When you try to log into your Google Search Console, do you find yourself staring blankly at the password field with no idea what to enter? Or worse, has your web developer vanished – along with access to all your Google accounts?
This situation is amazingly common. Businesses routinely lose control of critical digital assets simply because they never established ownership in the first place.
The Trifecta of Google Accounts Every Business Should Control
There are three critical Google services that you – yes, YOU, the business owner – need to control:
- Google Search Console – Shows how your site performs in search
- Google Analytics (GA4) – Tracks who visits your site and what they do
- Google Business Profile – Controls how your business appears in local search and maps
Seem obvious? You’d be surprised how many businesses don’t have direct admin access to any of these.
The Excuses You’ll Hear
Web developers and agencies often keep control of these accounts, and they’ll offer various justifications that simply don’t stand up to scrutiny.
“It’s too technical for you”
This common excuse suggests you wouldn’t understand how to use these platforms. In reality, Google designs these tools to be accessible, with clear interfaces and helpful documentation. The basic functions that most business owners need are straightforward, and you can always get training if needed.
“We manage it all for you”
This sounds helpful but creates dependency. When an agency “manages everything,” they’re ensuring you can’t easily move to another provider. It’s a retention strategy disguised as a service.
“It’s connected to our master account”
While this might have technical conveniences for the agency, it puts your business data in someone else’s account structure. This arrangement primarily benefits the agency, not you.
“We’ll send you regular reports”
Reports selected by someone else only show what they want you to see. Without direct access, you can’t verify the data, explore other metrics, or investigate sudden changes outside their reporting schedule.
The Nightmare Scenarios I’ve Seen Happen
These aren’t hypothetical concerns – they’re real situations that happen regularly.
The Vanishing Developer
A small hotel in Yorkshire had their website built by a local developer who set up everything under his personal Google account. The developer moved abroad, changed his phone number, and stopped responding to emails. The hotel had no way to update their business hours, respond to negative reviews, fix incorrect map directions, or investigate why their bookings were dropping. Their online presence was essentially held hostage by someone who no longer cared.
They ultimately had to create a completely new Google Business Profile and lost three years of reviews and search ranking data. Their visibility in local search took months to rebuild, during which time they lost substantial booking revenue.
The Ransom Situation
A solicitor’s firm decided to switch web agencies after years with the same provider. What should have been a straightforward transition turned ugly quickly.
Their previous agency had control of all Google accounts and demanded £2,500 for “transferring digital assets” – essentially ransoming back access to accounts that should have belonged to the firm in the first place.
Even with solicitors on staff, the firm found themselves in a difficult position. Fighting would take time and potentially impact their online visibility, while paying felt like giving in to extortion. They ultimately paid a reduced “transfer fee” after weeks of negotiation.
The Analytics Apocalypse
A retail business trusted their analytics setup to a freelancer who seemed knowledgeable but made a critical mistake.
The freelancer set filter rules in GA4 that only showed traffic from certain countries. This wasn’t malicious – just incompetent – but the impact was severe.
The business made significant marketing decisions based on incomplete data for TWO YEARS before discovering they were missing 40% of their actual visitors. They completely misunderstood their customer base and wasted thousands on targeting the wrong markets.
Why Ownership Matters
Even if your developer isn’t a villain, proper ownership remains crucial.
Continuity Across Staff Changes
Staff and suppliers change, but your business remains. When accounts are tied to individuals rather than the business entity, normal turnover can create access problems.
Preserving Historical Data
Google accounts build valuable historical data that can’t be retroactively collected. If you lose access and have to start afresh, you lose all comparative data that helps you understand trends.
Making Urgent Changes
Sometimes you need to update information immediately – like temporary closures, COVID protocols, or responses to critical reviews. Waiting for a third party creates unnecessary delays.
Facilitating Agency Transitions
You shouldn’t lose all your data when you switch providers. Clean transitions require that you – not your suppliers – control the underlying accounts.
Meeting Legal Requirements
In many cases, YOU are responsible for your data under GDPR and other regulations. If you can’t access or control this data, you might find yourself unable to comply with legal obligations.
The “Do I Really Own My Accounts?” Checklist
Let’s check if you actually have proper ownership:
For Google Search Console
- Go to search.google.com/search-console
- Can you log in directly with a company email?
- Do you have “Full” or “Owner” access (not just “User”)?
- Is the account connected to a company email rather than your developer’s address?
For Google Analytics
- Go to analytics.google.com
- Can you log in directly?
- Do you have “Admin” access to the property?
- Can you add/remove other users?
For Google Business Profile
- Go to business.google.com
- Can you log in and see your business listing?
- Are you set as a primary owner (not just a manager)?
- Can you make critical changes without approval?
If you answered “no” to any of these, you’ve got a problem that needs fixing.
How to Get Back Control Without Technical Complications
If You Have Some Access:
For Google Search Console:
- Go to Settings –> Users and permissions
- Add your company email as an Owner
- Accept the invitation from your company email
- Remove external users or downgrade them to “User” access
For Google Analytics:
- Go to Admin –> Account Access Management
- Add your company email as an Admin
- Accept the invitation from your company email
- Create a new GA4 property if needed that you fully control
For Google Business Profile:
- Go to Business Profile –> Users
- Add your company email as a Primary Owner
- Accept the invitation from your company email
- Demote external users to “Manager” or remove them
If You Have No Access:
- Contact your developer or agency first – Ask them to add you as an Owner/Admin
- If they refuse or ignore you – You have legitimate claims under GDPR (for EU/UK businesses) to access data collected about your business
- For Google Business Profile – You can go through Google’s ownership verification process
- For Search Console/Analytics – You may need to start afresh with new properties if all else fails
Setting Things Up Properly For The Future
When working with any new developer or agency, follow these essential guidelines:
Create Company Google Accounts First
Don’t let agencies create accounts for you. Set up company-owned Google accounts before engaging developers, then grant them appropriate access.
Get Everything in Writing
Your contract should explicitly specify ownership of all digital accounts, including Google services. Include language about transferring ownership of any accounts created during the project.
Conduct Regular Access Checks
Test your access quarterly to ensure it hasn’t changed. Staff turnover at agencies can sometimes lead to accidental permission changes.
Use Proper Staff Emails
Never use personal emails for company accounts. Create role-based emails (like marketing@yourcompany.com) that can be reassigned as staff changes.
Document Everything Thoroughly
Keep passwords and access details in a secure company system. Password managers with team functionality are ideal for this purpose.
Taking Control of Your Digital Presence
Your Google accounts are business assets just as valuable as your website itself. You wouldn’t let a contractor keep the keys to your office after they’ve finished working for you – don’t let them keep the keys to your online presence either.
Taking control might feel challenging now, but it’s nothing compared to the nightmare of trying to regain access after a relationship goes south or someone disappears.
Remember: If you don’t own it, you don’t control it. And if you don’t control it, you’re at someone else’s mercy.
Have you had a nightmare with access to your Google accounts? Share your horror stories on my LinkedIn post. And if you need help figuring out who actually owns your accounts, drop me a line.
