How to Add Users to Google Analytics

Giving someone access to your Google Analytics data can feel like handing over the keys to your digital kingdom. But you can't analyze all that data alone. Whether you're working with a marketing agency, a new team member, or a freelance web developer, sharing access is essential for collaboration. This guide will walk you through exactly how to add users in Google Analytics 4, what each permission level means, and the best practices to keep your data secure.

Why Share Google Analytics Access?

Data should never live in a silo. Sharing access empowers your team and partners to make informed decisions. It eliminates the bottleneck of one person being the sole "data guru" who has to run reports for everyone else.

Common scenarios for sharing access include:

• Onboarding a marketing agency: They need access to analyze campaign performance, track conversions, and identify optimization opportunities.
• Bringing on a new marketer: Your new team member needs to see your site's traffic patterns, user behavior, and key performance indicators (KPIs) from day one.
• Working with an SEO specialist: They'll need to monitor organic traffic, analyze landing page performance, and track keyword rankings to guide their strategy.
• Collaborating with a developer: If they're implementing event tracking or setting up e-commerce reporting, they'll need access to test and verify their work.
• Reporting to stakeholders: Giving C-level executives or department heads view-only access allows them to self-serve high-level performance data without needing to ask for manual reports.

Understanding User Permissions in Google Analytics 4

Before you start adding users, it’s critical to understand the different levels of permission. GA4 uses a hierarchical structure: Organization > Account > Property. You can grant access at either the Account level (which gives a user the same permissions across all properties within that account) or the Property level (which limits their access to that specific website or app).

Giving permission at the Property level is generally safer and more common. For example, if you manage three different websites under one Account, you can grant an agency access to just the one specific site they're working on.

Standard Roles (Account & Property Level)

Each user can be assigned one or more roles. The golden rule is the principle of least privilege: always grant a user the minimum level of access they need to do their job.

• Administrator: This is the highest level of access. Admins can do everything, including adding and deleting users, changing their permissions, and linking other Google products. Reserve this role for trusted account owners. Handing out Admin access is like giving someone a key to your office and the code to the safe - do it sparingly.
• Editor: Editors can do everything an Administrator can do except manage users. They have full control over settings, can create and edit audiences, conversions, and measurement settings. This is a common role for senior marketers or primary agency contacts who need to configure the property.
• Marketer: This role is designed for those running campaigns. Marketers can create, edit, and delete audiences, conversions, and attribution models. They can also edit events and create custom dimensions. However, they can't change any property settings, making it safer than the Editor role.
• Analyst: This is the perfect role for most team members, junior marketers, or content writers. Analysts can create, edit, and share reports and explorations. They can see all the data and a majority of the settings but cannot make any changes that would alter the data collection or configuration. It’s great for "power users" who need to dig into the data without risk of breaking anything.
• Viewer: As the name implies, Viewers have read-only access. They can see reports and settings but can't make any changes. They can, however, still change how reports are displayed for them (like changing date ranges or adding secondary dimensions) without affecting anyone else’s view. This is ideal for stakeholders or team members who only need to check on performance.
• None: This option effectively revokes a user's access to the selected resource (Account or Property) while keeping them at a higher level if applicable. It’s a clean way to remove permissions for a single property without deleting the user from the entire account.

Data Restrictions (Optional but Important)

For any role other than Viewer, you can apply additional data restrictions. This is a powerful feature for controlling who sees sensitive financial data.

• No Cost Metrics: This prevents the user from seeing cost data imported from linked ad accounts like Google Ads.
• No Revenue Metrics: This prevents the user from seeing any revenue-related data, such as e-commerce purchase values or ad revenue.

This is especially useful if, for example, you want an SEO content writer to analyze landing page traffic (requiring Analyst access) but don't want them to see your company's monthly revenue or ad spend.

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

The process is straightforward and only takes a minute. You can grant access at the Account or Property level, the steps are nearly identical.

Adding a User at the Account Level

Use this method if you want to grant a user the same permissions across all websites (properties) in your GA4 account.

1. Navigate to the Admin section by clicking the gear icon in the bottom-left corner of your Google Analytics dashboard.
2. In the Account column, make sure the correct account is selected, then click on Account Access Management.
3. Click the blue + button in the top-right corner and select Add users.
4. In the Email addresses field, enter the Google account email of the person you want to add. You can add multiple emails at once.
5. Under Permissions, select the standard role(s) you want to assign to the user. You can choose from Administrator, Editor, Marketer, Analyst, or Viewer.
6. (Optional) Apply any Data Restrictions if you need to hide cost or revenue metrics.
7. Click the Add button in the top-right corner to save your changes. The user will receive an email notifying them that they have been granted access.

Adding a User at the Property Level

Use this method if you only want to grant access to a single website or app — not your entire account.

1. Click the Admin gear icon in the bottom-left corner.
2. In the Property column, make sure the correct property is selected. If not, use the dropdown menu to choose it. Then, click on Property Access Management.
3. Click the blue + button in the top-right corner and select Add users.
4. Enter the user's email address.
5. Select the appropriate role under the Permissions section.
6. (Optional) Toggle on any Data Restrictions as needed.
7. Click the Add button. That's it! The user now has access only to the specific GA4 property you selected.

Best Practices for Managing Your GA Users

Adding users is easy, but managing them effectively over time is key to maintaining data security and integrity. Here are a few simple rules to follow:

• Audit User Access Regularly: Once a quarter, review everyone who has access to your account. Have any employees left the company? Has a contract with an agency ended? Remove any users who no longer need access. This simple step is one of the most important for data security.
• Use Business Emails: Whenever possible, grant access to corporate/business email addresses (e.g., sara@agency.com) instead of personal accounts (sara1995@gmail.com). This makes user management easier and more professional. If an employee leaves their company, their access is tied to the work email account that will be deactivated.
• Start with the Lowest Permissions: When in doubt, start with View or Analyst access. It's easy to grant more permissions later if needed, but it's hard to take back control once a mistake has been made with higher-level access.
• Communicate with Your Team: When you add a new user, let them know what level of access you provided and what tasks they are expected to perform. A quick note like, "Hey, I've given you Analyst access so you can build out your weekly performance reports," prevents confusion down the line.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to properly add and manage users in Google Analytics is a foundational skill for anyone responsible for a website's data. By understanding the different permission levels and following best practices, you can collaborate effectively with your team and partners while keeping your account secure and your data's integrity intact.

Managing permissions is a crucial part of data governance, but often the real goal is just to get an answer to a stakeholder without giving them yet another login to manage. At Graphed, we simplify sharing insights by letting you securely connect data sources like Google Analytics once, and then use natural language to build and share specific dashboards with team members or clients. Instead of making them learn GA, you can create a real-time report that shows them a few key charts. Your core data stays secure while they stay informed, which is all they wanted from the login to begin with. With Graphed , you focus on sharing the answers, not just the logins to find them.