Guide

How to add a manager to Google Business Profile: roles, steps and how to request access

Give your team and your agency their own access in under two minutes, keep ownership where it belongs, and know what to do when you are the one locked out.

Locus Intelligence team

Updated 6 Nov 20266 min read

Reach · Engage

Key takeaways

Go to business.google.com, open Business Profile settings, then People and access, and invite by email as Manager.
Managers can do almost everything except add or remove users and remove the profile. "Site manager" is the old name for the same role.
Only owners can add people. Keep at least two owners and never share a password.
If someone else owns the profile, use Google's request access flow. The owner has 3 days to respond.

How to add a manager to your Google Business Profile

To add a manager to Google Business Profile, sign in as an owner at business.google.com, open Business Profile settings, then People and access, select Add, enter the person's email, choose Manager and select Invite. They get an email invitation and have access as soon as they accept. These steps come from Google's owners and managers help page.

Once your team has access, put it to work: the Google Business Profile optimization checklist lists what to fix first, and how to edit your Google Business Profile covers each field. New to the profile? Start with what a Google Business Profile is.

Sign in as an owner
Go to business.google.com with an account that has owner access. Managers cannot add people.
Open the settings
Select More (the three dots), then Business Profile settings.
Go to People and access
You see everyone with access and their role.
Select Add
At the top left of the list.
Enter the email and choose the role
Under Access, choose Manager (or Owner for a co-owner).
Select Invite
The person gets an email. Access starts when they accept it.

From invitation to access

01Owner invitesEmail plus role
02Email sentFrom Google
03Person acceptsSigned in to that Google Account
04Access liveShows in People and access

If the invitation does not arrive, check spam, then remove and resend it.

Owner vs manager: what each role can do

Google Business Profile has three levels. There is exactly one primary owner, any number of owners, and any number of managers. Managers were formerly called site managers; Google merged the names, so if an old guide mentions a site manager, it means a manager today.

Can they...	Primary owner	Owner	Manager
Edit name, hours, phone, categories, services, attributes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Create and publish posts	Yes	Yes	Yes
Add and delete photos, logo and products	Yes	Yes	Yes
Reply to reviews	Yes	Yes	Yes
Download performance data	Yes	Yes	Yes
Link Google Ads accounts	Yes	Yes	Yes
Add or remove owners and managers	Yes	Yes	No
Remove the Business Profile	Yes	Yes	No
Transfer primary ownership	Yes	No	No

Based on Google Business Profile Help, "Manage your Business Profile owners & managers", checked November 2026.

Two safety rules are built in. New owners and managers must wait 7 days before they can remove other users or transfer primary ownership. And a primary owner cannot remove themselves until they transfer primary ownership to someone else, which needs at least one other owner or manager on the profile.

Which role to give

Inside the companyOutside the company

Owner (a second one)

A partner or director who must be able to recover access.

Manager

Front desk or marketing staff who post and reply every day.

Manager, temporarily

A consultant for a one-off fix. Remove when done.

Manager

Your agency or managed service. Never owner.

OccasionalDaily

How to request access to a Google Business Profile

If a former employee, agency or previous owner controls your profile, you can ask for access through Google. The request ownership help page gives these steps:

Go to business.google.com/add
Enter your business name and address and select it from the results.
Choose to request access
Google tells you someone else may manage the profile and offers a request option.
Fill in the form
Say what level of access you need and how you are connected to the business.
Wait up to 3 days
The current owner is emailed and has 3 days to respond.
Claim if there is no reply
If they do not respond, you may be able to claim the profile from the link in your confirmation email. Google notes this option is not always available.

TemplateMessage to the person who controls your profile

Hi {name},
We are taking over day-to-day management of the Google Business Profile for {business name} at {address}.
Could you please add {email} as an Owner? It takes two minutes: business.google.com, Business Profile settings, People and access, Add.
Once that is done you are welcome to remove yourself. Thanks for your help with the profile so far.
{your name}

Send this before you file a formal request through Google. A direct ask is usually faster.

How to remove a manager or change a role

In People and access, select the person, then change their access or select remove. Only owners can change roles and remove people. Anything a removed person did, such as posts and review replies, stays on the profile.

Mistakes to avoid

Sharing the owner's password with an agency
Instead: Invite the agency as a manager on their own account.
Having only one owner
Instead: Add a second owner from the company so you cannot be locked out.
Making the agency the primary owner
Instead: Keep the primary owner in a company account. Give agencies manager access.
Forgetting to remove staff who leave
Instead: Review People and access every quarter and on every exit.

Manage profiles without sharing logins

Reach by Locus Intelligence connects to your Google Business Profile with the access you grant, checks it weekly and drafts replies and fixes for your approval. Free for one location, no card.

Start free

For the full weekly job, read Google Business Profile management. For many profiles, see how to manage multiple locations and Google Business Profile management with Reach. If the profile is not verified yet, start with how to verify your business on Google or the verification planner.

Google Business Profile audit

Free. You get a profile score, your Maps rank against the top 3, and the fixes that matter most.

Your next steps

Today

Open People and access and list everyone with access.
Add a second owner from the company if there is only one.

This week

Invite staff and your agency as managers and remove shared logins.
Run the free audit now that the right people have access.

This month

Put a quarterly access review in the calendar.
Use the completeness checker with your new managers to agree who fixes what.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an owner and a manager on Google Business Profile?

Owners can add and remove users and remove the profile. Managers can do everything else: edit info, post, add photos and reply to reviews.

Is a site manager the same as a manager?

Yes. Google renamed site managers to managers. It is the same role.

Why can I not add a manager?

You are probably a manager, not an owner. Ask an owner to add the person or to make you an owner.

How many managers can a Google Business Profile have?

Google does not state a small limit on its help page. Add as many as you need, but keep the list short and current.

How long does a request for access take?

The current owner has 3 days to respond. If they do not, you may be able to claim the profile, though Google says that option is not always available.

Never miss another customer.

Start with a free audit. See what each location is losing, and where.

Profile score, Maps rank against the top 3, and the fixes that matter most.

Or book a demo

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