Open your Business Profile, go to More, then Business Profile settings, then People and access. Select Add, enter the person's email and choose Owner or Manager. Give Owner only to people who should control access; staff and agencies usually need Manager.
The three roles
- Primary owner: one person. Google says only the primary owner can transfer primary ownership, and they can't remove themselves until they have done so.
- Owner: full control. Google says owners can add and remove people and change their roles, and a profile can have several owners.
- Manager: can edit business info and hours, manage photos and posts, reply to reviews and download insights. Google says managers can't add or remove other people.
How to invite someone
- Open your Business Profile.
- Select More, then Business Profile settings, then People and access.
- Select Add and enter the person's email address.
- Under Access, choose Owner or Manager.
- Select Invite.
Transfer primary ownership
The new primary owner must already be an owner or manager on the profile.
- Sign in as the current primary owner and open People and access.
- Select the person who should become primary owner.
- Select Edit next to Access.
- Choose Primary owner and select Save.
Remove someone who has left
In People and access, select the person and choose Remove person. Someone leaving on their own can select themselves, then Stop managing, then Confirm. When a staffer or agency leaves, also work through this list:
- If they are the primary owner, transfer primary ownership to someone who is staying before you remove them.
- Keep at least two owners the business controls, so one lost account does not lock you out.
- Check the website, phone number and links on the profile still point to you, not to a site or number they run.
- If a tool was connected through their Google account, reconnect it with an account that stays.
Common problems
- Should my agency be an owner or a manager?
- Usually a manager. Managers can do the day-to-day work; only owners can add or remove people. Keep ownership inside the business.
- Why can't a new owner remove anyone yet?
- Google says new owners and managers must wait 7 days before they can remove other people, delete the profile or transfer primary ownership.
- How do I remove myself as primary owner?
- Transfer primary ownership to another owner or manager first. Google says the primary owner can't remove themselves until they do.
- Can I add a Google Group?
- No. Google says Google Groups can't be added as owners or managers. Invite individual Google accounts instead.
Connecting Reach is not the same as inviting a manager
Reach is not added as a person under People and access. You sign in with a Google account that already manages the profile and give Reach permission to manage Business Profiles for that account. Reach then works through that account's access.
If that account loses access, so does Reach: the location shows No access and Reach asks you to reconnect the Google account that manages it. Connect with an account the business will keep, not a staffer's personal one.