Keep the business as an owner
Use a Google Account the business controls as the main owner. An agency normally works as a manager. It should not replace you as the only owner.
Google Business Profile guide 01 · Management
Google Business Profile Ownership, Access, and Verification
Keep your business as an owner of its profile. Give every person their own login, and give outside help only the access their work needs. That way no single person or vendor can lock you out.
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Why this matters
Protect business control and the customer experience.
Your profile is often where customers call you, get directions, and compare you with competitors. Losing access, sharing one password, or leaving former staff and vendors attached can turn a simple update into an ownership dispute or a security problem.
Google separates owners from managers. Owners can add or remove people and delete the profile. Managers can handle most day-to-day work. If an outside company manages the profile, Google's third-party policies require your consent, clear pricing, and a way to take back full control.
Responsible practices
What responsible management looks like.
Give every person their own login
Add each owner, employee, and outside helper through their own Google Account. Never share passwords, verification codes, or PINs.
Give the least access that works
Keep owner access for the people who decide who else gets in. Review the user list when roles change, and remove former staff and vendors right away.
Know what verification does
Verification shows Google you are allowed to manage the profile. Google picks the verification method and may ask for more than one. Verification is not an endorsement from Google.
Prepare for video verification
Google may ask for a short video recorded live from your phone through the profile. It must be one continuous, unedited clip of at least 30 seconds.
What to film, per Google's current guidance: street signs or nearby landmarks that show your location; permanent signage with your business name; and something only staff can access, like opening the register, stockroom, or point-of-sale system. A service-area business can show its tools, equipment, or work vehicle, plus a business document such as a permit, invoice, or utility bill. Keep bank, tax, and ID numbers and other people's faces out of the shot.
Put consent and handoff in writing
Before a provider claims or manages your profile, write down your consent, the scope of work, fees, who approves changes, and how results are reported. Google's third-party policies say that within seven business days of your request, the provider must let you remove it and regain exclusive control.
See the responsibility
Access decisions become clearer when each step has a boundary.
Match each role to the work it actually requires.
Owners control who has access. Managers handle routine updates. Regular access reviews remove accounts that no longer need a way in.
End outside access without losing business records.
A clean handoff keeps your files, pending changes, and recovery details, and removes the departing provider's account from the profile.
What to do next
A practical profile checklist.
- 01
List every current owner and manager and the Google Account each person uses.
- 02
Name one person at the business who approves access changes.
- 03
Confirm the business is an owner. Outside helpers should be managers.
- 04
Turn on two-step verification for every account that can manage the profile.
- 05
Remove old access and stop any shared logins.
Avoid these failures
Do not trade durable control for a short-term shortcut.
- Letting an agency or former employee be the only owner
- Sharing one Google Account or texting verification codes around
- Calling verification a certification or endorsement from Google
- Letting a provider claim the profile or reply to reviews without your written consent
Google makes the final call on verification, features, display, restrictions, and ranking, so no one can guarantee results. What Google controls.
Questions business owners ask
Direct answers for this responsibility.
01Should an agency own my Google Business Profile?+
No. Your business should stay an owner. An agency usually needs only manager access. If it truly needs owner access, keep your own owner account too, so you can always remove it.
02Can everyone use the same login?+
No. Each person should use their own Google Account. That lets you review access, use two-step verification, and remove one person without changing everyone's password.
03Why can't a newly added owner make every change right away?+
Google applies a seven-day waiting period to some ownership and management actions for new owners and managers. Add people before an urgent change is needed.
Primary guidance
Check Google's current rules.
Companion resource
Audit the whole profile with one practical checklist.
Keep ownership, facts, and expectations clear