When my agency started working with a client, we requested that they provide us access to their Google accounts with full permissions. This enables me to research and optimize their Google tools – including Search Console, Tag Manager, Analytics, and YouTube. The company gets confused about who owns the Gmail account used to log in and maintain those properties.
And the search begins!
First, you don’t have to register a gmail address for your Google Account… you can register any email address. It’s just that Google doesn’t provide this option by default. Once you enter your name and birthdate, here’s a screenshot showing how you can create an account for your business using an existing email:
When you click Use my current email address instead, you can register and verify your corporate email address.
Why Your Company Shouldn’t Use A Gmail Address
I highly recommend that your organization avoid using a Gmail address and, instead, register with a corporate email address. Here are a few scenarios why that I constantly run into:
- Your Marketing Director creates a {company}@gmail.com account and builds a great YouTube channel. Years later, a contractor will optimize the channel… but the Marketing Directory can’t find the password. Sometimes, they don’t even remember the email address they registered and used. No one can get into the account now, so they abandoned it and created a new account.
- Your employee creates a Google Analytics account with their personal gmail address. A few years later, they ended their employment with the company, and no one could access the account anymore.
- Your company creates a YouTube channel using a {company}@gmail.com account, and to make things easy, they make up a simple password. The account is subsequently hacked and used to share inappropriate content.
- Your company creates a Search Console account using a {company}@gmail.com email address. Search Console finds malware on the site and delists the property from the search engines. Since no one is monitoring the Gmail account, no one is notified, and the site continues to spread malware, and rankings – along with leads – dry up.
- Your company creates a Google Business property using a {company}@gmail.com account. Visitors continue to review and ask questions… but no one is monitoring the account, so no one is responding. Your company loses visibility in the map pack, doesn’t respond to negative reviews, and continues to lose business.
Why Your Company Should Use A Distribution List
We recommend that all companies create a distribution list rather than a dedicated email address. A distribution list is beneficial, especially in a large organization. Companies have internal and external resources that often turn over… including leadership.
Distribution lists are routed to multiple individuals’ inboxes. For example, I might recommend a marketing@{company}.com distribution list incorporating my internal and external marketing team. This way, several scenarios work well:
- Employee Turnover – As internal resources turn over, anyone else on the distribution list will continue to receive marketing communications from the account, can change the password if necessary, and never run into issues.
- Employee Availability – As internal resources are out for vacation and sick time, everyone else on the team continues to receive communications.
- Strong Password – A strong password can be utilized. We even incorporate two-factor authentication through a shared text message account or email confirmation request.
- Fired Contractors – If, for any reason, you need to remove a contractor immediately, you can. Remove the contractor’s email from the distribution list and immediately change the password on the account. Now, they can’t access the account anymore. Just check each Google property and ensure they haven’t provided themselves access within user management.
Do you have a Google property registered to a @gmail.com email address? I’d highly recommend you register a corporate email address for a Google Account and change ownership immediately to every property you have.
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