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Why You Shouldn't Use A Gmail Account For Your Google Accounts

Because I work in a search marketing agency, I often get a unique view of challenges companies face with various search marketing issues. For example, I often work with clients who have existing Google accounts with various Google properties, not just limited to Google AdWords. Over time, I've seen many companies use a Gmail account to register on various Google properties and tools such as Google AdWords. However, using a Gmail account for corporate Google account management isn't really a good idea.

Corporate Management of a Gmail Account Is Limited

While many employees have the best of intentions when they register a new Gmail account for corporate use for Google properties, this can cause major issues when a key employee with access to this account leaves the company. If the account is shared and the password is shared between many employees then, at minimum, a mass password change must occur. Worst case scenario, if the account is only owned by one employee, no one may know the password to the account. Imagine that the one employee managing your company's Google AdWords account just left the company, and you have no idea how to log in to the account! It's as if the departing employee is holding your account hostage.

Think of the potential security and intellectual property risks. Every Google property that may store documents and information proprietary to your company would be out of your reach. Everything from Google Docs to Google Analytics to Google AdWords would be at risk. And if you can't access your Gmail account, Google isn't going to provide you with access either just because you claim to be the true owner of that data.

A Better Approach: Corporate Emails for Google Accounts

With a corporate email alias, however, the corporate IT department often has oversight of the email account and can easily change the password with little effect on the other account users, since an alias often just forwards to other users of the account. For example, at my firm, each employee has an alias created for them for specific use as a login for Google accounts. That way, if the employee leaves the company, we can quickly shift ownership of that email to another employee. Additionally, multiple employees can receive emails through an alias if we so choose.

How To Set Up a Google Account with a Corporate Email Address

Setting up your Google accounts with corporate email addresses (or aliases) is very simple.

1.     Create your corporate email address or alias. Make sure you can receive email to this email, although you will not need to send email from this email address (which is why you can also use an alias).

2.     Go to https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount to create a new account. Fill out the form with your new corporate email address (or alias) and create a password for the Google account.

3.     Once you confirm your new account with Google, you're all set and can begin using the new corporate email-based Google account to register with all of the Google properties.

1 comment about "Why You Shouldn't Use A Gmail Account For Your Google Accounts".
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  1. Carol Neill from Altra Federal CU, June 21, 2011 at 2:14 p.m.

    Is there an easy way to transfer "ownership" of Google properties from one gmail address to another?

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