Client report broken after weeks? GA4 access checklist for Looker Studio
Most access problems don't show up at install — they show up a month or two later, when a report that worked fine suddenly doesn't. This page covers the common causes, in the order you're likely to hit them.
Symptom → cause → fix
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Report shows “no data” or blank charts on a template that worked before | The client (or their IT admin) removed your access — often during an unrelated cleanup, like an offboarding pass or a permissions review | Run the 30-second verify in the access checklist. If you're missing from the Users list, resend the matching email from the request email templates. |
| GA4 charts are blank but Search Console (or Ads) charts are fine, or vice versa | Access to each source is granted separately — losing one doesn't affect the others | Verify the specific source in the access checklist, then resend only that source's email template. |
| GA4 data stops at a specific date and goes blank after that | The client migrated their site or app to a new GA4 property (common after a redesign or a new website launch), and the report is still pointed at the old, now-frozen property | Ask the client for the new property ID, request Viewer access on the new property, and repoint the data source connection in Looker Studio to it — no need to rebuild the template. |
| Search Console data stops entirely, “Data not available” error | The property's verification changed hands (e.g., during a hosting or domain change), and your access didn't carry over from the old verified owner | Ask the client whether the property was re-verified recently. If ownership moved, you'll need a fresh access grant from whoever the new verified owner is. |
| Charts show intermittent errors, “quota exceeded,” or fail to load — especially on days when several people are reviewing reports | A genuine GA4 limitation, not a bug in the template: every GA4 property shares a single API request quota across everyone querying it — you, other tools the client uses, dashboards from other agencies. Opening several report tabs at once or refreshing repeatedly during a busy stretch can trip it. | Space out refreshes, avoid pulling the same property from multiple tabs at once, and retry — GA4 quota resets on a rolling basis within the hour. If it happens often, something else may be over-querying the same property; worth flagging to the client. |
| Client “changed agencies” and your access still shows up, or you're the new agency and the outgoing one is still listed | Nobody ran an offboarding step — access grants don't expire on their own | Leaving: ask the client to remove you once the handoff is confirmed. Arriving: check the Users list on each property for stale accounts, flag it to the client, and send this kit's request emails for your own access. |
| Access is still listed, but a report element stops populating (e.g., PPC budget pacing, or a GSC field that needs more than view rights) | The permission level was quietly downgraded — for example, a Google Ads Standard user moved to Read-only, or a Search Console Full User moved to Restricted, during a routine access cleanup | Check the exact level in the access checklist. The view-only levels this kit asks for (GA4 Viewer, GSC Restricted, Ads Read-only) cover every template in this kit — if something depends on more than that, it isn't meant for a view-only report and should be flagged rather than worked around. |
| Google Ads report is empty and the MCC link shows “Pending” | The client never accepted the manager-account link request, or accepted it and later unlinked it during their own account cleanup | Have the client check Admin > Access and security > Managers tab and accept the pending request, or re-link. If they don't recall doing either, resend the Google Ads template from the Google Ads access guide. |
A note on the GA4 quota issue
If a client asks why their report "glitched" for a day, tell them the truth: GA4 shares a request quota across everyone using that property, and your report isn't the only thing pulling from it. It isn't a flaw in the template, and it resolves on its own — usually within the hour. Agencies that explain this accurately keep client trust; agencies that go quiet or blame "a bug" don't.
AgencyWorks is not affiliated with Google. Looker Studio is a trademark of Google LLC.
These guides ship inside every AgencyWorks template as the Client Onboarding Kit.
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