What is Google Analytics 4 (GA4)?

GA4 is Google's current analytics platform. It replaced Universal Analytics in 2023. It tracks website visitors, conversions, traffic sources, and user behaviour. If someone says 'Google Analytics' in 2026, they mean GA4.

How do I access Google Analytics?

Go to analytics.google.com and sign in with the Google account that owns the property. If you've never set it up, you'll need to create an account and add the tracking code to your website first.

What's the difference between Account, Property, and Data Stream?

Account is the top level (usually your business). Property sits under the account (usually one per website). Data Stream is where the actual tracking code lives (web, iOS, or Android). You grant user access at the Account or Property level.

What permission levels are available in GA4?

Administrator (full control including user management), Editor (can change settings and create reports), Analyst (can create reports but can't change settings), and Viewer (read-only, just sees data). There's also a 'No cost data' restriction you can toggle.

Which role should I give my marketing agency?

Editor at the Property level. This lets them set up conversions, create audiences, link Google Ads, and build reports. They don't need Administrator unless they're managing your entire Google setup.

Can I add someone using any email address?

It needs to be a Google account. That can be a Gmail address, a Google Workspace email, or any email address linked to a Google account. If they don't have one, they'll need to create one.

Can a user I add see my other Google accounts or properties?

No. Access is per-property (or per-account if you grant it at account level). They can only see what you explicitly share with them.

How do I remove a user from GA4?

Go to Admin → Property Access Management (or Account Access Management). Find the user, click the three dots, and hit Remove. Access is revoked immediately.

What's the difference between granting access at Account level vs Property level?

Account-level access applies to every property under that account. Property-level access only applies to that specific property. If you only have one website, it doesn't matter much. If you have multiple properties, be specific.

Do I need to add my agency to Google Ads separately?

Yes. Google Analytics and Google Ads are separate platforms with separate user management. If your agency is running Google Ads, they need access to both. See our Google Ads access guide at /articles/add-user-google-ads for the full walkthrough.

Why can't my agency see conversion data?

Most likely they have Viewer access when they need Editor, or they're looking at the wrong property. Also check that conversions are actually set up. Having access doesn't mean conversions are configured.

Is there a limit to how many users I can add?

No practical limit. Add as many people as you need.

Can I restrict access to specific reports or data?

Not really. GA4 doesn't have granular report-level permissions. You can restrict cost data visibility, but otherwise access is all-or-nothing at the role level. If someone has Editor access, they can see everything in that property.

What happens if I delete the GA4 property?

All data is gone. Permanently. GA4 gives you a 35-day grace period to restore a deleted property, but after that, it's wiped. Never let someone with Administrator access delete the property unless you're absolutely sure.

Should my agency set up GA4 for me, or should I do it myself?

Ideally, you create the account and property yourself, then add the agency. That way you own it. If the agency creates it under their account, you're in the same position as letting them own your ad accounts. Your data, their control.

How long until access is live?

Instant. As soon as you add them and save, they can log in and see the property. No invitation to accept, unlike LinkedIn.

Platform Tutorial•5 min read•Updated April 2026

How to Add a User to Google Analytics 4 (2026)

Someone needs access to your Google Analytics. Maybe an agency. Maybe a new marketing hire. Maybe your web developer who keeps asking you to screenshot reports because they can't log in themselves.

This takes about 90 seconds. But pick the wrong role and either they can't do their job, or they've got more control than they should. Here's the quick version.

Written by James Green — I set up and manage GA4 across dozens of B2B client accounts. This is based on real onboarding, not Google's documentation (which is often a maze).

🚩 You MUST Own Your Google Analytics

This comes up constantly. A business hires an agency. The agency sets up Google Analytics under their own Google account. The relationship ends. And the business loses all their data.

If Your Agency Set Up GA4 Under Their Account, Fix This Now

Your website analytics is the single source of truth for your business online. If someone else owns it:

✗ They leave, and years of traffic data, conversion history, and audience insights go with them
✗ You can't verify what they're reporting to you
✗ Your Google Ads optimisation depends on GA4 data they control
✗ Switching agency means starting with zero historical data
✗ They could delete the property and your data vanishes permanently

What You Should Insist On

✓ You create the GA4 account and property under your Google account
✓ You are the Administrator
✓ Your agency gets Editor access to do their work
✓ You can log in any time and see exactly what's happening
✓ Switch agency and every bit of data stays with you

If your analytics is currently sitting under someone else's account, ask them to migrate ownership to you. Any decent agency will do this without pushback. If they won't, that tells you something.

Why Grant GA4 Access Properly?

Google Analytics is where everything comes together. Traffic sources, conversions, user behaviour, campaign performance. Your agency or marketing team needs to see this data to do their job. But "just send them the login" isn't the answer.

Controlled

Specific roles for specific people. No one gets more than they need.

Instant

No invitation to accept. Add them and they're in. Simple.

Revocable

Remove access in two clicks. No awkward conversations about shared passwords.

Running paid ads? GA4 is where you'll see the full picture of how campaigns perform. Our complete B2B advertising guide covers how analytics ties into your ad strategy.

Understanding GA4 Roles

GA4 uses a straightforward role system. Pick the right one based on what the person actually needs to do:

Role	Best For	What They Can Do
Administrator	You (the owner)	Everything: user management, settings, data deletion
Editor	Agencies, senior marketers	Conversions, audiences, reports, Google Ads linking. Can't manage users.
Analyst	Data team, analysts	Create and share reports and explorations. Can't change settings.
Viewer	Stakeholders, clients	See reports and data. Can't change or create anything.

The short version: Agency managing your marketing? Give them Editor. Someone who just needs to look at dashboards? Viewer. Keep Administrator for yourself.

Step-by-Step: Add a User to Google Analytics 4

1Open Admin Settings

Go to analytics.google.com and make sure you've selected the right property (if you have more than one). Click the gear icon (Admin) in the bottom-left corner.

Google Analytics 4 homepage showing the Admin gear icon in the bottom-left sidebar for accessing property settings and user management — Click the gear icon in the bottom-left to access Admin settings.

2Go to Property Access Management

In the Admin panel, under the Property column, click "Property Access Management". This is where you see everyone who currently has access and add new users.

Google Analytics 4 Admin panel showing Property Access Management option for managing user permissions and adding new users — Property Access Management shows all current users and lets you add new ones.

3Click + and Add Users

Click the blue + icon in the top-right, then select "Add users". Enter the person's email address. This needs to be a Google account (Gmail, Google Workspace, or any email linked to a Google account).

Google Analytics 4 add users dialog showing email field and notification checkbox for granting access to new team members — Enter their Google account email address. Tick 'Notify new users by email' if you want them to get a heads-up.

4Choose the Right Role and Save

Select the role from the dropdown. Editor for agencies and marketers who need to set things up. Viewer for people who just need to look at data. Click Add.

That's it. Access is instant. No invitation to accept, no pending request. They can log into GA4 and see your property immediately.

Google Analytics 4 role selection showing Editor, Analyst, Viewer, and Administrator options with data restriction toggles — Choose the role carefully. Editor is right for most agency relationships.

Next Step: Make Sure Your Tracking Is Actually Working

Granting access is only useful if there's data to look at. If your GA4 property is empty or only partially tracking, your agency is going to spend the first two weeks fixing your setup instead of running campaigns. Get this sorted first.

🏷️

Google Tag Manager Setup

GTM is the cleanest way to manage your GA4 tag, conversion events, and any other tracking. One container, everything organised.

Read the full guide

📡

Complete Tracking Pixels Guide

GA4, LinkedIn Insight Tag, Meta Pixel, and Google Ads tag. All in one guide so nothing gets missed.

Read the full guide

Also granting access to Google Ads, GTM or Search Console? Check our Google Ads access guide, Google Tag Manager access guide and Search Console access guide so you can do everything at once.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Letting your agency create GA4 under their account

→ You create it. You own it. They get Editor access. Anything else means your data walks out the door when they do.

Giving Administrator access when Editor is enough

→ Administrator can delete the property and all data permanently. Only you should have that role.

Using a personal Gmail instead of a company Google account

→ If you leave the company, that personal Gmail takes the analytics with it. Use a company-owned Google account as the primary owner.

Only granting GA4 access but not GTM

→ If your agency needs to set up conversion tracking, they need Google Tag Manager access too. GA4 access alone isn't enough.

Forgetting to check the email is a Google account

→ GA4 requires a Google account. If their email isn't linked to Google, they'll need to create one or use a different address.

Not setting up conversions before the agency starts

→ Access without conversion tracking means they can see traffic but can't measure what matters. Get your key actions tracked as conversions.

AI Setup Assistant

Got a specific situation? Copy this prompt into ChatGPT or Claude for tailored help:

Google Analytics Access Setup Assistant

You are a Google Analytics 4 expert. This prompt is based on the methodology from evergreen-growth.com/articles/add-user-google-analytics

I need help adding a user to my Google Analytics 4 property.

Please ask me these questions one at a time, then provide customised guidance:

1. Are you the admin/owner of the GA4 property?
2. Who are you adding? (agency, team member, freelancer, developer)
3. Do you have their Google account email address?
4. What do they need to do? (View reports, set up conversions, manage everything)
5. Do they also need access to Google Ads or Google Tag Manager?

After I answer, provide:
- Step-by-step instructions for my situation
- Which role to assign and why
- Whether they also need GTM or Google Ads access
- Verification steps to confirm access is working
- Security best practices

Your analytics is sorted. Now what?

Add a user to Google Tag Manager — If your agency is managing tracking tags, they need GTM access too. Same process, different platform.

Add a user to Google Search Console — For SEO visibility. Your agency needs this to track organic search performance.

Add a partner to Meta Business Manager — Running Facebook or Instagram ads? Here's the walkthrough for Meta.

Add a user to LinkedIn Campaign Manager — The LinkedIn equivalent. Different process, same ownership principles.

LinkedIn vs Google vs Meta for B2B — Not sure which platform to prioritise? This breaks down when each one makes sense for B2B.

The complete B2B advertising guide — From platform selection to measurement. Everything connects back to what's in your analytics.

Want someone to set up your entire tracking stack properly?

We handle GA4, GTM, conversion tracking, and all platform access as part of client onboarding. You get clean data from day one. Takes about 15 minutes on your end.

Access is sorted. Now make sure your ads aren't boring.

Most B2B ads look like they were designed by a committee and approved by legal. If your campaigns are going to actually work, the creative needs to stop the scroll. These will help.

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B2B Facebook ad creative that actually works — Real examples with breakdowns. Formats for retargeting, cold prospecting, and lead generation.

CHAOS and SINK frameworks for B2B ads — Two frameworks and two creative drills to generate headlines that stop the scroll.

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Watch Free B2B Ad Tutorials

Campaign breakdowns, creative strategy, and LinkedIn Ads walkthroughs — straight from a practitioner, not a guru.

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Free B2B advertising tutorials, LinkedIn Ads breakdowns, and creative strategy

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