Manage Google Business Profile owners, managers and ownership transfers

Purpose

When a former employee or agency is the only owner of a Google Business Profile, the business can lose control of its own listing. This procedure keeps ownership with the business, gives everyone else only the access they need and makes handovers safe. It is finished when the business account is the primary owner, a second trusted owner exists, and every other user has the correct role.

Scope

In scope

• Auditing current owners, managers and pending invitations
• Adding, changing and removing users
• Transferring primary ownership
• Requesting ownership of a verified profile managed by someone else

Out of scope

• Creating and verifying a new profile (see WW-010)
• Suspended profiles (see WW-024)
• Bulk-verified, multi-location accounts

Roles and responsibilities

Role	Responsibility
Business owner	Holds primary ownership and approves who gets access.
Implementer	Audits access, sends invitations and records changes.
Outgoing owner or agency	Transfers primary ownership and removes themselves when asked.

Prerequisites

• Sign-in to the profile with an owner-level account.
• A business-owned Google account for primary ownership, not a personal account.
• The email address of each person who needs access. Each person needs their own Google account; never share passwords.

Procedure

Audit current access

Know who can change the profile before changing anything.

1. Open the profile, select More, then Business Profile settings, then People and access.
2. Record every user's email address and role (Primary owner, Owner or Manager) and any pending invitations in the client record.
3. Mark anyone who no longer works with the business, and any unknown addresses.

Assign the right roles

Give each person the least access they need.

1. Use Owner only for the business account and one trusted backup, such as a director. Owners can add and remove users and delete the profile.

2. Use Manager for staff and agencies. Managers can edit details, post, add photos and reply to reviews, but cannot manage users or delete the profile.

3. To add a user, select Add, enter their email address, choose the role and select Invite.

4. To change a role, select the user, then Edit next to Access, choose the new role and select Save.

   [!NOTE] A new owner or manager must wait 7 days before they can transfer primary ownership, remove other users or delete the profile. Plan handovers around this.

Transfer primary ownership

Move primary ownership to the business account safely.

1. Make sure the business account has already accepted an Owner invitation and has held access for at least 7 days.

2. Signed in as the current primary owner, open People and access, select the business account and choose the option to make it the primary owner.

3. Confirm the change shows on the People and access page.

4. Ask the previous primary owner to change themselves to Manager or remove themselves with Stop managing, if they no longer need access.

   [!WARNING] Remove former users only after the business account is confirmed as primary owner. Removing the wrong account first can leave nobody able to manage users.

Remove old users

Close access that is no longer needed.

1. Select each marked user and choose Remove person. Cancel any unknown pending invitation with Cancel invitation.
2. Note that removed users' past replies and posts remain on the profile; this is expected.

Recover a profile owned by someone else

Use Google's request process when the current owner cannot be reached.

1. Signed in with the business account, go to business.google.com/add, search for the business and select it.
2. When Google shows that someone else may manage the profile, select Request access, complete the form and submit.
3. Record the request date. The current owner has 3 days to respond.
4. If there is no response after 3 days, open the confirmation email, select View request, and follow the steps to Verify if the option is offered.
5. For a service-area business with no public address, contact Google Business Profile support and choose Transfer ownership of listing instead.

Quality checks

• The business account is the primary owner.
• One trusted backup owner exists.
• Staff and agencies are managers, not owners.
• No former staff, former agencies or unknown accounts have access.
• The client record lists every user, role and the date of the audit.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Cannot transfer primary ownership	The new owner has held access for less than 7 days	Wait until 7 days have passed, then try again.
Cannot remove a user	You are signed in as a manager	Sign in with an owner account.
Invitation not received	Sent to the wrong address or blocked by email filtering	Cancel and re-send, or ask the user to check People and access while signed in.
Ownership request denied	Current owner rejected it	Use the appeal option in the rejection email and keep evidence of the business.

Records

• Record each access audit, change and transfer, with the date, in the client record.
• Keep ownership request confirmation emails until the transfer is complete.
• Repeat the access audit every six months and whenever staff or agencies change.

References

• Manage your Business Profile owners and managers (Google Business Profile Help)
• Request ownership of a Business Profile (Google Business Profile Help)
• Add or claim your Business Profile (Google Business Profile Help)