If you’ve got a website, it’s likely you are going to need a Google account to access and manage some of the services linked to your website.
Why do I need a Google account?
There are some really important Google services that are setup on your website. As a business owner or manager, it’s important for you to have access to these for the ongoing operation of both your business and website.
Here are the most popular services that could be used on your website:
- Google Analytics – Tracks user activity on your website
- Google Business Listings – Shows your key contact information in search & maps
- Google Search Console – Insights and information about how your business appears in search results
- YouTube – Add your businesses videos to YouTube
As well as the popular ones above, there are many other Google products or services that could be relevant to your business such as Google Workspace, Google Ads, Google Cloud, Chrome Browser, Google Alerts and many more.
To access many of these Google services or products, you need to have a Google account.
How to setup a Google account
To set up a Google account to access Google services, you have two options:
- Setup a new account with a free Gmail account
- Setup a new account linked to your existing email address (which doesn’t have to be Gmail)
If you want a new Gmail account for your business, then just head to the Google sign in page and click Create account. You will be prompted to set a username, password and have to provide some contact information.
How to setup a Google account with your existing email
If you don’t want a Gmail account, then you can still signup for a new Google account that is linked to your existing email.
This is a great option for business owners or managers who either already have a business email setup with another provider, or don’t want to setup a new Gmail account.
To do this, follow the steps below.
- Go to the Google sign in page
- Click Create account
- Choose the option Use my current email address instead
- Complete the signup process, which will include verifying your email address
More information about both options is available from Google here.
Using your new Google account
Once your account is setup, you can be added for access to any Google services like Analytics, Google Business Listings or Google Search Console.
It’s important to keep your Google account secure, and setup recovery information to prevent you from being locked out of your account. Learn how to add a recovery phone or email to your account here if you haven’t done this at signup.