A Google Business Profile manager is anyone you invite to help run your listing, with nearly the same day-to-day access as an owner but without the power to add or remove other people. You can invite one for free from the People and access page in your profile settings. The harder question is who should hold that seat: an employee, a freelancer, an agency, or you. This guide covers the roles, the exact steps, the safeguards, and how to choose.
TL;DR
- Owners control everything, including users. Managers can edit info, answer reviews and publish posts, but cannot add or remove users or remove the profile.
- Adding a manager is free. Go to Business Profile settings, then People and access, then Add, and send the invite by email.
- New owners and managers wait 7 days before they can use some sensitive features, such as removing other users.
- Keep the primary owner seat in your own Google Account, and give everyone else the lowest role that does the job.
- If the weekly work of posts, reviews and updates is the problem, a managed monthly plan can take it off your desk while you keep ownership.
Table of Contents
- What a Google Business Profile manager actually is
- Owner, manager and primary owner compared
- How to add a manager to your profile
- Changing a role or removing someone
- Transferring primary ownership
- Managing several locations with business groups
- Business Profile vs. Business Manager
- Who should be your manager?
- What a good manager does each month
- Keeping your access safe
- Hand off the routine, keep the ownership
- FAQ
- Sources
What a Google Business Profile manager actually is
The phrase covers two different things, and readers searching it usually mean one or the other.
- A role inside Google. Every person with access to a profile is a user, and each user is either an owner or a manager. According to Google's help page on owners and managers, managers (once called site managers) have mostly the same access as owners, except they cannot add or remove users or remove the profile.
- A person or company that does the work. This is the freelancer, staff member or agency you hand the profile to. They still need one of the two roles above to log in and make changes.
So "who manages my profile" has two answers: who holds the access, and who does the work. Keeping those separate is what keeps your listing safe.
The profile itself costs nothing. Google's getting started guide says you can manage how your business shows up on Maps and Search at no charge, and you need a Google Account to sign up.
Owner, manager and primary owner compared
The table below summarizes what Google's documentation says about each role.
| Capability | Primary owner | Owner | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edit business info | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Respond to reviews | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Create and manage posts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Add or remove users | Yes | Yes | No |
| Change other users' roles | Yes | Yes | No |
| Remove the profile | Yes | Yes | No |
| Transfer primary ownership | Yes | No | No |
The source for the owner and manager columns is Google's owners and managers page. The transfer row comes from Google's page on transferring primary ownership, which states that only the primary owner can do it.
The practical takeaway: a manager can do nearly all of the visible, weekly work. Reserve owner access for people who need to control who else gets in.
How to add a manager to your profile
You need to be an owner to invite anyone. Following Google's instructions:
- Open your Business Profile.
- Select More, then Business Profile settings, then People and access.
- Select Add at the top left.
- Enter the person's email address.
- Under Access, choose Owner or Manager.
- Select Invite.
An invited person can accept right away and becomes a user. You get an email when they do. Everyone with access, plus any pending invites, is listed on the same People and access page, so it doubles as your audit screen.
The 7-day waiting period
A new owner or manager has to wait 7 days before managing some features, according to the same Google page. These include deleting or undeleting a profile, removing other owners or managers, and transferring primary ownership. Plan for it: if you are onboarding a helper before a busy season, invite them a week or more ahead, and do not count on them being able to restructure access on day one.
Invite the right email address
Use the email tied to a Google Account the person controls. For a staff member, a personal work address they will keep is better than a shared inbox. For an outside provider, ask which account they use so the invite lands in the right place. Shared logins make it hard to tell who changed what, and they are hard to revoke cleanly.
Changing a role or removing someone
People change jobs, contracts end, and priorities shift. Both actions live on the People and access page, and only owners can do them.
To change a role: select the user, choose Edit next to Access, pick the new role, and save.
To remove someone: select the user, then Remove person. They get an email and can no longer change business info or do admin tasks. Per Google's documentation, their earlier review replies, posts, comments and other actions stay on the profile.
That last point matters for reputation. If a former helper posted something off-brand, removing them does not erase it. Review old posts and replies when you offboard someone.
A good habit: once a quarter, open People and access and confirm each name is someone who still needs to be there.
Transferring primary ownership
Sometimes the person holding the primary owner seat is the wrong one: a founder who handed the business to a partner, an employee who set it up years ago, or a vendor who created the listing on your behalf.
- Only the current primary owner can start the transfer.
- The profile must already have at least one other owner or manager to receive it.
- Go to More, Business Profile settings, People and access, and select that user.
- Next to Access, choose Edit, select Primary owner, and save.
- The new primary owner waits 7 days before they can manage all features.
If you ever worked with someone who set up your profile under their account, Google's eligibility and ownership guidelines say authorized representatives must transfer ownership to the business owner immediately on request. Ask in writing, and keep a copy.
When you cannot reach the current owner
If an unknown or absent person holds the listing, you can request ownership. According to Google's request ownership page, the current owner is emailed and has 3 days to respond. If there is no response after 3 days, you may have the option to claim the profile. Related setup steps, including proving the business is yours, are in our guide to Google Business Profile verification.
Managing several locations with business groups
If you run more than one location, adding people one profile at a time gets tedious. Google's business groups documentation describes groups as a shared folder for your locations. Both managers and owners can create, edit and delete locations within a group. Each group has its own owners and managers, and you can still add users to single locations manually.
According to Google's page on creating and managing business groups, a user added to the group can access all current and future profiles placed in it. That is convenient, but it also means a new location is instantly visible to everyone in the group, so check the list before you add a new profile to it.
For solo professionals with a single location, or a service-area setup with no storefront, you likely do not need groups. Our service area business setup guide covers that situation.
Business Profile vs. Business Manager
These names get confused. The Business Profile is the listing customers see on Search and Maps. Business Manager is a Google tool for managing some Google apps for your business, adding and editing your Business Profiles for Search and Maps, and viewing and adding people's access to the apps you use. Think of the profile as the storefront and Business Manager as an admin layer that can sit above it. If you only have one listing and a couple of helpers, the People and access page described above is all you need.
Who should be your manager?
The right answer depends on how much time the profile needs and who has the discipline to keep it current.
An employee or office manager
Good for businesses with a front desk. They know hours, staff and services. Give them the Manager role, not Owner. The risk is turnover: when they leave, the knowledge goes with them unless the routine is written down. For healthcare practices, assigning clear responsibility is half the battle, and our healthcare local SEO plan for practice managers shows how to divide ownership of the tasks.
A freelancer or contractor
Flexible, often affordable. Give the Manager role, confirm which Google Account they will use, and put the scope in writing: which posts, how often, and who answers reviews. Remove access when the contract ends.
A managed service
If you are a solo professional, the profile competes with billable work. Weekly posts, photo updates, review replies and accuracy checks are small tasks that slip first. A provider that handles them on a monthly schedule keeps the listing active. Whoever you choose, you should remain an owner, and ideally the primary owner, so the listing is always yours.
You
Many solo owners start here, and that is fine. Hold the primary owner seat, set up a weekly 20-minute routine, and use the guides on posts, reviews and photos as checklists.
What a good manager does each month
Whoever holds the manager seat, the work is the same. A solid monthly rhythm looks like this:
- Accuracy check. Hours, phone, website, categories and services match reality. The business name should match your real-world signage.
- Reviews. Every new review gets a considered reply, and there is a steady, compliant way of asking happy clients for feedback.
- Posts. Fresh updates and offers on a regular cadence.
- Photos. New, real images added and outdated ones retired.
- Services and descriptions. Reviewed against what you actually sell, as described in our piece on Google Business Profile services.
- Duplicates and conflicts. Stray listings can split your reviews and confuse customers. Our guide to fixing duplicate Google listings walks through it.
- Access review. Confirm that only current people are on the People and access page.
Keeping your access safe
Google can revoke ownership. According to its eligibility and ownership guidelines, reasons include not signing in to your account recently, the business confirming that you or your agency is no longer authorized to manage the page, Google being unable to reach you by email after multiple attempts, a profile being deleted by you or another owner, or a profile created through another Google product that has since been suspended.
Some simple habits follow from that:
- Use an email address you actually read, and sign in periodically.
- Make sure at least two trusted people hold access, with one of them being you.
- Never let a vendor hold the only owner seat.
- Write down who has access, which role, and why.
Our view on who should manage your profile
We see the same pattern with solo professionals: the profile is set up once, then neglected because client work comes first. Reviews sit unanswered, hours drift out of date, and posts stop. Nothing is broken, it just goes quiet.
That is why we build our service around steady monthly output rather than one-off fixes. We produce deliverables with in-house AI tools, which is how we aim to keep turnaround fast and pricing affordable, and we bundle Google Business Profile management with review automation, SEO posts and reporting in one plan, so you are not coordinating several vendors.
Our rule on access is simple: you stay the owner. We work as a manager on your profile, you can see exactly who has access on the People and access page, and you can change it at any time.
Jason
Hand off the routine, keep the ownership
Rooted Up runs monthly marketing and AI operations for solo professionals, including Google Business Profile management, review automation, monthly SEO blog posts, newsletters, and SEO and schema hygiene. Plans are published on our site: Foundation at $500 per month, Growth at $1,000 per month, and Partner at $1,800 per month. If you want a one-off setup first, the Foundations Sprint is $1,500 to $3,000, and AI Operations for your own practice starts from $300 per month.
If your profile needs steady hands more than it needs a new strategy, see the Rooted Up plans and choose the level that fits how much you want off your plate.
FAQ
What is the difference between a Google Business Profile owner and manager?
Owners have full control, including adding or removing users and removing the profile. Managers can edit info, reply to reviews and manage posts, but cannot add or remove users or remove the profile. Give managers to anyone who does the daily work and keep owner access for people who must control the listing.
How many people can manage a Google Business Profile, and does it cost anything?
Managing your profile is free according to Google, and adding an owner or manager carries no fee. You can see everyone with access, and any pending invites, on the People and access page. Check Google's help page for the current limits on users.
Can I remove a manager who did something wrong?
Yes, if you are an owner. Select the person on People and access and choose Remove person. They lose the ability to change business info, but their earlier replies and posts stay on the profile, so review and edit them separately.
Is Google Business Profile the same as Google Business Manager?
No. The profile is your listing on Search and Maps. Business Manager is a Google tool for managing some business apps, adding and editing profiles, and viewing or adding people's access across them.
What if the previous manager still owns my profile?
Ask them in writing to transfer ownership. Authorized representatives must transfer ownership to the business owner on request under Google's guidelines. If you cannot reach them, request ownership: the current owner has 3 days to respond, after which you may be able to claim it.
Sources
- Manage your Business Profile owners & managers, Google Business Profile Help
- Get started with Google Business Profile
- Transfer primary ownership of a Business Profile
- Business eligibility and ownership guidelines
- Request ownership of a Business Profile
- About business groups
- Create & manage business groups
- Connect your Business Profile to Business Manager