How to Give Someone Access to Your Google Business Profile

When a business owner brings in an employee, a marketing partner, or a trusted family member, there is a good chance that person needs to help with the Google Business Profile. They may need to update hours, respond to reviews, publish a post, or correct a phone number. The wrong move is handing over a personal Google password. The right move is inviting the person through the profile's built-in access controls.

That distinction matters. A password can expose far more than the business listing, while an invitation gives someone their own access and creates a clear record of who can make changes. It also makes it much easier to remove access when a role changes. The business keeps control of its public presence without turning ordinary profile maintenance into a security problem.

This guide explains how to give someone access to a Google Business Profile, which role to choose, and what to check before sending an invitation. It is intended for established local businesses that want help without losing ownership of an important customer-facing asset.

Start with the Google Maps setup guide if the business has not claimed its profile yet →

1. Keep the business owner in control first

Before inviting anyone, make sure the business owner has access to the profile through a Google Account they control. Ideally, that account is not tied to one employee's personal email address or to an outside provider. The owner should be able to sign in, see the profile, and confirm who currently has access before anyone else is added.

This is not about distrust. It is about avoiding a painful handoff later. A business can change staff, agencies, phone systems, or websites. Its Google Business Profile should remain with the business through every one of those changes. If another person already controls a verified profile, use Google's ownership-request process instead of creating a duplicate listing.

Google's rules for third parties are clear on this point: a business must retain ownership or co-ownership of its profile. An agency can be an excellent partner, but the business should never be locked out of the listing customers use to call, get directions, read reviews, and check hours.

Google explains that businesses working with a third party should retain ownership or co-ownership of their profile. Review Google's third-party policy.

See why clear control of business information matters in the Foodie Café hours case study →

2. Decide whether the person needs owner or manager access

Google Business Profiles use two main access levels: owner and manager. An owner has broad control. Owners can add or remove people, manage profile information, and can remove the profile. A profile can have more than one owner, but only one primary owner. That makes owner access appropriate for the business owner and, in limited cases, another deeply trusted person who needs long-term administrative responsibility.

A manager can handle most day-to-day work. That includes updating information, responding to reviews, adding photos, and publishing posts. A manager cannot add or remove users, and cannot remove the profile. For most employees, virtual assistants, and marketing partners, manager is the sensible starting point because it gives enough access to do the work without handing over the keys to the account.

Choose the smallest level of access that fits the actual job. If someone is helping with review replies and holiday hours, they usually do not need owner access. If the person will eventually take over the business's profile administration, talk through that responsibility with the current primary owner before changing roles.

Google's current role guide confirms that managers can handle most profile work but cannot add or remove users or remove the profile. See Google's owner and manager guidance.

3. Invite the person from People and access

Use the account that already owns the Business Profile, then follow these steps. Each person should receive access through their own Google Account, never through a shared password.

1. Sign in to the Google Account that already owns the Business Profile.
2. Find the business in Google Search or Google Maps and open the profile controls.
3. Select More, then Business Profile settings, then People and access.
4. Select Add, enter the person’s email address, and choose Owner or Manager. Manager is the right default for routine profile work.
5. Send the invitation and let the recipient accept it using their own Google Account.
6. Confirm the accepted role in People and access. If the address was wrong or plans change, cancel the pending invitation from that same page.

Google's current invitation path is Business Profile settings, then People and access, then Add. Follow Google's step-by-step access instructions.

Want an experienced second set of eyes on the details customers see? Request a Free Visibility Audit.

4. Confirm the invitation and agree on the job

An accepted invitation is not the finish line. Confirm that the person appears with the expected role, then agree on exactly what they will handle. A manager who is responsible for review replies needs a clear tone and escalation process. A person updating hours needs to know who approves holiday schedules. An agency improving the profile needs to know which business facts are final and who should approve substantial changes.

This small conversation prevents the common mess where several well-meaning people edit the same listing in different directions. A profile is stronger when its hours, services, business description, website, and public information tell the same accurate story. Decide who owns the facts, who makes routine edits, and who gets notified when a meaningful change is made.

If you are working with an outside partner, keep a short record of the invitation, the role you granted, and the work they were asked to do. Google requires third parties to be transparent about changes that affect a client's profile. Good documentation also makes an eventual handoff calm rather than awkward.

Use the profile optimization guide to decide which customer-facing details deserve attention first →

5. Know the seven-day limitation before a handoff

New owners and managers can begin helping right away, but Google places a seven-day limit on a few sensitive actions. During that period, a newly added person cannot remove other owners or managers, transfer primary ownership, or delete and undelete the profile. This is a security safeguard, not a signal that the invitation failed.

Plan around that wait if an ownership transition is time-sensitive. For example, do not wait until an employee's last day to discover that the incoming administrator needs access. Add the new trusted person early, let the invitation settle, then transfer responsibilities once the profile is ready. Keep the business owner in the loop throughout the process.

A business that needs access because a former employee or provider is still listed should not rush into a new duplicate profile. Start with the proper ownership request. Google says the current owner has three days to respond, and an available claim option may appear after that. The exact outcome can vary, but the official path protects the history already connected to the profile.

Google documents the seven-day limits for new users and its process for requesting ownership of a profile managed by someone else. Read Google's ownership-request guidance.

6. Remove access when a relationship ends

Access should be reviewed whenever an employee leaves, a contractor finishes work, or an agency relationship ends. Go back to People and access, select the person, and remove them. Owners can remove other owners and managers. A manager who cannot select someone may only have manager-level access, which is another reason the business should keep at least one active owner in charge.

Removing access does not erase useful work from the profile. Google notes that previous review replies, posts, comments, and other actions stay on the Business Profile. The point is simply to ensure the former collaborator can no longer make changes. That is cleaner than changing passwords and much safer than hoping an old shared login is no longer being used.

Make this review part of your normal offboarding checklist, alongside email access, website logins, booking tools, and social accounts. The work takes a few minutes, but it protects a public business asset that customers rely on every day.

A simple access checklist

Before you send an invitation, pause for one minute and check the basics. The business owner should have a working Google Account and should remain an owner. The person being invited should use their own account. The selected role should match the job. The invitation should be confirmed after acceptance. And when the work ends, access should be removed rather than left to chance.

That is the whole system. It is not glamorous, but clear access creates cleaner accountability, protects the business from a difficult handoff, and lets trusted people do useful profile work without sharing private credentials.

• Business owner retains owner access
• Each collaborator uses their own Google Account
• Manager access is the default for day-to-day help
• Role and responsibilities are agreed before edits begin
• Former staff and partners are removed promptly

Read what to check when an existing profile is not appearing as expected on Google Maps →

How MyMediaGuy Search can help

A clean invitation solves the access question. It does not always answer what the person should fix once they are inside the profile. Established local businesses often need a clear view of their public information, review process, website support, and the competitors customers see alongside them.

MyMediaGuy Search helps businesses start with those facts. The goal is not to take ownership away from the business. It is to give owners practical guidance, make the public details more reliable, and leave them with a clearer process for keeping their presence current.

Request a free visibility audit for a practical view of what customers can see today →