How to Give Someone Access to Google Analytics 4 (Step by Step)

To give someone access to Google Analytics 4, go to Admin, then Property access management, click the plus button and choose Add users. Enter their Google-linked email, pick the lowest role that lets them do the job, such as Editor or Viewer, and click Add. Never share your Google password, and keep Administrator for yourself.

Your web person, SEO specialist or new marketing contractor has just asked for "access to your Google Analytics", and you're staring at the screen wondering where on earth that lives. Or worse, you're about to send them your Google password.

Please don't do that. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) lets you add people with their own login and exactly the level of access they need, and you can take it away in a few clicks when you stop working together. Here's how, step by step.

Why not just share your login?

Sharing your Google password hands over far more than analytics. It usually opens your email, Drive, Google Business Profile and anything else tied to that account. It also means you can't see who changed what, and you can't remove one person without changing your password everywhere.

Adding people as users keeps you in control. You stay the owner, they get their own access, and your data stays yours, which matters when you change providers down the track.

What's the difference between account and property access in GA4?

In GA4, you can give someone access at the account level or the property level. For most business owners, property level is what you want. It gives them access to your website's data without touching anything else in your account.

• Account: the top level, usually your business. It can hold several properties. Access here flows down to every property inside it.
• Property: usually one website (or website plus app). This is where your data, reports and tracking settings live.

If you used the old version of Google Analytics, you might remember a third level called "Views". Views disappeared when the old version went: Universal Analytics stopped collecting data in 2023. GA4 only has accounts and properties. (If you're not sure your GA4 is set up properly, start with how to set up Google Analytics for your website.)

Which GA4 role should you give them?

GA4 has five standard roles. Pick the lowest one that lets the person do their job.

• Administrator: full control, including adding and removing other users. Keep this for yourself and maybe one trusted person.
• Editor: can change settings and tracking at that level, but can't manage users. Usually right for someone setting up or fixing your tracking.
• Marketer: can work with marketing settings like audiences, key events and attribution, without full settings access. Handy for someone running your ads.
• Analyst: can build and share reports and explorations, but can't change settings. Good for someone reporting on performance.
• Viewer: can see reports and settings, and that's it. Good for a business partner or bookkeeper who just wants to look.

You'll also see optional data restrictions (no cost metrics, no revenue metrics). Most service businesses can ignore these.

As a rule of thumb: Editor at property level for your web or SEO person, Analyst or Viewer for anyone who only needs to read the numbers.

How do you add a user in Google Analytics 4?

Before you start, make sure the email address you're adding is connected to a Google account. It can be a Gmail address or a work email set up as a Google account.

1. Sign in at analytics.google.com and make sure you're in the right account and property (check the selector at the top left).
2. Click Admin, the gear icon at the bottom left of the screen.
3. Choose the level. Under Property settings, click Property access management. (For account level, use Account access management under Account settings instead.)
4. Click the blue + button at the top right, then Add users.
5. Enter their email address. Leave "Notify new users by email" ticked so they get a heads-up.
6. Choose their role from the list above, and any data restrictions if you need them.
7. Click Add at the top right. Done.

They'll see your property next time they sign in to Google Analytics with that email. If they can't find it, the most common reason is they're signed in with a different Google account.

Google moves menu names around from time to time, so if something doesn't look exactly like this, look for "access management" inside Admin. That's the bit you want.

How do you remove someone's access when you change providers?

This is the step almost everyone forgets. When a contractor or provider finishes up, take their access away.

1. Go to Admin and open Property access management (and check Account access management too).
2. Find the person in the list.
3. Click the three dots next to their name and choose Remove access.

While you're there, check who else is on the list. It's common to find people from two or three providers ago still sitting there. Also make sure you are an Administrator on your own account. If a previous developer set up GA4 under their own login and you're not an admin, fix that now while you're still on good terms. Your data should belong to your business.

What else will they probably ask for access to?

If someone is looking after your SEO or website performance, they'll usually need a couple of other tools too. Each one has its own access settings:

• Google Search Console: shows how your site appears in Google search. Add people under Settings, then Users and permissions. Here's how to set up Google Search Console if you haven't yet.
• Google Tag Manager: if your tracking runs through it, they may need access to make changes there too.
• Google Business Profile: for local search, you can add managers from your profile settings rather than sharing a login.

Once everyone has the right access, the useful bit starts: actually reading the data. Here's how to check your website health with Google Analytics, and a realistic view of how long SEO takes before you judge the numbers.

The short version

Never share your password. Add people at property level, give them the lowest role that does the job, and remove access when the work ends. And keep yourself as an Administrator, always.

If you're on a Site Success Plan, this is exactly the kind of access I'll ask for at the start, and I'll walk you through it if you get stuck.