Who controls your Google Business Profile?

CHECK / RESPONSIBLE PERSON

1. Start with access, not the password

Existing undated guidance · Checked 24 October 2026

Source facts

Google says each person should use their own Google Account to manage a profile without sharing a password. A profile can have multiple owners and one primary owner. Owners can manage users; managers handle most daily profile work but cannot add or remove other users or remove the profile.

The People and access screen lists current users and pending invitations. These are documented access controls, not evidence that any particular business has set them up correctly.

Who this affects

Australian businesses with an existing Business Profile, especially those whose profile was set up by a former employee, supplier or agency. If a recent documented review already confirms the right people and roles, there is no need to reshuffle access merely because this article appeared.

Our analysis: what it means for your business

Treat access as a business responsibility with a named person. “The agency handles Google” is a service arrangement; it does not answer who can keep the profile operating if that arrangement ends. A review should connect each listed person to a current role and a reason for access.

Hypothetical example: a Melbourne plumbing business asks its office manager to change holiday hours. The manager can do the day-to-day work, but the former marketing supplier is still the only person the business knows can change users. The immediate task is to establish a coordinated handover with that supplier, not to ask the office manager to guess passwords or create another listing.

Write down three things in a private operational record: the responsible business contact, the role shown in the account, and who handles routine updates. Record whether an invitation has actually been accepted. An email saying “access sent” should remain an open task until the intended person can use the correct profile. Keep passwords out of this record.

What to do next

1. Have an authorised person inspect People and access and identify each current user and pending invitation.
2. Confirm which accountable person within the business should retain ownership responsibility. Agree the working roles with any agency or contractor.
3. Ask the incoming authorised user to sign in independently and confirm the correct business and location.

PLAN / HANDOVER TIMING

2. Plan overlap before someone leaves

Existing undated guidance · Checked 24 October 2026

Source facts

Google documents a seven-day waiting period for new owners and managers before some actions, including removing other users or transferring primary ownership. Its ownership-transfer guidance says a transfer preserves business information such as reviews.

Who this affects

Teams preparing a staff departure, agency change or sale of a business. This is a planned-handover checklist. An ownership dispute, inaccessible account or unexpected restriction needs the appropriate Google support process and separate account-specific review.

Our analysis: what it means for your business

Schedule the access check before the last working day. A handover that depends on an immediate ownership change may run into the documented waiting period. The practical question is who can maintain necessary profile information during that overlap, and how the parties will confirm completion.

Hypothetical example: an Australian service business changes agencies on Friday. The incoming operator is invited that afternoon, while the outgoing operator is due to stop work immediately. A better plan would have assigned the business owner responsibility for coordinating access earlier, with a clear date for confirming the new arrangement. This example does not imply that every invitation triggers the same account outcome.

Use a short completion record: intended roles agreed, invitation accepted, incoming access checked, required transfer confirmed where applicable, and departing access reviewed. A commercial contract ending and an account role changing are different events. Decide who will carry out each authorised step rather than assuming one automatically causes the other.

If the visible controls or account state do not match the instructions, stop the handover step and use current Google support guidance. Do not improvise a second profile or assume a transfer will fix a verification problem. This article has not tested a recovery path or established a resolution time.

What to do next

1. Agree an overlap period and owner for the handover before the departure date.
2. Allow for Google’s documented limits and verify the actual account state before promising completion.
3. Confirm the incoming person can do the agreed work before the authorised owner removes access that is no longer needed.

VERIFY / CUSTOMER CONTACT

3. Check the public details after the handover

Operational recommendations · Not a platform announcement

Source facts

Google’s role guidance lists editing business information and responding to reviews among normal profile-management tasks. Removing a user does not remove their past contributions from the profile.

Who this affects

The business contact accepting a completed handover. A business that has not changed people or suppliers can keep this as a future departure checklist.

Our analysis: what it means for your business

Once access is settled, separate account control from customer-facing accuracy. Check the public phone number, opening hours and intended website destination. The account can be under the right person’s control while a customer still sees outdated contact information. These checks are recommendations for operational continuity, not a claim about search rankings.

Assign ongoing work explicitly. Who reviews suggested information changes, who answers reviews, and who covers absences? The useful result is a person who knows what to maintain and how to report an issue. Access alone does not show that those tasks will happen.

Keep the review proportionate. Record the change, its date and the person responsible, then revisit it when staff, suppliers or ownership change. A long list of accounts without a current purpose is harder to manage; removing everyone at once can create a different problem. Confirm the intended working arrangement before making changes.

What to do next

1. Check customer-facing contact information and the intended website destination after an authorised handover.
2. Name the person responsible for routine profile maintenance and absence cover.
3. Keep a private record of roles and completion checks; revisit it when the team or supplier changes.