Originally published September 2016. Updated March 2026 to reflect how Google Analytics 4 works today.

Your Google Analytics data belongs to you, not your web developer. But a surprisingly common setup mistake means you could lose years of tracking data if the relationship ends. Here’s how to check — and how to fix it.

This scenario is surprisingly common. Client A contracts Web Developer B to build a nice, swanky new website. As part of the service, the developer decides to add Google Analytics onto the site to enable their client to track results. For the tracking code they set up a new Google Analytics 4 property within their existing Google Analytics account and allow access to this property for Client A.

The diagram below shows you the structure. In GA4, Google Analytics is organised into Accounts and Properties. The web developer owns the account and therefore controls access at both levels. (The web developer may end up with as many GA4 properties as they do clients.)

GA4 account structure showing a web developer's account containing multiple client properties, with your business data at risk

All this is fine and dandy — until relationships change.

For instance, many years pass until it’s time to refresh the website and, for a myriad of reasons, a new web developer is chosen and for some other reason the relationship falls apart between parties. Unfortunately with this break comes a severing of access to all the client’s historical Google Analytics tracking data.

Not good for Client A. Fortunately, Google allows you to move a GA4 property between accounts — so you can reclaim ownership of your data. BUT it does rely on cordial relations to work.

Let me explain.

How to check if you’re at risk

First, sign into Google Analytics and go to Admin (the gear icon at the bottom left). Look at the Account column. If you see an account name that belongs to your web developer or agency rather than your business — that’s the red flag.

You can also check who has admin access. Under Admin > Account Access Management, you’ll see everyone with access to the account. If you’re listed as an Editor or Viewer rather than an Administrator, you don’t have full control.

How to fix it

Google allows you to move a GA4 property from one account to another. In Admin, under Property, click Property details and you’ll find a Move Property button that lets you transfer it to a different account. Your Measurement ID stays the same, so nothing needs retagging.

Steps to move a GA4 property: create your own account, get admin access to both, then use Move Property in Admin

However, to make this work the person performing the move needs Administrator access on both the source and destination accounts. That’s the gotcha. You need cooperation from whoever currently owns the account.

Here’s my plan to make a move like this work:

  1. Set up your own Google Analytics account — go to analytics.google.com and create a new account under your own Google login
  2. Get onside with the current account owner — this is where the cordial relations come in. You’ll need them to grant you Administrator access on their account (temporarily), or to perform the migration themselves
  3. Move the property — once you have Administrator access on both accounts, use the Move Property option to transfer your property into your new account
  4. Clean up access — once the move is complete, you can adjust or remove the old developer’s access as you see fit

Baboom — once done you can sleep easy, knowing you have full control over your tracking data and this will not change whatever the status of the relationships you have with your suppliers.

Sound like a plan?

Let us know if you need any help during the migration — and if you want to learn more about what your Google Analytics data can tell you, explore our Google Analytics consulting services.