Before you sign
Seven questions to ask an MCM partner
Ask all seven of any partner you're considering — including me. A partner who won't answer them has told you something, and it isn't good. Google MCM (Multiple Customer Management) is the Google Ad Manager feature that lets an approved partner manage a publisher's ad inventory, or its whole Ad Manager account, and bring it Google Ad Exchange (AdX) demand.
By Umashankar Kushwah · Published 26 August 2026 · Updated 15 September 2026
1. How many publishers are on your account?
Why it matters: everyone on a parent account shares that account's policy health. Scale is not automatically bad — it usually means a stable operation — but you should know the number.
A good answer: a specific figure, and a pointer to their
sellers.json so you can verify it. Every company reselling Google demand
publishes one. In this set it ranged from 185 publishers to 9,055.
A bad answer is a vague "hundreds of publishers" with no file to check.
2. How many publishers have you removed in the last year, and why?
Why it matters: a partner who never removes anyone isn't screening. That failure lands on you, because policy problems on a shared account don't stay contained.
A good answer: an actual number, and categories — invalid traffic, policy violations, inactivity. Someone who screens properly is slightly proud of this number.
3. What is the payment cycle, and what happens if Google pays late?
Why it matters: this is where most disputes in this business actually happen — not at onboarding.
A good answer: a named cycle (NET 30, NET 60), a minimum payout threshold, the payment method, and a clear statement of who absorbs a delay from Google's side. "We pay when we get paid" is an answer too — just make sure it's said out loud before you sign, not after.
4. Manage Account or Manage Inventory?
Why it matters: this is the single biggest structural question and most publishers don't know to ask it.
| Manage Inventory | Manage Account | |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the GAM account | You | You do — the partner gets edit access, not ownership |
| Your access | Full | Full — Google says the child retains permissions and access to all settings |
| If you leave | You keep the account | Messy |
| Setup effort for you | Slightly more | Less |
A good answer: Manage Inventory, unless they can explain a specific reason yours needs to be different. If a partner requires Manage Account and won't say why, that's the point to stop.
5. What reporting do I get, and at what level?
Why it matters: if your inventory sits behind a shared seller ID, there are things your reporting structurally cannot show you.
A good answer: per-site, per-month at minimum — impressions, eCPM, fill rate. Ad-unit level is better. Ask whether you can see it in your own Ad Manager or only in a dashboard they control.
You can partly check this before asking. Divide their distinct seller IDs by their
publisher domains in sellers.json. Near 1.00 means per-publisher accounts.
Well below means shared. Both models exist; the
segment comparison lists the ratio for each.
6. Who is the actual parent, and are you it?
Why it matters: there is often a chain — you, a reseller, and the company that actually holds Ad Manager 360 access. You are entitled to know the whole chain.
A good answer: a named parent. If they say they are the parent, that's checkable — Google publishes a partner directory, and it takes ten seconds.
For the record: I'm not a Google Certified Publishing Partner and I don't claim to be. I work through established parent networks. Anyone in this market claiming otherwise should be asked for their directory listing.
7. Can I see the agreement before I commit?
Why it matters: the three clauses that matter are exclusivity, notice period, and what happens to your account on exit.
A good answer: yes, in advance, in writing. No exclusivity, or a short and clearly stated one. A notice period you can live with.
Red flags
Guaranteed approval. Nobody controls Google's policy review. Not the reseller, not the parent.
Money upfront. The model is revenue share. An upfront fee means their income doesn't depend on your revenue.
Manage Account demanded, unexplained. See question four.
A guaranteed eCPM number. Nobody can promise this. Ranges from comparable sites are fine; promises aren't.
Vague about the parent. See question six.
Instant approval claims. Google's review takes one to two weeks. Anyone offering same-day is describing something else.
My answers
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Publishers on account | I work through more than one parent network. I'll name the specific one for your site before you commit. |
| Removals | I screen before onboarding rather than after. If a site won't pass, I say so at the start. |
| Payment | Revenue share only. Nothing upfront, at any point. |
| Delegation | Manage Inventory. I never ask for Manage Account access. |
| Reporting | Per-site monthly — impressions, eCPM, fill rate. |
| Parent | Named before you commit. I'm not a GCPP and don't claim to be. |
| Agreement | In advance. No exclusivity. |
If another partner's answers are better than mine, take theirs. The directory lists who else is out there, with publisher counts from their own files.
Before you talk to anyone
Run your site through the eligibility check first. If it won't pass Google's policy review, no partner on this page can help you — and the honest ones will tell you the same thing.