Securing Your Business’s Digital Tools & Accounts
There are critical digital tools and web-based services that wineries rely on every day to support sales, marketing, and customer relationships. From website analytics and search visibility to social media and advertising platforms, these systems quietly hold some of your most valuable business data.
Making sure these tools are set up correctly — and that ownership, access, and security are handled properly — is essential to protecting your data, maintaining continuity, and avoiding disruptions when staff, vendors, or agencies change. The following guide outlines practical steps for reviewing and securing the core platforms many wineries use to manage their online presence.
We’ll continue to update this resource as platforms evolve and new tools become part of the typical winery tech stack.
Why This Matters for Wineries
Digital access issues are one of the most common (and preventable) problems we see with winery clients.
Unlike larger enterprises, wineries often rely on a small team — or outside vendors — to manage critical digital systems. Over time, this can lead to fragmented ownership, shared passwords, or accounts tied to personal emails. When someone leaves the business, access can be lost or difficult to recover.
Here are real-world issues we see regularly:
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A former employee or agency is the only owner of Google Analytics or Google Ads
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No one knows who controls the Google Business Profile that drives tasting room traffic
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Meta ad accounts are locked or suspended with no clear admin path
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Passwords are shared informally, creating security and compliance risks
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Historical data is lost due to lack of exports or backups
These issues can:
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Interrupt marketing and sales during peak seasons
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Delay website launches or campaigns
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Create expensive recovery or support situations
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Put sensitive customer and business data at risk
Taking a few hours to properly organize ownership, permissions, and security can prevent years of frustration — and ensures your winery remains in control of its digital presence no matter how your team or partners change.
Google Services
Google Analytics, Google My Business, Google Search Console, Google Tag Manager, Google Ads
Goal: Ensure your business retains access to your data no matter who on your team is monitoring, using, or editing things during day-to-day operations
Step 1: Consolidate Ownership
- Create a Dedicated Business Account: If you don’t already have one, create a new Google account specifically for your business’s digital assets. This account should be generic (e.g., info@yourbusiness.com) and not tied to any single employee.
🚩 TIP: If you don’t use Google as your email service provider, create a Google Gmail account for this generic account (e.g., mybusiness@gmail.com)
- Identify Current Owners: Make a list of your Google services and who has admin level access/ownership of the service.
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- Google Analytics account
- Google My Business profile
- Google Search Console
- Google Ads account
- Google Tag Manager properties
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Step 2: Transfer Ownership as needed
- Transfer Ownership (Google Analytics):
- Go to Google Analytics (https://marketingplatform.google.com/) > ⚙️ Admin > Account Settings.
- Under “User Management,” add your new business account with “Manage Users” and “Edit” permissions.
- Log in with the business account, then transfer primary ownership of the account to the business account.
- Transfer Ownership (Google My Business):
- Log in to Google My Business (https://business.google.com/) with the current owner’s account.
- Go to “Users” or “Managers” and add your new business account as an owner.
- Accept the invitation via your business account email, you can transfer primary ownership to it.
- Transfer Ownership (Google Search Console):
- In Google Search Console (https://search.google.com/), go to “Settings” in the left hand column > “Users and Permissions” in the center of the page
- Add your new business account as an “Owner”
→ You may need to verify ownership for the new account via an alternative method (e.g., HTML file upload, DNS record) Connect with Brian if you need help with this!
- Transfer Ownership (Google Ads):
- In Google Ads (https://ads.google.com/), go to ⚙️”Admin” > “Access and Security”
- Click ➕and add your new business account with “Admin” access
- Accept the invitation via your business account email
- Transfer Ownership (Google Tag Manager):
- In Google Tag Manager (https://tagmanager.google.com/), click the ⚙️cog for your container > “User Management”
- Click ➕ add your new business account with “Administrator” permissions.
- Ensure the new business account has full control over the container.
Step 3: Secure Accounts
Make sure you’ve reviewed Steps 2 & 3 first!
- Remove Individual Primary Ownership: Once the dedicated business account has confirmed primary ownership of all services, – check your new business email inbox 📩 and accept any invitations to access FIRST – then, downgrade or remove the previous individual accounts’ primary ownership status, keeping only necessary access levels for employees and vendors.
- Secure the Business Account: Implement strong, unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for this dedicated business account. Store these credentials securely and share them only with essential, trusted personnel.
🚩 TIP: If you don’t use one, consider adding a password manager to your tech stack. We recommend 1Password https://1password.com/ or BitWarden https://bitwarden.com/.
Step 4: Implement Access Best Practices
- Limited Access for Employees: Grant employees only the necessary level of access to each service.
✅ For example, a marketing team member might need “Edit” access to Google Ads, while a general team member only needs “View” access to Google Analytics.
- Regular Audits: Periodically review who has access to your Google services and remove access for former employees or those no longer requiring it.
🚩 TIP: Schedule this 1 time per year, and every time an employee or vendor partner leaves or joins your company.
- Strong Passwords and 2FA: Implement strong, unique passwords for all accounts and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for added security.
🚫 Warning: DO NOT just share passwords and user names. Add each party that needs access to your data as a user with appropriate access. This is YOUR BUSINESS DATA. Protect it!
- Data Backup and Export: Understand how to export data from each Google service for backup purposes. This ensures you have a copy of your historical data, even if account access issues arise. See More Info Here
- Document Account Information: Maintain a secure, centralized record of all Google account IDs, associated emails, and primary contact information.
Meta Services
Facebook Business page, Instagram account, Meta ads account
Goal: Maintain centralized control and secure access to your Meta business assets.
Step 1: Consolidate Ownership
- Create a Dedicated Business Manager Account: If you don’t already have one, set up a Meta Business Suite account (https://business.facebook.com/). This is the central hub for managing all your Meta assets (Facebook Pages, Instagram accounts, Ad Accounts, etc.) and user permissions.
- This account should be managed by a generic business email (e.g., social@yourbusiness.com).
🚩 TIP: Login in with a “Managed Meta Account” instead of using a Facebook login. This separates personal social media accounts from business accounts. See More Info Here
[As of Dec 2025, Managed Meta Account set up was available by invitation only from Meta.]
- Identify Current Owners: List all your Meta services and note who currently has admin or primary access to each.
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- Facebook Page
- Instagram Profile
- Facebook Ad Accounts
- Threads Profile
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Step 2: Transfer Ownership
- Add Assets to Business Manager:
- Facebook Page: Go to Business Manager > Click ⚙️ Settings > Accounts > Pages > Add Page.
- Instagram Account: Go to Business Manager > Click ⚙️ Settings > Accounts > Instagram Accounts > Add.
- Ad Accounts: Go to Business Manager > Click ⚙️ Settings > Accounts > Ad Accounts > Add.
- Threads Profile: Ensure your Threads profile is linked to your Instagram account, which should be connected to Business Manager.
- Assign Admin Access to Business Account: Within Business Manager, grant your dedicated business account (the one linked to the Business Manager) full admin access to all connected Pages, Instagram accounts, and Ad Accounts. – NOTE: This is probably your ownership’s personal Facebook account.
- Remove Individual Primary Ownership: Once the dedicated business account has confirmed full control within Business Manager, you can remove or downgrade the access of individual employee accounts, ensuring they only have necessary permissions.
[As of Dec 2025, employees are forced to use personal Facebook accounts to access Business Manager.]
Step 3: Implement Access Best Practices
- Limited Access for Employees: Assign roles and permissions within Business Manager based on the principle of least privilege.
✅ For example, a content creator might need “Publisher” access to a Facebook Page, while an ad specialist needs “Advertiser” access to an Ad Account.
- Regular Audits: Periodically review who has access to your Meta Business Manager and connected assets. Remove access for former employees or those who no longer require it.
🚩 TIP: Schedule this 1 time per year, and every time an employee or vendor partner leaves or joins your company.
- Strong Passwords and Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Ensure all accounts with access to your Business Manager have strong, unique passwords and 2FA enabled.
🚫 Warning: This may mean encouraging your vendor partner, or employee to improve their own account passwords and 2FA. This is YOUR BUSINESS DATA. Protect it!
- Monitor Page Roles and Ad Account Permissions: Regularly check the roles on your Facebook Page and permissions within your Ad Accounts, as these can sometimes be managed outside of Business Manager.
- Document Account Information: Maintain a secure record of all Meta Business Manager IDs, associated emails, Page IDs, and Ad Account IDs.
- Stay Updated: Keep informed about changes to Meta’s policies, privacy settings, and feature updates to ensure ongoing compliance and optimal performance.
Digital Hygiene Checklist for Winery Owners
Use this checklist when onboarding staff or agencies — and review it annually.
🔐 Account Ownership & Access
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☐ A dedicated business email account exists for digital ownership (not tied to one person)
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☐ The business account is the primary owner/admin of:
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☐ Google Analytics
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☐ Google Business Profile
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☐ Google Search Console
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☐ Google Ads
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☐ Google Tag Manager
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☐ Meta Business Manager
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☐ Facebook Page
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☐ Instagram Account
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☐ Ad Accounts
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☐ No critical account is owned solely by an employee or vendor
👥 User Permissions
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☐ Each employee/vendor has their own login (no shared passwords)
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☐ Access is granted based on role (View / Edit / Admin only as needed)
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☐ Former employees and vendors have been fully removed
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☐ Access is reviewed:
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☐ Annually
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☐ Whenever a team member or vendor joins or leaves
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🔑 Security Best Practices
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☐ Strong, unique passwords are used for all admin-level accounts
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☐ Two-factor authentication (2FA) is enabled everywhere possible
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☐ A password manager is in use (e.g., 1Password or Bitwarden)
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☐ Admin credentials are stored securely and shared only with trusted owners
📁 Documentation & Backup
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☐ A secure record exists with:
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☐ Account IDs
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☐ Associated emails
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☐ Primary owners
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☐ Vendor access notes
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☐ Key data is periodically exported or backed up:
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☐ Google Analytics data
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☐ Google Ads history
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☐ Meta Ad performance
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☐ The owner knows who to contact if access is lost
🍷 Owner Sign-Off
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☐ I know who owns our digital accounts
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☐ I know who has access and why
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☐ I am confident we can maintain access if a vendor or employee leaves
