Google Business Profile Agency Rules
Google has rules for anyone who manages a Google Business Profile for someone else. Here they are in plain words, with what we add on top.
Read this before you hire anyone, us included. If a company can’t say yes to every line, keep looking.
You end up the primary owner of your profile, and you remove us when we’re done.
Google Business Profile ownership stays with you
Google Business Profile ownership has to stay with the business. Google’s policy for third parties says the business decides whether a helper gets co-owner access, manager access or none, and the business must always keep ownership or co-ownership.
- If a helper creates the profile, Google says to make the business owner the owner and the helper a manager.
- If the profile already exists, the business invites the helper as a manager, not an owner.
- When you end the service, the helper has 7 business days to give you sole control and remove every permission. Ownership has to be handed over at once whenever you ask.
We set your profile up from our account, add your email as owner and make you primary owner. You accept Google’s invite, and then you remove us under People and access. Google makes a new owner or manager wait 7 days before removing anyone, so that last step comes a week later.
| On your profile | Owner | Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Edit details, photos and posts; reply to reviews | Yes | Yes |
| Add or remove people | Yes | No |
| Remove the profile | Yes | No |
Google Business Profile consent and fees, in writing
Google Business Profile helpers need your clear consent before they claim or manage anything, and Google asks them to keep written or digital proof of it. Replying to your reviews needs your explicit approval on top of that, and Google says verbal approval doesn’t count.
Fees work the same way. A helper who charges has to tell you the profile itself is free, tell you the fee in writing before managing anything, show it on every invoice, and avoid sudden big increases. Helpers who mainly serve small businesses also have to share Google’s notice on working with a third party when you sign up and each time you renew.
What Google bans Google Business Profile helpers from doing
Google bans Google Business Profile helpers from these practices, and it can suspend their accounts and bar them from managing profiles at all:
- Posing as Google, including through robocalls
- Promising top placement, or that a profile will always appear in Search or Maps
- Selling free Google products as if a business pays to be listed
- Cold calling that ignores do-not-call lists, pressure, threats that you’ll lose your profile, or holding a profile hostage for money
- Claiming a profile to pressure a business into buying
- Rejecting Google’s suggested updates without checking with the owner
What we add to the Google Business Profile rules
Google Business Profile rules set the floor. These are ours on top:
- No cold calls at all. We work by email unless you ask to talk.
- We never ask for your password. We set it up, then add your email as owner.
- The price is on the website before you ever write to us.
- One sensitive edit at a time, with your website and listings fixed first, so we don’t set off a suspension.
- A written handover of every change and why.
Google Business Profile reports we send
Google Business Profile reports from us follow Google’s reporting rules. Your profile’s numbers come straight from Google’s own performance report and are shown on their own, not blended into a total with other platforms. They’re never compared with, or shown to, another client. And you can always see the same numbers yourself, in your own profile, without asking us.
Five questions for any Google Business Profile helper
Before you hire any Google Business Profile helper, us included, ask these five questions and get the answers in writing:
- Will I be the primary owner? The only right answer is yes.
- What exactly do I pay, and for what? Google requires the fee in writing before work starts.
- Do you guarantee a ranking? Anyone who says yes is breaking Google’s policy.
- How do I end it? You should get sole control back within 7 business days, and the helper should leave.
- Will you call me, or ask for my password? Google tells helpers never to share passwords, and robocalls posing as Google are banned outright.
Google’s own notice for owners lists the warning signs the same way: no transparency, guaranteed placement, claims to work for Google, threats, and bills that don’t match the agreement.
How to remove anyone from your Google Business Profile
To remove anyone from your Google Business Profile, open the profile while signed in as an owner, go to Business Profile settings, then People and access, pick the person and remove them. Do it for former staff and old agencies too, and turn on 2-Step Verification for your Google account. If a helper won’t hand back control, you can report them through Google’s complaint form for third parties.
Google Business Profile agency questions
These Google Business Profile agency questions are the ones to ask anyone you hire.
Is there a Google partner program for Google Business Profile agencies?
No, Google has no partner or certification program for Google Business Profile agencies. Google Partners is a Google Ads program, so a Partner badge on a profile setup page says nothing about Business Profiles. We’re independent and not affiliated with Google.
Can an agency own my Google Business Profile?
No, an agency shouldn’t own your Google Business Profile. Google’s policy says the business must keep ownership or co-ownership, with the agency as a manager. We hand primary ownership to your email when setup is done.
What happens to my Google Business Profile if I fire my agency?
Your Google Business Profile stays yours when you fire an agency, as long as you’re an owner. Google gives the agency 7 business days to return sole control and remove its access, and you can remove it yourself under People and access.