How to Add a Manager to Your Google Business Profile (Step by Step)

To add a manager to your Google Business Profile, sign in to Google with the account that owns the profile, search for your business name (or type “my business”), open the three dot menu on your profile panel, choose Business Profile settings, then People and access, then Add. Enter the person’s Google email address, pick Manager, and click Invite. They get an email and the access starts once they accept. You never need to hand over a password, and you can remove them with one click whenever you like.

That is the short version. The rest of this guide covers what each role can actually do, what to pick when an agency or a member of staff asks for access, and the handful of things that go wrong.

Why add a manager instead of sharing your login?

Because sharing your Google password hands over far more than your business listing. The same account usually holds your Gmail, your Drive, your YouTube and, if you run ads, your Google Ads billing. Anyone with the password has all of it, and if they change the recovery details you can lose the account for good.

A manager role gives someone access to the listing and nothing else. It is also how Google expects access to work, so if a listing is ever suspended you can show clearly who had access and when. If a company offering to “fix your Google” asks for your password rather than an invite, that alone is a reason to walk away.

What can each role do?

Google Business Profile currently has three roles. The older “site manager” role was retired a few years ago, so if you see it mentioned in an old guide, ignore it.

Can they…	Primary owner	Owner	Manager
Edit business name, address, hours, categories, services	Yes	Yes	Yes
Reply to reviews, add photos, publish posts	Yes	Yes	Yes
Answer questions, manage messages, see insights	Yes	Yes	Yes
Add or remove owners and managers	Yes	Yes	No
Change the primary owner	Yes	No	No
Remove the profile from the account entirely	Yes	No	No

A few things worth knowing:

• Managers can do nearly all the day to day work. Posting, replying, fixing hours, adding services and uploading photos all sit inside the Manager role. That covers everything an agency or a good member of staff needs.
• Only owners can add people. If you want someone to be able to invite others, they need Owner, and you should think twice before giving that to anyone outside the business.
• The primary owner is the real control. Keep this as you, on an account you personally control. Not a web designer, not a former business partner, not an old employee’s account.
• New people have a short waiting period. Google limits some sensitive actions, such as removing the profile or removing other people, for the first seven days after someone is added. Normal editing works straight away.

How do I add a manager, step by step?

On a computer:

1. Sign in to Google with the account that manages the profile.
2. In Google Search, type your exact business name, or simply type my business. Your profile panel appears at the top with buttons like Edit profile and Read reviews.
3. Click the three dot menu (usually next to the “Add update” or “Promote” buttons). If you manage several locations, you may land on a list first, so pick the right one.
4. Choose Business Profile settings.
5. Choose People and access.
6. Click Add.
7. Type the person’s email address. It must be the address they use to sign in to Google.
8. Choose Manager (or Owner if you genuinely need that).
9. Click Invite.

On a phone, open the Google Maps app, tap your profile picture, tap Your Business Profile, then the three dot menu, then Business Profile settings, then People and access. The rest is the same.

The person you invited gets an email from Google with an accept button. Until they click it, they show as “Invited” in your list, and you can cancel the invitation from the same screen. If they say they never received it, ask them to check spam and confirm the exact email address they sign in to Google with, then remove the pending invite and send a fresh one.

What should I pick when an agency asks for access?

Manager, almost every time. It lets them do the work and lets you remove them in seconds when the job is done. That is exactly what we ask for on our own Get Found service: you add [email protected] as a Manager, we make the agreed changes, and you can take the access back the moment you want to.

Be cautious if a company asks for Owner “so we can manage everything for you”, or for Primary owner “to speed up verification”. Neither is needed for optimising a listing. Owner access makes sense only for a business partner or a senior employee who will be managing the listing long term.

Two more habits worth building:

• Review the list every few months. Open People and access and remove anyone who no longer works with you. Ex staff and old agencies are the most common leftovers we find during a free visibility check.
• Keep a note of who has what. A line in a spreadsheet with the person, their email, their role and the date you added them takes a minute and saves a scramble later.

How do I transfer primary ownership?

Only the current primary owner can do this, and it is worth doing if the profile was set up by a web designer or someone who has since left.

1. Go to People and access.
2. Click the person you want to make primary owner. They must already be an Owner or Manager on the profile.
3. Choose Primary owner from the role options and confirm.

If the person who set up your profile has gone and will not cooperate, you cannot force a transfer from inside the profile. Instead, use Google’s “Request access” route: search for your business while signed in to your own account, click Own this business?, and follow the prompts. Google emails the current owner and gives them a few days to respond. If they do not, you can usually verify ownership yourself. It is slower, but it works, and it is a far better outcome than creating a duplicate listing, which brings its own problems (see why your business might not be showing on Google Maps).

What are the common problems?

I cannot see People and access. Usually one of two things. Either you are a Manager rather than an Owner, in which case the option is hidden, or the profile is not verified yet. Finish verification first, then the option appears.

The invite goes to the wrong person. Many businesses have both a personal Gmail and a work Google account. Ask the invitee to tell you the exact address they are signed in with before you send anything.

Someone was added and immediately changed things. Any new owner or manager can edit straight away, so only invite people you trust and agree the changes in writing first. Sudden changes to the name or address are a common cause of suspensions, so make sure whoever you add knows that too.

I added an agency months ago and forgot. Remove them. If they need access again later, a fresh invite takes two minutes.

What should I do once access is sorted?

Access is the admin part. The reason you are adding someone is usually to improve the listing itself, so make sure the work gets done properly. Our Google Business Profile optimisation checklist lists the fields that matter most, in order, and the full list of what we fix is on the services page.

If you would like to know how your profile looks right now compared with the businesses ranking above you, request a free AI Visibility Check. It is emailed within one working day, there is no call, and it tells you your top five fixes whether or not you ever ask us to do them.