Former employees and old agencies often still have access to local business GBP accounts years later. Here's how to audit your user list, assign the right permissions, and prevent unauthorized changes to your listing.
Managing who has access to your Google Business Profile is one of the most overlooked administrative tasks in local SEO, and one of the most consequential. A former employee or agency with owner-level access to your GBP can make changes that affect your local rankings, edit your business information, or in worst-case scenarios, suspend your listing.
This guide covers how GBP user management works, the different permission levels, and the step-by-step process for adding users, removing access, and transferring ownership.
To get more from your listing, see transfer Google Business Profile ownership.
Google Business Profile has three user permission levels. Understanding what each level can do determines which role to assign to each person who needs access.
Owner (Primary Owner): Full control of the profile. Can:
Every GBP has exactly one Primary Owner. This should be the business owner, not an employee or agency.
Owner: Same editing capabilities as Primary Owner, except:
Secondary owners have essentially full control. Use this role sparingly, it should be reserved for business partners or co-owners.
Manager: Can perform most operational tasks:
Cannot:
This is the appropriate role for marketing team members, employees managing the GBP day-to-day, or marketing agencies.
💡 Pro Tip: Always give agencies "Manager" access, never "Owner." Managers can do everything needed for GBP management without having the ability to lock you out of your own listing. Any agency that asks for Owner access should be asked to explain why Manager access isn't sufficient.
From Google Business Profile manager (business.google.com):
Step 1: Sign in to business.google.com with the account that has Owner or Primary Owner access.
Step 2: Click on the business profile you want to manage.
Step 3: In the left menu, click "Business Profile settings."
Step 4: Click "People and access."
Step 5: Click the "Add" button (plus icon).
Step 6: Enter the Google account email address of the person you're adding. Important: this must be the Gmail address or Google account email they actually use, not a general email alias.
Step 7: Select the role: Owner or Manager.
Step 8: Click "Invite." The person receives an email invitation they must accept before they can access the profile.
Confirmation: After they accept, they'll appear in your "People and access" list with their assigned role.
From business.google.com:
Step 1: Sign in with Primary Owner or Owner access.
Step 2: Navigate to Business Profile settings > People and access.
Step 3: Find the user you want to remove.
Step 4: Click the three-dot menu next to their name.
Step 5: Select "Remove access."
Step 6: Confirm the removal.
The user is immediately removed and loses all access to the profile.
When to do this:
⚠️ Critical: Audit your GBP user list every 6 months. Most business owners find former employees, old agency accounts, or unknown users who still have access years later. This is a significant security and control risk.
Transferring primary ownership is necessary when:
To transfer primary ownership:
Step 1: Sign in to business.google.com as the current Primary Owner.
Step 2: Navigate to Business Profile settings > People and access.
Step 3: Find the user you want to make Primary Owner in the list. (They must already be added as an Owner or Manager, add them first if they're not in the list yet.)
Step 4: Click their name and change their role to "Primary Owner."
Step 5: Confirm the transfer. The current Primary Owner becomes a regular Owner after the transfer.
Important note: The new Primary Owner must accept the invitation/confirm the role change from their Google account. The transfer isn't complete until they accept.
When you hire a local SEO agency or freelancer to manage your GBP, the access handoff is a critical step.
Correct process:
When ending an agency relationship:
Remove the agency's access the day the relationship ends, not later. The most common GBP control problem I see: a business owner who switched agencies 6 months ago and the old agency still has Owner access. This creates a situation where someone with no contractual obligation to you can still edit your listing.
📊 Flento Data: 34% of local businesses that have worked with multiple marketing agencies have at least one former agency account still in their GBP user list with Manager or Owner access.
Problem: Primary Owner's Google account was a personal email, not a business account
This happens when a business owner created their GBP under a personal Gmail years ago. Solution: Create a Google account using your business email, add it as an Owner (not manager), then transfer Primary Ownership to the business account. Log into the old personal Gmail account to complete the transfer acceptance.
Problem: The original GBP creator left the company and took their Google account with them
This is the worst-case scenario, you have no Primary Owner access. Solutions:
Access Google's ownership recovery process through support.google.com/business.
Problem: Unrecognized user in your GBP user list
If you see an email address you don't recognize with Owner or Manager access, remove it immediately. This may be a former employee's secondary account, an old agency account, or (rarely) a compromised listing. After removing, change your Google account password and enable 2-factor authentication.
Problem: Agency asking for your Google account login credentials
This is a red flag. Never share your Google account username and password with an agency. The correct approach is to add their Google account as a Manager user. Any agency requesting your account credentials instead of using the proper user management system either doesn't know what they're doing or has concerning intentions.
For businesses with multiple GBP listings, user management becomes more complex. There are two models:
Model 1: Individual listing management Each location has its own set of users managed independently. This works for small multi-location operations (2–5 locations) but becomes unmanageable at scale.
Model 2: Business Group / Brand Account management Google lets you create a Business Group (formerly Location Group) that manages multiple locations under one entity. Users added to the Business Group have access to all listings in the group, more efficient for larger operations.
To create a Business Group: in business.google.com, click "Add location" > "Import locations" > "Business Group."
For agencies managing multiple clients, Flento's Google Business Profile Optimizer provides a multi-location dashboard that streamlines management across all client profiles without requiring separate logins for each GBP.
Run through this checklist quarterly:
Can I have two Primary Owners on a GBP? No. Each GBP has exactly one Primary Owner. You can have multiple regular Owners (who have nearly identical permissions), but only one Primary Owner designation is allowed.
What happens to GBP reviews if I transfer ownership? Reviews remain on the profile permanently regardless of ownership transfers. Ownership transfer does not affect the listing's reviews, photos, posts, or performance history.
Can a Manager post to my GBP without my approval? Yes. Managers have full posting, editing, and response capabilities. This is by design, the Manager role is intended for people you trust to manage the profile on your behalf. If you want to approve changes before they go live, don't grant Manager access; keep more direct control of your own GBP.
How do I verify who created my GBP originally? You can't see the history of who created a GBP. The Primary Owner is whoever currently holds that role. If you've inherited a GBP from a previous business owner or manager, the first priority is ensuring the current Primary Owner is someone you control.
Can I add a user from outside Google's ecosystem (like a Microsoft account)? No. GBP user management requires Google accounts. Users need either a Gmail account or a Google Workspace account. Personal Microsoft, Yahoo, or other email accounts cannot be added as GBP users.
GBP user management is a 10-minute task that most business owners do once (when setting up their profile) and then ignore for years. The result: former employees, old agencies, and unknown accounts accumulate access that creates security and control risks.
Set a calendar reminder for the first Monday of January and July to review your GBP user list. Remove anyone who shouldn't be there. Ensure your Primary Owner account is one you fully control.
That habit, maintained consistently, prevents the GBP access disasters that I see happen to local businesses every year.
