Who owns your Google listing? How to check in 5 minutes
If the company you stopped paying is the primary owner of your Google listing, they can still lock you out of it. A lot of owners have never looked.
- Owners can add or remove people from your listing, and even delete it. You should be the primary owner.
- You can see who has access in about 5 minutes.
- If someone else owns it, Google has a way to ask for it back. It isn't always available, but it's usually days, not months.
Your reviews, your photos and your phone number all live on that listing. If someone else controls it, they control the first thing a customer sees. Here's how to check, in the order I'd do it.
The 5 steps
Do them in order. Your phone works fine.
Sign in with your business Google account
Use the Gmail or Google account you use for the business. Then search your business name on Google. If that account has access, you'll see your listing with edit buttons at the top. If you see "Own this business?" instead, that account isn't on it. Try any other Google account you might have used before you call anyone.
Open People and access
From your listing, go to More, then Business Profile settings, then People and access. You'll see every email that has access, and its role: primary owner, owner or manager.
Read the list
The primary owner should be an email you control. Not an old employee. Not the web guy's agency email. Anyone helping you can be a manager. Managers can fix your hours, reply to reviews and post updates. They can't remove you or delete the listing. Owners can, so only make someone an owner if you'd hand them the keys to your truck.
If you see a name you don't recognize, write it down before you change anything.
Clean up who has access
If you're the primary owner, remove anyone who shouldn't be there. If you're an owner but not the primary one, ask the primary owner to transfer it to you. One thing to know: a new owner has to wait 7 days before Google lets them transfer primary ownership or remove other people.
If someone else owns it and won't answer
Go to business.google.com/add. Type your business name and address, pick your business from the list, and choose Request access. Fill out the form. Google emails the current owner, and they have 3 days to respond. If they don't, Google may give you the option to claim the listing yourself and verify it.
The catch
If Google asks you to verify again, it can take longer than a week. Do it anyway. It's your listing.
When I work with a business, the owner stays the primary owner. I ask for manager access only. If you stop paying me, you remove me in a few taps.
Bottom line
- Check People and access today.
- The primary owner should be you, on an email you control.
- Anyone helping you is a manager, not an owner.
Questions owners ask
Not if you're the primary owner and he's a manager. If his email is the primary owner, ask him to transfer it to you.
Owners can add or remove people and delete the listing. The primary owner can't be removed until they hand that role to someone else. Managers can edit the details, reply to reviews and post updates, but can't remove people.
No. Reviews belong to the listing, not to whoever manages it. Keep the listing and you keep the reviews.
Steps from Google's own help pages: Manage your Business Profile owners and managers and Request ownership of a Business Profile. Google changes menu names now and then. If yours look different, text me.