Who owns a Google Business Profile, and how do you grant an agency access?

What do primary owner, owner and manager mean?

A Business Profile does not “belong to the agency” just because it created the listing or handles day-to-day posts. Within Google, there is one primary owner, and several additional owners and managers may be connected to the same profile. These are roles for managing and owning the Google Business Profile.

According to Google's official role descriptions, managers can perform many everyday tasks but cannot add or remove users or remove the profile. For most external SEO or marketing specialists, the Manager role is therefore sufficient.

Roles and responsibilities – decision table

Fictional example: a salon in Szolnok uses its long-term Google account as primary owner. A contracted marketer, acting as manager, updates opening hours and replies to reviews. When the collaboration ends, the salon can remove that access without losing the profile.

Who should be the primary owner of the business's profile?

Usually the Google account that the actual business can control long term, rather than a private agency account nobody maintains after the next contract expires. The business owner should appoint a responsible person, check account recovery options and enable suitable security protections.

It's worth agreeing in writing with the agency which profile it will manage, who approves changes, who handles complaints and how access will end. This does not replace setting the actual Google permissions, but reduces misunderstandings. Google's guidance for authorised representatives also stresses that the eligible business should retain control.

How do you grant an agency manager access without sharing passwords?

A new contractor should use their own Google account. The sequence below follows Google's current approach, although menu labels may change between devices and over time.

1. Open your own Business Profile. Sign in with the Google account that has owner permissions.
2. Review current access. Find the people and access settings in Business Profile; check who is primary owner and whether former contractors still have access.
3. Define the task. If the partner manages profile details, photos, review responses and posts, Manager access is usually enough.
4. Invite their own account. Enter the partner's Google account email address, select the appropriate role and send the invitation. Don't share your account password or one-time sign-in code.
5. Check acceptance and work. The contractor accepts the invitation in their own account. Check that they can see precisely the profile they are meant to manage.
6. Document the handover rule. The contract or internal inventory should record that the business can remove outside access when the work ends while retaining ownership control.

Use Google's current guidance on managing owners and managers if the screen uses different wording. If you don't yet have a verified Business Profile, a separate guide covers creation and verification.

How can primary ownership be transferred?

If a former employee or agency is primary owner, and they cooperate, they can first add the business's own Google account as an owner. Then the existing primary owner can initiate the status transfer. Afterwards, verify the actual roles; a sentence in a contract alone does not change ownership within Google.

Google's guide to transferring primary ownership explains the process. Newly added owners or managers may face a seven-day restriction on certain administrative actions, including primary-ownership transfer. This does not mean they cannot edit anything for seven days.

What if your previous agency controls the profile?

1. They cooperate: request an invitation and proper transfer

Send a short, verifiable request stating which Business Profile you need owner access to, which business-controlled Google account should receive it and by when. Once the invitation is accepted, the current primary owner should transfer their role when Google permits it. Only reduce or remove the old access after confirming ownership in your own account.

2. They don't cooperate: official ownership request

First check whether any of your business accounts already have permissions, and look for past Google invitations. If someone else really manages the existing, verified listing, a business with customer-facing premises or hybrid operations may use the official ownership-request process for that existing listing – do not register a duplicate.

According to Google, the existing owner has three days to respond. If they approve the request, you can proceed. If they refuse or don't answer, Google may offer a further step or review depending on the situation; the profile does not automatically become yours after three days.

3. Service-area-only business: another support route may apply

If you only visit customers and have no shop or office that receives them, Google's same ownership guidance may direct you to a separate support route. Don't invent a public shop address simply to use the other procedure.

What is not a solution? Hacking another Google account, trying to obtain somebody else's password, sharing verification codes or creating a new profile for the same business. Lack of access is also not the same as a Business Profile suspension.

Changing agencies: an eight-point handover checklist

Someone saying “the profile is yours now” is not enough. Carry out actual checks, preferably before the contract ends.

1. A business-controlled account is shown as primary owner.
2. Two-step account protection is active and recovery details are up to date.
3. Every additional owner and manager is known; no unexplained former access remains.
4. The new partner has only the role required for their agreed work.
5. The previous agency's access ended only after testing genuine company control.
6. The profile's public link, genuine name, website, phone and address/service area are documented.
7. Pending edits and disputed Google cases are recorded for handover.
8. The transfer date, responsible person and status are recorded – without writing down passwords or sign-in codes.

If you discover different profiles for the same business during the process, use the targeted duplicate Business Profile troubleshooting guide. If the transferred details are incomplete, a field-by-field profile audit will help you put them in order.

Frequently asked questions about ownership

Sources and further reading

Related Knowledge Base guides