One morning you search for your business on Google. The phone number is wrong, the opening hours are outdated, and when you try to fix it, you are told you don't have permission to manage the listing. Or maybe you just realized the profile your former employee created is still tied to their personal email address.
This happens all the time. The person who set up the profile left the company, you parted ways with an old agency, or the previous owner of the shop took the account with them. Usually nobody acted in bad faith; it was simply forgotten. Plenty of owners find themselves saying "someone else owns my Google Business Profile" without knowing how it happened. In this article I explain how to tell what is going on, the general steps for requesting ownership, and how to make sure it never happens again.
How do you know someone else controls your profile?
Suspect it if any of these sound familiar:
- You try to edit the listing and get a message that you don't have access.
- Your business card on Google offers a "claim this business" or "own this business?" option, yet your own account can't manage it.
- The phone number, address or photos change without your knowing.
- Someone you don't recognize replies to your reviews.
The first question to ask is: who created it? The answer is often close by. Think of a former employee, the person who built your website or ran your ads, even your bookkeeper. Reaching out to them first is usually the quickest route.
Start with the friendly route: contact the owner
If you know who holds the profile, ask them to give you management access. Google has a normal process for this. The current owner can add you as a manager and then transfer ownership to you. They never need to share their password, and it is actually better if they don't.
A short, clear message is enough: "I'd like to manage our Google profile myself. Could you add me as a manager?" If you worked with an agency, check how your agreement handled this. The profile belongs to your business, not to the agency.
If nobody responds: requesting ownership
If you can't find the owner or they don't reply, Google lets you submit an ownership request for the profile. Screens and button names change over time, so I won't walk through them click by click, but the general flow looks like this:
- You find your business listing on Google.
- You request ownership using your own Google account.
- Google asks you to verify that the business is really yours. Depending on the case, that might be a phone call, an email, a postcard or a video check.
- A notice goes to the current owner. If they don't object within a set time, management passes to you.
- If they object, the process takes longer and Google may ask for more proof.
Documents that show the business is real help: a business license, a photo of your storefront sign, a utility bill in the business name. Which ones Google accepts is spelled out in its own guidelines. I can't promise a specific timeline or outcome.
What to do while you wait
The process can take days or even weeks. In the meantime your business may keep showing customers the wrong details. Do this:
- Keep your website accurate. If phone, address and hours are right there, customers can at least reach you.
- Update your social media profiles with the correct details.
- Suggest corrections. Anyone can suggest an edit on a map listing. It may not be fast, but it sometimes works.
- Keep notes. Write down when you contacted whom and what they said. These records help later.
- Report abuse. If someone deliberately posts false information, take a screenshot and report it to Google.
One more point: don't try to create a second profile for the same business. It doesn't solve the problem and often makes things worse by creating a duplicate listing.
Once ownership is yours, review the whole profile from top to bottom: address, phone, hours, services, photos and review replies. Fix anything the previous manager left behind that is no longer true, and remove any person from the access list whom you don't recognize.
Never lose access again: keep ownership in your own account
This is the real lesson. The owner of the profile should be your own Google account, one that won't disappear when someone leaves. Not an employee's personal email, and not an agency's shared login.
A practical setup looks like this:
| Who? | Which role? |
|---|---|
| You (the business owner) | Owner |
| The person who manages your website or profile | Manager |
| Front desk staff who answer reviews | Manager or a more limited role |
The rule is simple: you keep ownership and give others manager access only. When you stop working with someone, you remove them from the list and you lose nothing. Never share the password of your owner account; add people with their own accounts instead. It also helps to turn on two-step verification for your owner account and add a backup phone number or email.
When you hire an agency or freelancer, say this up front: "The profile stays in my account, and you will be added as a manager." An honest professional won't mind.
Frequently asked questions
What if my old agency won't hand the profile back?
The profile belongs to your business. First ask in writing to be added as a manager or to have ownership transferred. If there is no answer, you can follow the ownership request route described above. If there is a contract dispute, talk to a lawyer.
I bought a business and the profile stayed with the previous owner. What should I do?
Contact the previous owner and ask them to transfer it. If you can't reach them, request ownership and verify with documents showing the business is now yours. Your accountant can tell you which documents make sense.
How long does an ownership request take?
I can't give a fixed time. It can range from days to weeks depending on the verification method and how the current owner responds. While it's pending, keeping the information on your website correct is the safest precaution.
Should I give ownership to the person who manages my profile?
No. Manager access is enough for most jobs. If ownership stays with you, nobody's permission is needed when the working relationship ends.
Conclusion
Having your profile in someone else's hands is frustrating, but it can be solved. Find out who created it, try the friendly route first, and move to an ownership request if that fails. The lasting fix is to take ownership into your own account and give others manager access only. If you'd like help cleaning up your profile, keeping it accurate and setting it up so you never lose it again, you can reach me through my local SEO service page.