After investigating this issue myself without an “official” source of information, I decided to put what I learned into a quick blog post for others looking for answers.
Apparently, since the final demise of Google+ platform, Google Brand Accounts no longer associate a Google My Business (GMB) listing with a YouTube channel, even if both are owned by the same email address/Brand Account.
I chatted with GMB support who referred me over to the YouTube forum to post my issue, and this is the response that was provided:
Before, it was easy to associate all of your Google platforms in one Brand Account – YouTube, GMB, Photos, Gmail, etc. – and efficiently add or remove managers in one place.
Now, Google My Business and YouTube can no longer be associated, even under a Brand Account when the same email owns/manages both platforms. Notice how the storefront icon representing GMB is missing.
You now need to manage user access separately – in one place in Google My Business, and in another place in your Brand Account.
- To add users in Google My Business: go to business.google.com, login with the listing owner’s email address, and access the location you want to manage. Navigate to the Users setting, click the plus sign/person icon in the top right corner, add the email address for the new user who needs access, select the Role type you want to give them, and click Invite.
- To add users to a Google Brand Account: go to myaccount.google.com/brandaccounts, login with the listing owner’s email address, click on the Brand Account you want to manage, click Manage Permissions, add the email address for the new user who needs access, select the Role type you want to give them, and click Invite.
Through both methods, the user that you invited will get an email stating they have been invited to own/manage the platform, and they will need to click Accept invitation in that email.
This also means if you want to add users to Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google AdWords, etc., those are additional places you need to go to access each platform’s settings.
Needing to access three or four different spots to manager user access is only half of the problem. The other half of the problem is keeping up with the ever-changing landscape of settings for these platforms. I feel like Google is running a “Survival of the Fittest” simulation with its platform and services – only those who can adapt to the constant changes can maintain employment in search/digital marketing or benefit from the services Google provides. It’s one thing to change things every so often if it improves usability and efficiency. It’s another thing to change for unknown reasons, without transparency or support for those that use the platforms, which is what these changes often feel like.
I mostly typed up this article to help those of you looking for an answer regarding the disassociation between Google My Business and YouTube/Brand Accounts find something helpful. Though be aware, as soon as you get comfortable with this new, less-efficient setup, it will change again and this information will become obsolete.
Cheers,
Laura Duncan
Site Architect and Optimization Specialist, MyAdvice
