How Do You Add Owners and Managers to a Google Business Profile?

By Bill Stilwell · Last reviewed October 16, 2026

The short answer

A Google Business Profile (GBP) has one primary owner, can have other owners, and can have managers. Owners have full control, including adding and removing people. Managers can do most day-to-day work but can’t add or remove users or remove the profile. Make a business-controlled account the primary owner, add one trusted backup owner, and give employees and agencies manager access only.

What this means

Google uses three roles:

Primary owner. There’s only one. This person can do everything, including handing primary ownership to someone else.
Owner. Google says owners have full control. They can add and remove people, change business information, and delete the profile.
Manager. Google says managers have mostly the same access as owners, but they can’t add or remove users or remove the profile. Google used to call these “site managers.”

Each person needs their own Google Account. Google says you can’t add a Google Group as an owner or manager.

Say Bluewater Pool Service has an owner, an office manager, and a marketing agency. A safe setup:

Primary owner: a Google Account tied to the business email, such as one the owner controls at the company domain
Owner: the owner’s business partner, as a backup
Manager: the office manager
Manager: the marketing agency

If the agency relationship ends, the owner removes the agency in two clicks. The agency can’t remove the owner.

Why it matters

You can lose your profile. If an agency or former employee is the only owner, getting control back can take weeks.
One owner is a single point of failure. If the only owner’s account is locked, hacked, or abandoned, nobody can manage access.
Too many owners is risky too. Every owner can remove everyone else and delete the profile.
New owners have limits. Google says new owners and managers must wait 7 days before they can delete or undelete the profile, remove other owners or managers, or transfer primary ownership. Plan ahead.

Who this applies to

Every business with a verified GBP. A solo owner still needs a backup owner in case they’re locked out.

Pay extra attention if you work with an agency, have staff who post or reply to reviews, or have had employees leave who once had access.

How to do it

Sign in to your GBP with an owner account.
Select More, then Business Profile settings, then People and access.
Check who’s listed. Write down each person, their role, and why they have access (see 11.7.5 Access Inventory).
To add someone, select Add, enter their email, choose Owner or Manager under Access, and select Invite. They can accept right away, and you’ll get an email when they do.
Give the smallest role that does the job. Staff and agencies usually only need Manager (see 11.7.6 Least Privilege Access).
Add one backup owner the business controls. Two business-controlled owners protect you if one account is lost (see 8.4.6 Two Business-Controlled Administrators).
Make sure every owner account has two-step sign-in turned on (see 11.7.3 Multi-Factor Authentication).
To change a role, select the person, select Edit next to Access, choose the new role, and save.
To remove someone, select them, then Remove person. Google says their past replies and posts stay on the profile.
Remove access the same day an employee leaves or an agency contract ends (see 11.7.7 Removing Access When People Leave).
Check People and access every quarter.

What proof to keep

A screenshot of People and access after every change, with the date
Your access inventory listing each person, role, and reason
Notes on when access was removed and why

Store these with your account and security records.

Common mistakes

Letting the agency be primary owner. Agencies should be managers. If one insists on ownership, ask why.
Using a personal Gmail as primary owner. If that person leaves the business, the profile may go with them.
Only one owner. Add a business-controlled backup.
Making every employee an owner. Any owner can remove the others.
Forgetting to remove people. Old employees and past agencies often still have access years later.
Planning a quick handoff. The 7-day limit for new owners means you can’t add someone and have them take over the same day.

When to get help from a pro

Most owners can do this alone. Get help from a GBP specialist if you’ve lost owner access, or if someone with access refuses to give it back. Questions to ask:

What’s the fastest way to get owner access back for my business?
Who should hold each role for a business my size?

Bill’s note

[Bill: add a short story or lesson here. For example, a client who discovered a former agency still owned their profile, or the access setup you recommend to every client.]

If you’d rather have this done for you, SiteSmarty handles Google Business Profile setup and access audits.

How I did this for SiteSmarty

[Date I did this:]
[What I actually did, step by step: who is primary owner, backup owner, and manager on the SiteSmarty profile, and why]
[What it cost and how long it took:]
[What surprised me or what I’d do differently:]
[Screenshot or photo to add, with private info blurred: the People and access screen]
[Result so far:]

Questions people ask

What’s the difference between an owner and a manager? Owners have full control, including adding and removing people and deleting the profile. Managers can do most other tasks but can’t manage users or remove the profile.

Who should be the primary owner? A Google Account the business controls, held by the business owner, not an employee or agency.

Should my marketing agency be an owner? Usually no. Manager access lets them do the work without the power to remove you.

How do I remove someone? Go to More, Business Profile settings, People and access, select the person, and choose Remove person.

Why can’t a new owner remove other users right away? Google makes new owners and managers wait 7 days before they can remove users, delete the profile, or transfer primary ownership.

Audit check

Question: Is the primary owner a business-controlled account, is there a backup owner, and does everyone else have only the access they need?
Pass looks like: Business-controlled primary owner. One backup owner. Staff and agencies as managers. No former employees or past vendors. Two-step sign-in on owner accounts.
Fail looks like: An agency or former employee as primary owner. Only one owner. Many owners. Old users still listed.
Evidence to collect: Dated screenshot of People and access, the access inventory, and records of removals.

Where this fits

Do this first: 14.8.1 Google Business Profile Verification, 14.3.8 Profile Ownership

Do this next: 14.8.3 Transferring Profile Ownership

Sources

Google Business Profile Help, "Manage your Business Profile owners and managers" (checked October 16, 2026)
Google Business Profile Help, "Transfer primary ownership of a Business Profile" (checked October 16, 2026)

This page explains general rules and Bill's own experience. It is not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Talk to a qualified professional about your situation.