How to Transfer Ownership of a Google Business Profile

Let’s start with a quick look at the levels of users that can access a Google Business Profile.

There are:

• Managers – can view and manage most of the profile’s settings, except adding/removing users.
• Owners – can view and manage all of the profile’s settings, including adding/removing users except for the Primary Owner.
• Primary Owner – this is the verified owner of the profile. They can view and manage all of the profiles settings. The Primary Owner can not remove themselves from the profile, but they can approve transfers of the Primary Ownership.

When we talk about transferring the ownership of a profile, we are talking about transferring the Primary (verified) Ownership of the profile.

There are a couple of reasons you might want to change the ownership of a Google Business Profile.

The first situation that comes to mind is a change in the ownership of the business.

If you are purchasing a business, it’s a good idea to include the transfer of the Google Business Profile as part of the agreement to purchase the business. If this is agreed to ahead of time, it makes the transfer much easier. Everyone knows what to expect.

Another reason to transfer ownership is if the owner has either lost control of the Google account that owns the profile, or if the profile is owned by an employee (or former employee) and you want the primary owner of the profile to be the actual owner of the business, as it should be.

There are also times when the business profile was set up by an agency that assigned themselves as the primary owner. There are legitimate reasons an agency might do that, but in general it’s a good idea for the business owner to be the primary owner. The business owner being the primary owner even if the profile is set up by an agency can avoid problems and disputes in the future.

Transfers by Mutual Agreement

This is where you want to be.

If the transfer of the profile is agreed to ahead of time, the person that the profile is to be transferred to can simply click on the ‘claim’ link on the public profile and request access as an owner.

The existing owner will receive an email from Google asking if they would like to approve the transfer. They approve it and the transfer is completed.

Be aware that the new owners will have limited access to the profile for the first week or so. Google does that to prevent abuse.

The original owner will then need to go into their settings, use the three dot menu icon in the upper right corner of the setting console, select ‘advanced business settings’, then ‘people and access’, and switch your account to being the Primary Owner.

Transfers by Mutual Agreement, Alternative 1

Another method of doing a mutually agreed transfer it for the current owner to invite the new owner to become an Owner level user on the account.

This is done by clicking on the three dot menu icon in the upper right corner of the profile settings console. Then go to ‘business profile settings’ and click on ‘people and access’, then ‘add’. Add the new owner’s email address and click ‘invite’.

The new owner will receive an invite they can accept. There will be a seven day hold before the current Primary Owner can assign the Primary Owner role to the new owner.

Transfers by Mutual Agreement, Alternative 2

Another option that comes to mind is only available if the Google account that is the Primary Owner of the profile is owned by the business, rather than the prior owners personal account. If the Google account is owned by the business, that email address is used by the business, and especially if it is also the verified owner of the website in Google Search Console, it may be best to simply transfer the entire Google account to the new business owner.

Disputed Transfers

Okay, now you are getting into the headache zone.

When you click on the ‘claim’ or “own this business?” link on the profile, Google will give you a hint as to the email address of the current Primary Owner. Of course, if you have purchased the business or have some kind of takeover agreement, you would already know who that is. Once you click on the “request access” button, Google will send an email to the current owner and ask if they will transfer the Primary Ownership to you. The current owner has three days to reply.

If they refuse the transfer, as the first course of action, I would suggest talking to the current profile owner. It may be that they did not understand the email, were suspicious, or did not receive it.

If they have dug in their heals and are actually refusing the transfer, you might consider consulting an attorney to see if they can help.

After the current owner refuses the transfer or does not respond, Google may allow you to appeal. If they do, they will ask you for evidence documenting your ownership. You’ll need to jump through their verification hoops. That can take some time and require some patience.