How to Give Access to Your Google Business Profile

To give someone access to your Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business), search on Google for your business while logged in, click the three-dot menu on the results panel, then select Business Profile settings > People and access.

We suggest giving agencies and freelancers the Manager role, so they can update your profile and reply to reviews without being able to manage user access or delete the profile.

Related articles: If you also need to share access to other Google tools, see our guides on:

• How to Give Access to Google Analytics
• How to Give Access to Google Tag Manager
• How to Give Access to Google Search Console
• How to Give Access to a Google Ads Account

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Before you start

• Only an owner of the Business Profile can add, edit or remove people's access.
• Inviting individuals: You'll need their Google Account email (a Gmail or Google Workspace address).
• Inviting agencies: If you're inviting an agency that uses a Business Profile organization account, they will have to give you their Location Group ID or Organization ID instead.

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How to give someone access to your Google Business Profile

Find the user by their email address, name, or business group ID (depending on their account type), and select their permission level: choose from Manager or Owner. They'll receive an email invitation and gain access as soon as they accept it.

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Step 1: Sign in to your Google Business Profile

Go to https://www.google.com/business/‍ and click Sign in or Manage now. If you're using Chrome browser and are already signed into the correct Google account, proceed to the next step.

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Step 2: Open Business Profile settings

Click the three-dot menu ⠇ in the top right of your business profile panel, then select Business Profile settings.

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Step 3: Select People and access

On the pop-up, select People and access, and then the Add button to invite a new user.

Note: Remember, only Owners can add or remove people.

Step 4: Find the person or agency you want to add

How you find them depends on whether you're inviting an individual or an agency.

• If it’s an individual freelancer or teammate:

Type their email address (Gmail or Google Workspace) or full name.

• If it’s an agency:

Search them by their full business name as it is listed in their directory, or by their business group ID (also known as location group ID), which they should have given you. 

Most agencies use a Google Business Profile organization account to manage multiple clients. This account type can’t be invited with an email address alone. Ask your agency for the correct details if you're unsure.

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Step 5: Choose an access level

Choose whether you want them to be an Owner or a Manager:

• Owners have full control over the profile, including the permissions to add or remove users and even delete the profile.
• Managers can do everything Owners can, but they can’t add or remove users or delete the profile

We recommend giving agencies and freelancers Manager level access.

Step 6: Send the invitation

Click Invite to send the access request. 

The user will receive an email invitation. Once they click Accept, they can start managing your profile. 

Note: Google restricts some actions for newly added Owners and Managers during their first seven days, including: 

• Deleting or undeleting a profile
• Removing other owners or managers
• Transferring primary ownership

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How to cancel an invitation

Head to Business Profile settings > People and access to cancel an invitation that hasn’t been accepted yet. Here, you will see the pending invitation and you can choose the option to cancel it. 

This is useful if you've invited the wrong person or no longer want to give them access.

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Owner or Manager: which role should you give?

Our recommendation: give agencies and freelancers Manager access. It covers everything they need to run your profile day to day, and you stay in control of who else gets in.

This is also what Fat Cat Strategies (a marketing agency) recommends on the Digital Marketing Podcast. While an agency needs enough permissions to manage clients' profiles, business owners should retain ownership.

Every Google Business Profile also has one primary owner, usually the person who created or verified it. Other owners can't remove the primary owner, which is another reason to keep that role yourself.

How to edit or remove someone's access 

1. To remove someone, go to Business Profile settings > People and access, select the person, and click Remove person. They will lose access straight away, but their replies to reviews, posts, comments will stay on the Business Profile.
   
   
2. To change someone’s permissions, go to People and access, click on the Access section, and you will be able to choose between Owner and Manager. If you’re the primary owner, you will also be able to transfer your primary ownership.

Only Owners can change or remove other users' access to a Google Business Profile.

Tip: Review your user list periodically. Fat Cat Strategies recommends limiting unnecessary staff access to Google Business Profiles, rather than letting permissions accumulate over time.

For example, when an employee leaves or you stop working with an agency, check whether they still have access and remove it if it's no longer needed.

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Troubleshooting: why can't I add someone?

Issue 1: Someone else owns your Google Business Profile

If a former employee, freelancer or agency originally created your profile, they might still control it.

Caitlyn and Meredith, from Fat Cat Strategies, say they've seen businesses struggle to access their Google Business Profile because a former employee or someone else originally set it up and retained ownership.

If you don't have ownership access (AKA the primary Owner role), you can request ownership through Google. The current owner has three days to respond, but if they don't, Google may give you the option to verify and claim the profile yourself.

Issue 2: I can't add or remove users

Only Owners can manage other users' access. If you're a Manager, ask an existing Owner to make the change, or to update your role to Owner. 

If you've only recently been added as an Owner, Google restricts certain actions during your first seven days, including removing other users and transferring primary ownership.