If you switched vendors tomorrow, would your dealership still have access to its Google Analytics account and historical data? In this third installment of But What If You’re Wrong?, Wikimotive’s Victoria Chadbourne and Julia Reimers challenge the assumption that it doesn’t matter who controls your analytics as long as you get the reports.

Victoria and Julia open with a dealership whose former vendor refused to hand over access to its GA4 setup. They discuss when it makes sense to let a vendor handle setup, what to ask before work begins, and how to make sure your dealership can manage access to its own analytics.

What Dealers Can Take From This Conversation

• Get clear on who controls the account. Before setup begins, ask what the vendor will create, why they need it, and how and when your dealership will get administrative access.
• Let your vendor help with setup. A vendor can handle the technical work while your dealership retains control over the account and its data.
• Manage your own permissions. Your dealership should be able to decide who gets access and at what level, including when you bring on another partner.
• Ask about restrictions up front. If the vendor says they can’t hand over control, find out whether that’s a platform limitation or a vendor policy. Where possible, set up the account under your dealership’s control and grant the vendor the access they need.
• Run the vendor-switch test. If the relationship ended tomorrow, could your team still sign in, see historical data, and give your next partner access? Find out before you need to make the switch.

More From But What If You’re Wrong?

But What If You’re Wrong? brings Victoria Chadbourne and Julia Reimers together to challenge common dealership marketing assumptions through candid, practical conversations. The series explores local listings, data ownership, analytics, SEO vendor expectations, and website migrations—helping dealers ask better questions and make more informed decisions.