Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Key Takeaways
- You need to provide access to Google Analytics GA4 for Practical Momentum to help with website performance and analytics.
- You don't need to share your Google password; simply add Practical Momentum as a user with specific permissions.
- Choose the appropriate permission level based on the work involved: Viewer, Analyst, Editor, or Administrator.
- Use property-level access for most projects to limit the permissions granted.
- After access is given, Practical Momentum can analyze data and offer insights while you maintain control over access.
If Practical Momentum is helping with your website performance, SEO, conversion tracking, reporting, or digital analytics, we may need access to your existing Google Analytics 4 (GA4) property.
You do not need to share your Google password. Google Analytics is designed to let you add another Google Account as a user and control exactly what that user can see or change.
This guide walks you through the process and explains which access level to choose.
Before You Start
You will need two things:
- Access to the Google Analytics account that contains your website's GA4 property.
- The Google Account email address Practical Momentum provided to you for your project.
If you are not sure which Google Account email to use, check your Practical Momentum onboarding message before adding a user.
Open Google Analytics
Go directly to Google Analytics and sign in with the Google Account that manages your website analytics.
After signing in, confirm that you are viewing the correct GA4 property. If your organization has more than one website or property, use the property selector at the top of Google Analytics to choose the one associated with the website Practical Momentum is working on.
How to Add Practical Momentum to Your GA4 Property
- In Google Analytics, click Admin.
- Under the Property section, select Property access management.
- Click the + button and choose Add users.
- Enter the Google Account email address Practical Momentum provided to you.
- Leave Notify new users by email selected unless there is a specific reason not to.
- Select the permission level requested for your project.
- Click Add.
Google will add the user to that GA4 property, and Practical Momentum can then confirm that access is working.
Google also maintains its own current instructions for adding, editing, and deleting Analytics users.
Which GA4 Permission Level Should You Choose?
Google Analytics provides several roles. The right choice depends on the work Practical Momentum is doing for you.
- Viewer: Can view reports and configuration settings. This is appropriate for read-only reporting and many analytics reviews.
- Analyst: Can view data and create or edit certain analysis assets in addition to normal reporting access.
- Editor: Can make changes to property settings and configuration, but cannot manage users. This may be needed for measurement, event, conversion, or configuration work.
- Administrator: Has full control, including the ability to manage users. Use this only when full administrative access is specifically required.
Practical Momentum follows a least-privilege approach. We prefer the lowest permission level that allows us to complete the work you requested.
Use Property-Level Access Whenever Possible
Google Analytics lets administrators grant access at either the account level or the property level.
For most Practical Momentum projects, property-level access is the better choice. It gives us access to the specific GA4 property we need without automatically granting access to other properties that may exist in the same Analytics account.
If broader account-level access is necessary, we will tell you why before asking you to grant it.
How to Confirm the Correct Property
If you have several GA4 properties, look for the property associated with the website domain we are working on. You can also check the property's web data stream under Admin to confirm that the website URL matches your site.
If you are still unsure, send us the names of the properties you see. There is no need to guess or grant access to several properties.
What Happens After You Add Access?
Once access is granted, Practical Momentum can use the permission level you selected to perform the agreed work. Depending on your project, that may include reviewing traffic sources, evaluating conversions, checking measurement quality, building reports, connecting analytics data to dashboards, or identifying opportunities to improve website performance.
You remain in control of the GA4 property and can change or remove our access later.
Security Best Practices
- Do not send your Google username, password, backup codes, or multi-factor authentication codes.
- Grant access only to the Google Account email address Practical Momentum provided.
- Use property-level access unless broader access is specifically needed.
- Choose the lowest role that supports the work being performed.
- Review third-party access periodically and remove access that is no longer required.
Having Trouble?
If you cannot find Property access management, you may not have the Administrator role for that GA4 property. The person or company that originally created or manages your Analytics account may need to add Practical Momentum for you or increase your own permission level first.
If you are not sure what to do, send us a screenshot of the Admin area with any sensitive information removed. We can help identify the next step without asking for your password.
