Being asked to add someone as an Administrator to your Google Ad Manager network can feel like a big step. It is a fair question to ask why. This guide explains what the role allows, why the account review needs it, and exactly what happens in your network while the review runs.

What the Administrator role is

Ad Manager comes with built-in user roles. According to Google's guide to user roles, the Administrator role has full access to all functionality except the "Manage legal" permission category. Lighter roles exist, such as Executive, which has read-only access for reports.

Why a read-only role is not enough

The review behind AdGlobeX onboarding, run by ADX Approval, reads account data through the Ad Manager API. That is the most reliable way to collect account history, revenue, payment consistency and traffic signals without anyone clicking through screens.

Here is the catch: Google's API access guide states that only a user with the Administrator role can turn on API access. The setting lives in Admin > Global settings > Network settings, under General settings. If API access is already off in your network, a reviewer with a lesser role simply cannot enable it, and the review cannot run.

What happens during the review

To be precise about scope:

  • API access is enabled in your network settings. This is the only network setting that changes.
  • Ad settings are not changed. Ad units, placements, line items, orders, pricing rules, refresh and demand settings stay exactly as you left them.
  • Data is read, not rewritten, to assess eligibility.

ADX Approval states on its website that it does not change ad settings without your permission.

How to grant access safely

  1. Sign in to Ad Manager with your own account.
  2. Go to Admin > Access & authorization > Users and click New user.
  3. Enter the reviewer email you received after applying and select the Administrator role.
  4. Save. You never share your password or sign-in details.

How to take access back

You stay in control the whole time. In Admin > Access & authorization > Users, open the reviewer's profile and set the status to Inactive. Google's help page on adding and editing users notes that deactivating a user revokes access to the network immediately. You can also switch API access off again in Network settings if you no longer need it.

Good security habits

  • Grant access only to the exact email given to you in the application flow.
  • Review your user list every few months and deactivate anyone you no longer work with.
  • Keep two-step verification on for your own Google account.
  • Be wary of anyone who asks for your password instead of a user invitation.

The short version

Administrator is required because API access can only be enabled by an Administrator. During the review, API access is the only thing switched on, nothing about how your ads serve is changed, and you can remove access whenever you choose.

If the scope described here works for you, submit your application and add the reviewer as an Administrator when your status page asks you to.