Keeping your Google Ads account secure from unwanted access is a big deal, right? Well, Google has a neat feature called multi-party approval that can really help. It’s basically an extra step that requires another admin to give the thumbs-up before certain important changes can be made. This stops anyone from messing with your account without a second pair of eyes checking it out.
Key Takeaways
- Multi-party approval adds a vital security layer to your Google Ads account.
- It requires a second administrator to approve sensitive changes.
- Sensitive actions include adding, removing, or changing user roles.
- Notifications are sent within the Google Ads platform, not via email.
- Approvals must be made within 20 days, or the request expires.
- You can revoke requests you’ve initiated.
What Are Sensitive Action Changes?
So, what kind of changes are we talking about here? Google flags a few actions as particularly sensitive. These include:
- Adding a new user to the account.
- Removing someone who’s already a user.
- Changing the roles of existing users.
If you try to do any of these, the system will automatically trigger an approval request. Google might add more actions to this list in the future as security needs change. Just a heads-up, though: users with read-only access don’t trigger this approval process.
How Approval Requests Work
When a sensitive change is initiated, everyone who’s an administrator in your account gets a notification right inside Google Ads. If you’re a direct administrator or an owner/manager of the person making the change, you’ll get your own notification. Other admins higher up in the account structure will get a combined notification if there are multiple requests. Since these notifications don’t come through email, it’s a good idea to check your Google Ads account regularly for any pending requests. You’ve got 20 days to either approve or deny a request. If nobody acts on it within that time, it just expires, and whoever initiated the change will need to ask again.
Reviewing, Approving, or Denying Requests
To see what’s waiting for your approval, head over to the "Admin" menu and then click on "Access and security." You’ll find a section for "Pending invitations." From there, you can select "Review request." Take a look at the details, and then you can either hit "Approve" to let the change go through or "Deny" to block it. You can see who’s been added to your account by checking the "Users" tab, also under "Access and security."
Revoking Your Own Request
If you’re the one who started a change and then realised you made a mistake or changed your mind, you can cancel it. Go back to the "Access and security" page. You should see an option to "Revoke request" next to the action you initiated. This will clear the notification for everyone else who was waiting to approve it, too. This feature doesn’t affect API users, by the way.
It’s worth noting that if there are delays in getting approvals, you’ll need to sort that out directly with the relevant people using your own communication tools. Google Ads Support can’t step in to approve or deny these requests for you. Adding this extra layer of verification is a solid way to keep your account safe and sound.
