GA4 Account Structure Best Practices for Marketing Agencies

GA4 Account Structure Best Practices for Marketing Agencies

Marketing agencies should use separate GA4 accounts or properties for each client to prevent data mix-ups, ensure scalability, and simplify access management across multiple clients. Within each client setup, adopt a one account per organization, one property per distinct website or app, and multiple data streams per property for tracking web, iOS, and Android platforms.

Core Hierarchy Recommendations

• Accounts: Limit to one per organization or client to centralize access control and reduce overhead; agencies can create up to 100 accounts for multiple clients.
• Properties: Assign one per brand, business unit, website, or app with unique audiences—avoid separate properties for subdomains, as they track automatically.
• Sub-properties: Use sparingly for governance, regional divisions, or team isolation (e.g., GA360 customers needing filtered views); pair with roll-up properties for unified reporting.
• Data Streams: Limit to a maximum of 3 per property (one web stream, one per app version) to capture cross-platform user journeys without fragmentation.

Agency-Specific Strategies

Agencies managing diverse clients benefit from this structure to avoid "messy data" and enable client-specific reporting:

Implementation Best Practices

• Plan ahead: Map client digital assets, audiences, and team needs before setup to align with business goals.
• Access control: Use the account level for overarching user permissions.
• Maintenance: Regularly review and adjust for business changes, such as adding/deleting properties or streams.
• Advanced tools: Configure custom events, dimensions, funnels, and cohort analysis post-setup for deeper client insights.

This structure scales with agency growth, minimizes reporting headaches, and leverages GA4's event-based model effectively.