To add a manager to a Google Business Profile, an owner opens the profile on Google Search or Maps, goes to the three-dot menu → Business Profile settings → People and access, clicks Add, enters the person's email address, chooses Owner or Manager, and sends the invite. The new user gets access once they accept the invitation email.
If you are trying to get into your own listing and cannot, the fix depends on who controls it: you under a different Google account, a former employee or agency, or nobody at all. This guide covers roles, adding and removing users, transferring primary ownership, requesting access from an unknown owner, and how agencies should handle client access.
Owner vs manager: what each role can do
| Action | Primary owner | Owner | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edit business information, hours and photos | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Reply to reviews and publish posts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Add or remove owners and managers | Yes | Yes | No |
| Transfer primary ownership | Yes | No | No |
| Remove the profile from Google | Yes | Yes | No |
| Remove themselves from the profile | After transferring primary ownership | Yes | Yes |
Every profile has exactly one primary owner. Ideally that is a Google account the business controls long term, such as a Google Workspace address like admin@yourbusiness.com, not a staff member's personal Gmail. Older guides mention extra roles such as site manager; Google has simplified roles over time, so check the People and access screen for what your account currently offers.
Managers can do almost all day-to-day work, which is why it is the right role for most staff and agencies. Owners should be limited to people who need to manage users or could be trusted to delete the listing.
How to add a manager or owner
- Step 1: Sign in with an account that is an owner or primary owner of the profile.
- Step 2: Search Google for your business name or "my business" to open the management panel. In the Google Maps app, open your Business Profile from your account menu.
- Step 3: Click the three-dot menu, then Business Profile settings → People and access.
- Step 4: Click Add, enter the person's email address, and choose Owner or Manager.
- Step 5: Click Invite. The person receives an email and must accept it; pending invitations appear on the same screen until they do.
Most failed invitations come down to the wrong account. The invitee must accept while signed in to the exact address you invited, so if a Manchester café owner invites a personal Gmail but the employee clicks the link while signed in to a work account, it will not work. Check spam folders, resend from People and access if needed, and remember that unverified or suspended profiles may restrict user management.
Transferring primary ownership
Transfers are common when a business is sold, a founder steps back, or an agency created the profile and the client now needs to own it. The current primary owner first adds the new person as an Owner. Google requires that person to have been an owner for at least seven days before they can become primary owner.
- Step 1: Add the new person as an Owner and wait for them to accept.
- Step 2: After the waiting period, the primary owner opens Business Profile settings → People and access.
- Step 3: Select the role next to the new owner's name, choose Primary owner, and confirm the transfer.
- Step 4: The previous primary owner becomes an owner and can then change their own role or remove themselves.
How to access your Google listing when someone else controls it
First rule out the simple case: you may already own it under another account. Sign in to each Google account the business has used, search "my business", and search old inboxes for Google Business Profile verification or invitation emails. A Pune salon owner often finds the profile sitting in an email the original web designer set up.
If someone else owns it, use Google's request process:
- Step 1: Go to Business Profile Manager at google.com/business, sign in with the business account you want to use, and search for the business.
- Step 2: If the profile is already verified, Google shows that it has been claimed, often with a partly hidden owner email, and offers a Request access option.
- Step 3: Choose the access level you need, fill in your contact details and relationship to the business, and submit.
- Step 4: The current owner receives an email and can approve or deny the request. You get updates by email.
- Step 5: If the owner does not respond within the window Google states in your confirmation email, the request status may give you the option to claim and verify the profile yourself.
If the request is denied and you are the legitimate business, contact Google Business Profile support with evidence such as a business license, utility bill or photos of signage. Do not create a new profile to get around the problem; that produces a duplicate and can lead to suspension. Our verification guide explains what to expect if Google asks you to re-verify after regaining access.
Agency access best practice
- The client keeps primary ownership on a business-controlled account; the agency gets Manager, or Owner only while it needs to manage users
- Invite an agency-domain address or shared agency account, never a staff member's personal Gmail, so access survives staff turnover
- For multi-location clients, add the agency to a location group in Business Profile Manager so new locations inherit access
- Never ask a client for their Google password; manager invitations make it unnecessary
- Keep a shared access log listing every user, role and date added, and review it quarterly
- When an engagement ends, the agency removes itself and the client confirms the removal in People and access
Reporting and management tools usually connect through a manager-level Google account using Google's own sign-in, so they do not need ownership. GBP Local Ranker works this way to schedule posts, draft review replies and build white-label reports. For larger portfolios, the multi-location local SEO guide covers how to structure groups and permissions.
Removing users and auditing access
To remove someone, open People and access, select the user, and choose Remove. Managers and owners can also remove themselves. Do this the same day a staff member leaves or a vendor contract ends, before a forgotten login turns into an unwanted edit.
Unknown names in People and access are a warning sign. Remove them, turn on 2-Step Verification for every owner account, and review recent changes to your name, phone and website. Our guide to securing your GBP from sabotage covers hijack attempts and how to respond.
Next steps
Open People and access today and list every user with their role. Move primary ownership to a business-controlled account if it is not already there, downgrade anyone who does not need Owner to Manager, and remove people who no longer work with you. Then schedule a quarterly access review alongside your regular profile checks.