Summary
Accessing 'shared domains' in Google Postmaster Tools is not supported through a direct sharing or delegation feature, unlike many other Google services. The tool is primarily designed for domain administrators and owners to monitor their own sending reputation, with access strictly controlled by domain ownership verification. Consequently, accessing a client's Postmaster Tools data typically requires agencies to either log into the client's Google account that verified the domain or rely on the client providing manual data exports and reports. While some users describe an undocumented method of manually adding a domain to one's own Postmaster Tools account that may grant access if the domain is already verified and 'access has been granted,' this is not an official or widely supported delegation mechanism.
Key findings
- No Direct Sharing Feature: Unlike some other Google services, Google Postmaster Tools lacks a built-in feature for sharing domain data or delegating access to other Google accounts. Access is inherently tied to domain ownership verification.
- Ownership Verification Required: Access to a domain's data in Postmaster Tools is strictly granted to the specific Google account that successfully verifies ownership of that domain. Each domain must be individually added and verified.
- Common Access Workarounds: Agencies or third parties typically gain access to client Postmaster Tools data by either having the client provide login credentials to the Google account that verified the domain, or by receiving periodic data exports and reports from the client.
- Undocumented Manual Add: Some anecdotal accounts suggest that manually adding a domain to your Postmaster Tools account, even if not immediately verified by you, might grant access if the domain has already been verified by another Google account and some form of access has been granted, although this is not officially documented by Google.
Key considerations
- Security Implications: Sharing Google account credentials for Postmaster Tools access, while a common workaround, introduces potential security risks for clients. Agencies and clients should carefully consider their security protocols.
- Data Access Limitations: Relying on manual data exports or screenshots from clients means that agencies may not have real-time access to deliverability insights, which can impact timely problem resolution.
- Client Responsibility: The primary responsibility for setting up and verifying a domain in Google Postmaster Tools rests with the domain owner. Agencies often need to guide clients through this initial setup.
- No Centralized Dashboard: Google Postmaster Tools does not offer a centralized dashboard or an agency-specific interface for managing multiple, unrelated client domains from a single Google account.
What email marketers say
9 marketer opinions
Accessing 'shared' domains within Google Postmaster Tools requires navigating the tool's design, which prioritizes domain owner verification over shared access features. For agencies and third parties, the primary methods involve the client directly sharing login access to their Google account where the domain is verified, or the client providing regular exports of their Postmaster Tools data. While Google Postmaster Tools lacks native multi-user delegation or a centralized agency dashboard, an intriguing, albeit undocumented, approach allows a user to manually add a domain; if the domain has already been verified by the owner and access has been implicitly granted, it may then appear without requiring further verification steps.
Key opinions
- Domain Owner Focus: Google Postmaster Tools is designed as a self-service tool primarily for domain owners to monitor their own email sending reputation, with access fundamentally linked to the Google account that verifies domain ownership.
- Absence of Delegation: The platform does not feature built-in user management or sharing capabilities, meaning direct delegation of access to other Google accounts is not natively supported.
- Client-Centric Access: For agencies or third parties, gaining access typically relies on the client either providing login credentials to their Google account that verified the domain, or sharing periodic reports and data exports.
- Manual Addition Workaround: An unofficial method allows users to manually add a domain to their own Postmaster Tools interface; if the domain is already verified by the owner, access may be granted without further verification.
- No Agency Dashboard: Google Postmaster Tools does not offer a centralized dashboard or dedicated interface for agencies to manage insights across multiple, unrelated client domains from a single account.
Key considerations
- Security Best Practices: Direct sharing of client Google account credentials, while a common workaround, poses security risks and should be approached with robust internal protocols and client consent.
- Data Freshness and Completeness: Relying on manual reports or screenshots from clients can lead to delayed or incomplete access to deliverability data, potentially hindering rapid response to issues.
- Client Onboarding for GPT: Agencies will often need to guide clients through the initial setup and verification process for their domains within Google Postmaster Tools, as the responsibility lies with the domain owner.
- Scalability Challenges for Agencies: The absence of a centralized agency dashboard means managing multiple client domains in Postmaster Tools can be cumbersome, requiring separate logins or coordination for each client's data.
- Understanding Tool Limitations: Users should be aware that Google Postmaster Tools is not designed for multi-user agency access, which impacts workflow and data acquisition strategies.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that to access a Google Postmaster domain that has been shared with you, you need to manually add the domain by clicking the plus sign in the bottom right and typing the domain name. If access has been granted, it will magically appear in your list without further verification steps like TXT records. She notes this is the only known method, despite its unusual and undocumented nature.
15 Feb 2025 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that if you add a domain to Google Postmaster Tools without immediate verification and the client later grants you access, it should become a verified domain over time as Google polls for ownership records.
1 Mar 2025 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
2 expert opinions
Google Postmaster Tools distinguishes between domains owned and verified by individual senders or their clients, and shared domains or IPs managed by Email Service Providers (ESPs). While clients can authorize designated users, such as consultants, to access their own verified domains within Postmaster Tools, direct access to the performance data for shared domains and IPs managed by an ESP is not available to the ESP's clients. Google Postmaster Tools is fundamentally designed for senders to monitor their claimed domains, not to provide clients with insights into an ESP's shared infrastructure; consequently, ESPs can only manually share summarized data or insights with their clients.
Key opinions
- GPT's Domain Focus: Google Postmaster Tools is primarily designed for senders to monitor their own claimed domains and is not configured for direct client access to shared domains or IP addresses managed by an Email Service Provider (ESP).
- ESP Shared Domain Access: Clients of Email Service Providers (ESPs) cannot directly access Postmaster Tools data for shared domains or IP addresses that are owned and managed by the ESP.
- Manual Reporting from ESPs: ESPs must manually provide summarized data or insights from their own Postmaster Tools accounts to their clients regarding the performance of shared domains and IPs.
- Client-Owned Domain Access: If a client owns and verifies their specific domain in Google Postmaster Tools, they can authorize designated users, such as external consultants or agencies, to access that domain's data, and this access typically remains stable.
Key considerations
- Distinguish Domain Ownership: Understanding whether a domain is owned by the client or is part of an ESP's shared infrastructure is crucial, as this dictates the type and level of Google Postmaster Tools access possible.
- Limited Client Transparency: Clients utilizing an ESP's shared domains or IP addresses will not have direct, real-time access to deliverability data via Google Postmaster Tools, relying instead on manual reports from their ESP.
- Reliance on ESP Data Sharing: Clients using shared ESP environments are dependent on their ESP to proactively share relevant, summarized deliverability metrics and insights from Postmaster Tools.
- Facilitating Agency Access: For client-owned domains, designating specific users for Google Postmaster Tools access can enable agencies or consultants to efficiently monitor and troubleshoot deliverability issues.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks confirms that she has clients authorize her as a designated user on their domain for Google Postmaster Tools and that this access has remained stable for years, without Google revoking it.
11 Apr 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that users cannot directly access data for shared domains within Google Postmaster Tools. GPT is designed for senders to monitor their own claimed domains, not those used by an Email Service Provider (ESP) in a shared environment. ESPs cannot grant clients direct access to their Postmaster Tools data for shared domains or IPs; instead, they can only share summarized data or insights manually.
5 Nov 2022 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
6 technical articles
Google Postmaster Tools is fundamentally designed for individual domain administrators and owners to monitor their own email deliverability performance. Access to any domain's data is strictly controlled by a robust ownership verification process; consequently, there is no direct feature to 'share' or 'delegate' access to another user's Postmaster Tools data for a specific domain. This means that if a domain is considered 'shared' in the context of an Email Service Provider (ESP), only the ESP, as the verified owner of that sending infrastructure, can directly access its Postmaster Tools data. Clients utilizing these shared domains or IP addresses cannot gain direct access to this data. They must rely on their ESP to provide reports or summaries regarding the deliverability performance of these shared resources. Similarly, for client-owned domains, while specific users can be authorized to access their own verified domain, Postmaster Tools does not offer a universal 'sharing' mechanism for broad, delegated access.
Key findings
- Ownership-Based Access: Google Postmaster Tools grants access strictly based on the verification of domain ownership. To view data for any domain, it must be added and individually verified by the Google account seeking access.
- No Direct Sharing Feature: There is no built-in functionality within Google Postmaster Tools to 'share' or 'delegate' access to a domain's data to another Google account, unlike other collaborative Google services.
- ESP Owns Shared Domain Data: For shared domains or IP addresses managed by an Email Service Provider (ESP), only the ESP, as the verified owner, has direct access to the corresponding Google Postmaster Tools data.
- Clients Cannot Access ESP Shared Data: Clients using an ESP's shared sending infrastructure cannot directly access or view the Postmaster Tools data for those shared domains or IP addresses through their own accounts.
- Individual Domain Management: Each domain, whether owned by an individual sender or an ESP, is managed independently within its respective Postmaster Tools account, underscoring the tool's focus on self-monitoring by the domain owner.
Key considerations
- Distinguish Domain Control: It is important to differentiate between domains fully controlled and verified by a sender or client, and shared domains or IP addresses managed by an Email Service Provider (ESP), as this dictates potential Postmaster Tools access.
- Lack of Client Visibility on Shared Domains: Clients who send emails using an ESP's shared domains or IP addresses will not have direct, real-time access to the associated deliverability data within Google Postmaster Tools. They must rely on their ESP for insights.
- Reliance on ESP Reporting: For performance data related to shared sending infrastructure, clients are dependent on their ESP to proactively share relevant metrics and summaries derived from the ESP's own Postmaster Tools account.
- Prioritize Client-Owned Domain Verification: If a client utilizes a dedicated domain, verifying it directly in their own Google Postmaster Tools account is essential for gaining direct, independent oversight of their email sending reputation.
Technical article
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools Help explains that to access a domain's data, you must add and verify the domain within your Postmaster Tools account. Each domain needs to be individually added and verified to prove ownership. There is no direct feature to 'share' or 'delegate' access to another user's Postmaster Tools data for a specific domain. You manage your own domains within your account.
19 Aug 2022 - Google Postmaster Tools Help
Technical article
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help confirms that Google Postmaster Tools is set up by domain administrators to monitor email delivery from their own domains. It emphasizes the process of adding and verifying domain ownership to gain access to the data, reiterating that Postmaster Tools is a tool for the domain owner to self-monitor.
7 Sep 2023 - Google Workspace Admin Help
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