In the GA4 hierarchy, an account is a parent container that contains properties. You can create multiple GA4 accounts under one Google Account or Google Marketing Platform organization, and have multiple properties under each account.
In practice, account design is an important first decision. Generally, accounts are created on a corporation or company basis, and properties are created on a domain or service basis. When an agency manages multiple clients, it creates a separate account for each client to separate data, or uses a method of receiving access to the client-owned account as an agency account user.
What can be set at the account level is mainly user permission management and basic account information. Most analysis-related settings, such as data settings, filters, and connections, are made at the property level. On the Google Analytics management screen, the left 'Account' column is at the account level.
Key takeaways
- It is the highest management unit that groups properties in the GA4 hierarchy.
- You can create multiple GA4 accounts within a single Google Account or organization.
- A user granted account-level permissions can access the properties within that account.
- In agency operations, separating accounts for each client increases data security and management efficiency.
- There is no data in the account itself; the actual data is in properties and streams.