Google Analytics and Reporting: The Key to Accountability and Success

When it comes to running a business or managing marketing efforts, owning and understanding your Google Analytics account is non-negotiable.

Too often, business owners unknowingly put their success at risk by handing over analytics entirely to third-party agencies. This can lead to poor marketing performance, a lack of transparency, and even the permanent loss of google analytics data.

That’s why at Digital Harvest, we promote a simple idea: data ownership is empowerment. When you have full access to your analytics and reporting tools, you can make smarter data-driven decisions, uncover valuable insights, and hold your team (or agency) accountable for actual results.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through why tools like Google Analytics matter, how they support better user acquisition strategies, and what steps you need to take to secure control of your data today.

What Is Google Analytics & Why Does It Matter?

Did you know that Google Analytics is used by over 44 million websites around the world? Its reach alone shows how critical it is for monitoring website traffic, performance, and audience behavior.

With a properly configured Google Analytics account, you can track key metrics such as user behavior, bounce rate, session length, and traffic sources. Whether you’re analyzing how many users visited a page, the percentage of new users, or segmenting audiences by source, using Google Analytics gives you unmatched clarity into your audience’s actions. This tool allows you to measure what’s working in your campaign performance and where you need to adjust.

Here’s how it delivers valuable insights for your business:

• Identify Strengths: Discover which marketing channels bring in the most traffic and best leads
• Detect Weaknesses: Spot pages with a high bounce rate that may be driving potential customers away
• Improve Outcomes: Understand how user acquisition funnels are performing and optimize for better conversions

“If you don’t own your analytics, you’re giving away the keys to understanding your business.” — Avram Gonzales, CEO of Digital Harvest

Failing to maintain ownership of your Google Analytics account means you’re giving up visibility into your business’s site performance and that’s a blind spot no business can afford.

The 5 Key Data Properties You Must Own

If you want full accountability and long-term success in your marketing, there are five essential properties you must own and manage directly.

These tools collectively allow you to monitor campaign performance, track user behavior, and make confident data-driven decisions without relying on agency-controlled platforms.

1. Google Analytics

Your Google Analytics account is the foundation of all your digital performance tracking. It measures website traffic, conversion actions, bounce rate, and other key behaviors that show how users engage with your site.

Without access to your Google Analytics data, you risk driving your business without a dashboard, unable to make informed decisions about what’s working or not.

If your agency owns or controls your data stream, you could lose access to historical performance data and even customized configurations like custom reports or realtime reports.

Own it to:

• Track sessions, form submissions, and sales activity. You can monitor traffic from every traffic acquisition channel whether it’s organic traffic, paid search, referral links, or direct traffic. Google Analytics centralizes all the data, helping you compare what truly drives engagement.
• Analyze which traffic sources convert best
• Maintain full visibility over your site performance

2. Google Search Console

Google Search Console shows how your site performs in organic search results. It provides powerful data-driven insights into keyword visibility, clicks, and technical SEO health.

Failing to connect this property or having it under the wrong account can leave you in the dark about how people are finding you through search engines.

Use it to:

• Diagnose crawl issues and indexing errors
• Track keyword rankings and user acquisition from organic search
• Improve content performance by understanding how specific pages perform in SERPs

3. Google Business Profile

For local SEO, your Google Business Profile is a goldmine for visibility, reviews, and search behavior insights.

Many business owners overlook how powerful this tool can be, especially when linked with Google Analytics to better understand user interaction via local listings.

Use it to:

• Track calls, direction requests, and reviews
• Measure engagement from local users
• Own your brand presence across search engines

4. Google Tag Manager

Google Tag Manager makes it easy to install and manage tracking codes without touching your site’s codebase.

It’s a central hub for your analytics and marketing tools, ensuring consistent data collection across platforms even if you switch websites or agencies.

Use it to:

• Implement event tracking (like form submissions and button clicks)
• Manage tags for tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and more
• Maintain clean and consistent tracking without developer bottlenecks

5. Google Ads (Bonus)

If you’re running PPC campaigns, owning your Google Ads account is a must. Without it, you’re putting your entire campaign performance and historical ad data in someone else’s hands.

Use it to:

• Track cost-per-click, impressions, and conversions
• Measure ROI for each traffic source
• Sync with your Google Analytics account for cross-channel reporting

Why Proper Google Analytics Setup Is Important

One of the most overlooked elements of reliable analytics is centralized access. When your Google Analytics account, Google Ads, and other platforms are split across multiple logins or owned by outside vendors, your business loses control over its data ecosystem.

This fragmented setup leads to:

• Gaps in data streams
• Misconfigured tracking codes
• Loss of site content insights
• Inaccurate bounce rate and user behavior reporting

Let’s break down why centralized access matters and how to implement it right.

Why Centralized Access Is Crucial

• Uninterrupted Ownership: If your tools are scattered, you might lose access when switching vendors. Keeping all analytics properties under your own business-managed Google account protects your active users, past performance, and custom reports.
• Streamlined Analysis: When data from your website and app flows through the same channel, you can analyze which pages users visit, how long they stay, and how they move across platforms—all in one place.
• Long-Term Visibility: Consistent ownership lets you look back across any date range to measure trends, seasonal drops, and year-over-year performance. With full access, you can generate a reports snapshot, compare desktop visitors to mobile, filter by operating system, and explore other reports that help segment your performance further.

Common Issues with Decentralized Accounts

• Properties are managed under multiple Google accounts
• Inconsistent tracking codes or unlinked data streams
• No access to returning users data
• Missing ability to pull data for analysis or download in-depth information

Steps to Establish Centralized Access

1. Assign Ownership to One Account: Use a business-managed Gmail or Google Workspace account as the primary admin. Grant admin access to internal team members—not just your agency.
2. Integrate Tools Properly: Link your Google Analytics account, Google Ads, and Search Console together. Make sure your tracking code is installed correctly and firing across all web pages.
3. Audit and Fix Issues: Use tools like Tag Assistant or GA4’s debug mode to find misfires. Check for broken integrations or ghost data.
4. Document & Maintain: Outline how each tool is linked, who has access, and how to audit each platform monthly. Track changes over time for clarity.

Benefits of Centralized Access

By creating a connected analytics ecosystem, you empower your team to make smarter decisions and ensure your marketing performance can scale with your business.

Beyond Analytics: Layering Call and Form Tracking

While Google Analytics gives powerful insights into user interaction and behavior, it doesn’t tell the whole story especially when it comes to lead quality.

That’s why at Digital Harvest, we integrate form submissions and call tracking into every client’s analytics setup. When layered correctly, this provides a more accurate picture of how well your campaign performance translates into real-world results.

“If the phones aren’t ringing, the analytics don’t matter.” — Avram Gonzales

Why It Matters

Tracking phone calls and form submissions ensures you’re not just measuring landing page views or traffic spikes; you’re evaluating key metrics that lead to revenue.

Call and form tracking help you:

• Determine which specific pages lead to conversions

• Match phone calls to campaigns for tighter attribution

• Analyze which report helps identify drop-offs in the user journey

• Uncover valuable insights into call quality and customer intent

This extra layer of visibility supports truly data-driven decisions by tying your campaign performance directly to meaningful outcomes, not just vanity metrics.

If you’re relying solely on Google Analytics, you may miss out on the nuance behind clicks and visits. But by connecting the dots with additional tracking tools, you unlock a more complete story of your marketing impact. Tools like path exploration and enhanced reports can provide insights into the steps users take before converting, giving you a detailed view of the customer journey.

How to Take Control of Your Data Today

Owning your Google Analytics account and related properties gives you control over your growth, not just your numbers. Here’s how to get started:

Step 1: Conduct an Audit

Begin with a full review of your analytics stack.

Check if your team has access to key platforms like Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Google Search Console. Confirm who owns the properties and whether you have visibility into active users, data streams, and custom reports.

Also, assess whether you’re able to track:

• Users visited each section of your website
• What site content performs best
• How users behave in your pages report

If you don’t know where your data is stored or who can access it, it’s time to fix that.

Step 2: Assign the Right Roles

Make sure trusted team members or leadership have admin-level access. With internal control, you can monitor key metrics, preserve historical data, and protect your data from loss when switching vendors.

Step 3: Partner with the Right Agency

Choose an agency that prioritizes data-driven decisions and respects your ownership.

At Digital Harvest, we operate as partners, not gatekeepers, and help you configure advanced tools like Google Tag Manager to extract deeper insights from your setup.

Step 4: Monitor Regularly

Set a recurring schedule (monthly is ideal) to:

• Review performance across platforms
• Watch for changes in active users and traffic sources
• Track how your data stream flows across tools
• Improve your custom reports to answer new business questions

Taking ownership isn’t a one-time task. It’s a system that keeps your business agile and your marketing performance visible.

The Power of Accountability: Why Ownership Matters

Protect Your Investment

If a vendor owns your analytics properties, you risk losing access to important metrics, campaign history, and even your traffic source breakdowns.
Ownership ensures you can always pull data, make informed decisions, and adjust your strategy with confidence.

Build Confidence in Your Marketing Decisions

With tools like Google Analytics, custom reports, and attribution tracking, you can see exactly:

• Which pages convert best
• Where returning users drop off
• Which report helps identify missed opportunities
• How your marketing channels are performing in real time

This transparency gives you the confidence to double down on what works and cut what doesn’t.

The Long-Term Payoff

When you own your data, you gain the ability to:

• Compare campaigns across any date range

• Track ecommerce transactions, form fills, or calls in one dashboard

• Understand every step in the user journey from landing page to conversion

• Spot patterns in returning users, traffic dips, or device behavior

Owning your data also allows you to connect platforms, like Google Ads and Google Analytics, for holistic analysis across every traffic source and marketing channel. Whether you’re a service provider or running an online store, having access to unified analytics allows you to track product engagement, sales funnels, and campaign effectiveness from click to checkout.

This is how smart businesses scale.

Your Marketing Can’t Afford Blind Spots

If your team can’t see where leads are coming from or which campaigns are working, your strategy is incomplete. Data is your most valuable asset and without it, even the best campaigns will fall flat.

At Digital Harvest, we help you reclaim and optimize your analytics data for long-term clarity and growth.

Ready to regain control of your data? Get in touch with us at Digital Harvest or connect with Avram Gonzales on LinkedIn to take the first step toward smarter, data-driven marketing decisions. Whether you’re troubleshooting attribution models or trying to tie conversions to a social media post, it starts with owning your data.