What should rehab teams export before changing agencies?
Changing agencies shouldn't mean starting your search work from memory. Before the work ends, rehab teams need clear records they can use. Save account ownership, site changes, content, results, and tracking records. These help the next team see what exists, what needs checks, and what must keep working.
So, what should rehab teams export before changing agencies? Start with account control, then save proof of your search work. This includes SEO, answer engine optimization (AEO), and AI search. Monthly slides aren't enough: save source files, dated exports, and setup notes. Clearly mark which assets your team owns and which tools the agency owns.
This checklist is for healthcare marketers in the United States. It covers rehab, detox, intensive outpatient programs (IOP), partial hospitalization programs (PHP), and residential programs. The same handoff steps apply to behavioral and mental health teams. Dental groups, med spas, and other healthcare practices can use them too.
1. Check Ownership Before Your Rehab Agency Change
Exports save data, but they don't replace control of your accounts. A saved report can't restore access to an agency-owned analytics property. Build a list of each platform and its business owner. Include its admins, billing contact, and renewal date so the next team knows who handles each part. Preserve technical SEO and analytics reporting access before export.
Use email addresses your team controls where the platform allows it. Check that your staff can sign in without the agency's help. Do this before you remove the outgoing agency's access. Don't put shared passwords in a plain spreadsheet; use an approved way to share login details.
- Document ownership and administrative access for your domain registrar, DNS provider, hosting account, content management system, and website backups.
- Confirm access to Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and each Google Business Profile.
- Record ownership of advertising accounts, call tracking numbers, reporting dashboards, and connected integrations.
- Identify software subscriptions that will stop working when the agency engagement ends.
- Save contracts and written explanations of any limits on transferring creative assets, templates, or platform configurations.
Domain and website access affect every search channel. Broken DNS, missing pages, or expired software can stop search crawlers. These issues can also block public facts used by answer engines. Check ownership as the first step in the handoff, rather than leaving it for the last day.
2. What Search Performance Data and Context Should Rehab Teams Export?
Save Google Search Console results by query, page, date, device, and country. Include search appearance data where it's available. Save the longest useful history your property and export method allow. Keep recent monthly views, filters, and export dates so the next agency can repeat the same checks.
For rehab teams, keep brand searches apart from searches without your brand. Save page groups for locations, program types, admissions, and learning content. These groups help the next team spot where problems lie. They can tell a local search issue from a wider content or site issue.
- Export search queries and landing pages with clicks, impressions, click-through rate, and average position.
- Save indexing reports, sitemap records, manual action status, and relevant crawl or enhancement reports.
- Include ranking exports with the tracked keyword list, geography, device settings, and measurement dates.
- Preserve annotations for launches, migrations, redirects, tracking changes, and major content revisions.
A ranking chart doesn't explain all your search results. Rank can vary by location and the context of a search. The way your site appears in search can change too. A useful handoff pairs results with clear terms and notes on changes, so the next team can read them correctly.
For AEO and generative engine optimization (GEO), past records show pages seen in search. They give the next team a place to start its review. Check if answers are clear and sources are easy to reach. These records don't prove that a page caused an AI mention.
3. Which Analytics Reports and Conversion Definitions Should Rehab Teams Preserve?
Export analytics reports for organic landing pages and channels that bring visitors. Include engagement and the key events you've set up. Add a guide that defines each event and what makes it fire. State when each event began and if its meaning changed, so teams can compare results fairly.
A call button click is different from a completed inquiry form. A connected phone call is a separate action too. None of these actions should count as an admission by default. Keep these labels clear so buyers can judge each agency's reports without comparing totals that mean different things.
- Export Google Tag Manager containers and document published versions, triggers, variables, and dependencies.
- Save the event naming convention, key event settings, attribution settings, and internal traffic filters.
- Document call tracking number assignments, routing rules, replacement logic, and transfer requirements.
- Preserve dashboard definitions, data connectors, calculated fields, and the source of each reported metric.
- Record any known duplicate events, missing tracking periods, or unexplained changes in measurement.
Before changing tracking or campaigns, get help from qualified privacy and compliance reviewers. Have them check data collection, vendors, disclosures, and the rules that apply.
Some analytics reports may show visits from AI search. Still, they may not show the full source of each visit. Export the referral data you have and note those limits. Don't label unexplained direct traffic as visits from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini app, or Google AI Overviews.
4. What Website Files and Technical History Should Rehab Teams Save?
Get a current website backup and check who can restore it. If the platform allows, include the database and uploaded files. Save theme or template files, custom code, and setup notes too. Ask which licenses or site parts can't transfer under your current agreement, so the handoff respects those limits.
Next, export a crawl of the public website. Useful fields include URLs, status codes, titles, meta descriptions, headings, canonical tags, indexability, internal links, and structured data. Save the crawl date and settings, especially if parts of the site were excluded.
- Export redirect rules and map old URLs to their current destinations.
- Save robots.txt, XML sitemaps, canonical conventions, and any intentional noindex rules.
- Document changes to navigation, location pages, program pages, and URL structure.
- Preserve technical SEO audits with issue status, implementation dates, and unresolved items.
- Record security, caching, consent, and form integrations that could affect crawling or measurement.
This site history helps the next agency understand past choices. A redirect may keep an older location URL useful. A noindex rule may keep a utility page out of search. The next team should learn why each rule exists before changing it, rather than undoing work by mistake.
For AEO and AI SEO, check how pages show key public facts. Those facts should be in readable text, not solely in images or interactive tools. Save the structured data setup as part of the handoff. Markup alone doesn't secure a place in answer engines or AI summaries.
5. Export Content Files And Editorial Decisions
Ask for a full content list rather than recent blog posts alone. Include published pages, drafts, briefs, content calendars, and approved images. Save past edits where they're available too. For each item, list its URL, readers, purpose, owner, publish date, and review status so the next team has context.
For addiction treatment sites, keep a separate list for each program type. Include rehab, detox, IOP, PHP, and residential program pages. Note which services and locations each page covers. This helps the next agency keep distinct services apart and avoid reusing old details about how your programs work.
- Save keyword research with the rationale for grouping terms and assigning them to pages.
- Export content briefs that explain search intent, internal linking, factual sources, and planned answer sections.
- Preserve review notes and approvals for service descriptions, staff credentials, location details, and admissions processes.
- Document content that was consolidated, retired, redirected, or held from publication.
- Identify images, copy, and other assets with usage restrictions or unclear ownership.
AEO depends in part on clear, useful answers to real questions. Save the questions your team chose to answer. Keep the proof used to support each factual claim as well. The next agency needs to tell approved facts about your business apart from draft text that hasn't been checked.
6. Capture Local Listings And Reputation Work
Export an inventory of Google Business Profiles and other listings for every location. Record the profile URL, business name, address, phone number, primary and secondary categories, website destination, appointment links where used, and verification status.
Include notes on duplicate profiles, pending edits, and past suspensions. List open support requests too, with their current status. A profile may look right in public yet have ownership or verification issues. Save the support messages that help explain those issues, but leave out personal details that aren't needed.
- Save location-specific listing details and the sources used to verify them.
- Export available profile performance data with date ranges and metric definitions.
- Document citation accounts, directory URLs, and correction requests that remain open.
- Save approved review response templates and rules for raising concerns.
- Record local landing page URLs and their relationship to individual profiles.
Local SEO and AI search need business facts that match across sources. Those facts should be easy to check. Conflicting names, phone numbers, or service areas make sources harder to assess. Flag these gaps in the handoff, rather than passing along records that clash without noting the problem.
Work on reviews needs clear steps that protect privacy. Save rules for replies that don't confirm a reviewer received services. Don't export private talks just because they relate to a public review. Dental groups, mental health practices, and med spas should keep public reviews and private talks apart too.
7. Preserve AEO And AI Search Baselines
Ask for test logs behind claims of visibility in AI search. This includes Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini app. A screenshot has limited use without the prompt, date, platform, and test conditions. AI answers can change from one session to the next; they aren't a fixed ranking table. Keep answer engine optimization and LLM SEO observations separate from measured referrals.
Export the exact prompts or queries used in each test. Include location context where it matters, the response date, and the answer. Save cited URLs and note if your business appeared. Record whether testing was signed in and any non-identifying settings that may affect the response.
- Group test questions by informational, location, service, and agency-comparison intent.
- Preserve screenshots alongside text logs so citations and surrounding context remain visible.
- Separate a brand mention from a citation to your website or a link to a specific page.
- Document the frequency and method of testing rather than presenting isolated observations as trends.
- Save proposed content changes with their rationale and implementation status.
Ask how the next agency will use these starting records. Discuss their role in answer engine optimization, LLM SEO, and GEO. Useful reviews check that facts match, content is accessible, and sources are sound. They check if pages answer real questions clearly, without promising control over third-party answers.
Keep what you saw apart from what you think it means. You can record that an AI answer cited a page. But a before-and-after screenshot isn't enough to show that one edit caused that citation.
8. Export Link Building And Paid Search Records
Ask for a backlink export and records of link building work. Include referring pages, destination URLs, known dates, outreach notes, and placement terms. Save details of any duties that continue after the handoff. Keep an existing disavow file and the reasons behind it; don't expand or reuse it by default.
These records help the next agency assess relevance and maintain important destination URLs during website changes. They also identify agency-owned placements or relationships that may not continue after termination.
If the agency handles PPC, save campaign settings, budgets, and keywords. Include negative keywords, ads, assets, landing pages, and conversion settings too. Check billing ownership and account limits before the handoff takes place. Paid and organic teams need the same terms for tracking results, even when they work apart.
For healthcare ads, save relevant review records and messages about platform rules. Rules can differ by platform and type of service. These records give qualified reviewers context for the next round of work. They aren't proof that a platform will approve future campaigns, even if past ads were approved.
9. Package The Handoff So Another Team Can Use It
Sort exports into folders for access, analytics, technical SEO, and content. Add folders for local listings, AI search, links, and ads. Include a readme with folder owners, file formats, and missing items. Put dates in filenames and save a final export close to the handoff date for a current record.
Ask both agencies to keep a change log while their work overlaps. A short pause on nonessential site changes may help prevent clashes. Define which urgent fixes can still go ahead during that pause. Choose one person on your team to approve changes and settle questions as they arise.
- Verify that exports open correctly and contain the expected date ranges.
- Test account invitations and recovery methods before revoking outgoing access.
- Confirm that forms, call routing, tracking, and essential pages still work after access changes.
- Document unresolved issues, responsible owners, and the next review date.
A complete folder is not the finish line. The incoming team should confirm what it received, identify gaps, and explain which findings require validation before action.
10. Use The Export Package To Compare Agencies
Give each agency on your shortlist the same privacy-safe summary. Ask how it would assess the records you've saved. Look for questions about ownership, tracking, linked tools, content approvals, and local facts. Be wary of plans to replace everything before the agency has reviewed the work already in place.
SCALZ.AI provides AI-search visibility, technical SEO, local SEO and content strategy services. Define the proposed scope, responsibilities and reporting before choosing an engagement.
Review SCALZ.AI's rehab marketing agency services when comparing partners. Bring your export inventory, known gaps, and operational priorities so the discussion starts with evidence rather than assumptions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do saved reports replace account access during a rehab agency change?
No. Saved reports preserve data, but they do not give your team control of an agency-owned account. List each platform, its business owner, admins, billing contact, and renewal date. Check that staff can sign in before removing agency access. Flag any software subscriptions that will stop when the engagement ends.
Which content files should rehab teams keep beyond published pages?
Keep drafts, briefs, content calendars, approved images, and past edits where available. Record each item's URL, readers, purpose, owner, publish date, and review status. Keep separate lists for rehab, detox, IOP, PHP, and residential pages. Save approval notes and usage limits so the next team can distinguish checked facts from draft text.
What local listing records belong in the handoff?
Save a listing inventory for every location, including profile URLs, names, addresses, phone numbers, categories, website links, and verification status. Include duplicate profiles, pending edits, open support requests, and correction requests. Keep available performance data with dates and metric definitions. Flag conflicting business details rather than passing them along without explanation.
Are screenshots enough to preserve an AI search baseline?
No. Keep screenshots with the exact prompts, dates, platforms, answers, and test conditions. Include location context, cited URLs, and any signed-in settings used. Separate a brand mention from a website citation or page link. AI answers can change between sessions, so isolated screenshots do not establish a trend or show that one edit caused a citation.
How should rehab teams organize and check the final export package?
Use separate folders for access, analytics, technical SEO, content, local listings, AI search, links, and ads. Add a readme with owners, file formats, and missing items. Date filenames and save a final export near the handoff. Check that files open, account invitations work, and forms, call routing, tracking, and essential pages still function after access changes.
Sources And Evidence
Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode don't need a separate optimization method. Use its AI features guidance to define SEO and AI-search work. These features are separate from the Gemini app. Each proposal should name the experience it measures and keep the test records behind its claims.
Use Google's people-first content guidance to check research, sources, and useful detail. These checklists offer editorial advice to help define an agency's scope. Following them doesn't ensure rankings, citations, or inquiries.
For Search Console, follow Google's owner and permission guidance. Preserve a verified owner and assess remaining verification methods before removing access.