Splitting Google Business Profile owners and managers between headquarters, locations and an agency

Google Business Profile manages the business information that appears in Google Search and Maps. One location’s profile can have several users, and each is either an owner or a manager. When headquarters, store staff and an agency share the work, who gets which role decides what has to happen when someone leaves. How this kind of per-person access works is covered in what is delegated access?

What owners and managers can do

Business Profile Help says managers have nearly the same access as owners. The exception is that managers can’t add or remove people, and they can’t remove the profile. Posting, replying to reviews, and editing hours or photos are all open to managers.

A profile can have several owners, but only one primary owner. Only the primary owner can transfer that role, and they can’t remove themselves from the profile until they have.

New owners and managers are held back for 7 days. During that time they can’t delete or restore a profile, remove other owners or managers, or transfer primary ownership.

Invitations go to an email address. Google Groups (one address for a group of people) can’t be added as owners or managers.

Splitting roles between headquarters, locations and an agency

Business Profile Help doesn’t say who should be an owner. What follows is one example built from the rules above.

Headquarters: the primary owner and one more owner

Someone at headquarters holds primary ownership through their own Google account on a company email address. A transfer needs that person to act. So give the role to someone who will hand it over as part of leaving (see “When the primary owner at headquarters leaves” below). Add a second owner at headquarters, too. Managers can’t add or remove anyone, so a second owner keeps that work moving when the primary owner is away.

Each location: a manager on its own profile

Store managers and staff are added as managers on their own store’s profile only. Managers can’t add users, so a store can’t widen access on its own.

The agency: one manager per staff member

Agency work, such as posting, replying to reviews and downloading insights, fits the manager role. Invite each staff member at a company email address, and don’t let a team share one account. The trade-off is that each new agency staff member needs headquarters to send an invitation.

If the agency holds primary ownership, ending the contract needs the agency to act. If the agency can’t be reached, the way back is to request ownership. The current owner has 3 days to respond. Without a response you may be able to claim the profile, but Google notes “The option to claim a profile isn’t always available.”

Business groups for many locations

With many locations, profiles can go into a business group, a shared container for a team’s profiles. A group has its own owners and managers.

Help says a group’s owners and managers “can access all current and future profiles placed in the group.” Profiles can be moved only into a group the person owns or manages.

So an agency staff member made a group manager can reach stores they don’t work on, and can delete profiles there. For someone assigned to particular stores, add them to each store’s profile instead.

An agency can also use an organization account, which Google describes as how an agency manages profiles for the businesses it works with. For a single profile, the profile owner invites a business group in the agency’s organization by its business group ID, or the agency requests access. For a business group, the group owner invites the agency’s organization by its 10-digit organization ID.

A profile placed in the agency’s group follows the group rule above. Everyone who owns or manages that group can reach it, which is wider than a manager on one profile. Inside the agency, only the organization’s owner can remove owners and members from the organization.

When someone stops working on the profile

Removing store or agency staff

An owner opens Business Profile settings, then People and access, selects the person, and chooses Remove person. That person’s replies, posts and comments stay on the profile. Anyone but the primary owner can also leave on their own by choosing Stop managing on the same screen. To withdraw an invitation that hasn’t been accepted, find it under Pending and choose Cancel invitation.

Only a group owner can remove someone from a business group. Owners and managers of each store’s profile are set separately from the group, so check each profile’s list as well.

When the primary owner at headquarters leaves

1. Add the successor to the profile as an owner or manager. For 7 days they can’t remove anyone, including the person leaving. If the successor will do the removing, add them at least 7 days ahead.
2. The primary owner opens People and access, selects the successor, chooses Edit next to Access, picks Primary owner and saves.
3. Help doesn’t say which role the former primary owner holds after the transfer. Check the list before removing them.

When an agency contract ends

A headquarters owner removes every agency staff member from each store’s profile, and a group owner removes them from the business groups. If the agency holds primary ownership, ask for the transfer before the contract ends. If the agency is connected through its organization account, Business Profile Help doesn’t describe how the business removes that connection, so confirm it with the agency. The full staff-change routine is in the handover checklist.

When everyone uses one shared Google account

If a store’s single Google account is an owner and its password is shared, the user list shows only that account. To remove one person, you change the password and send the new one to everyone else. YouTube Help’s advice on protecting a Google account says to “never share your email address and password information with others.”

To move away from this, add each person as a manager with their own account. If the shared account is the primary owner, transfer that role to someone at headquarters first, then remove the shared account.