked and your dashboard is clean, you can start looking at Cross-Account Conversion Tracking. This allows you to use a single piece of code on your website to track leads across every account in your Manager dashboard—it’s a game-changer for data accuracy.

If this all feels a bit overwhelming or you'd rather spend your time running your business than clicking through Google's endless menus, we're here to help. At Local Marketing Group, we manage complex multi-account setups for businesses across Brisbane and beyond every single day.

Feel free to reach out to us at https://lmgroup.au/contact if you'd like us to take the technical heavy lifting off your plate.

Happy optimising!