How to give your agency access to your Google Business Profile
Sign in with the Google account that owns your Business Profile, then go to More (⋮) → Business Profile settings → People and access → Add, enter your agency's email, choose Manager and select Invite. You stay the owner: a Manager can reply to reviews and update the profile, but can't add or remove people, remove the profile or take ownership.
Sources checked 31 October 2026. Written by Firstcliq, which sells automatic review replies — so every claim about Google links to Google or to the article it comes from.
Your Google Business Profile is the listing people see on Google Maps and Search. Agencies, and tools like Firstcliq that agencies use, need access to it to reply to your reviews, post updates and keep your details right. The safe way to give that access is to add the agency as a Manager — never by sharing your password. This guide is the full reference: every step on a computer and on a phone, exactly what a Manager can and can't do, how to handle several locations, and what to do when it doesn't work.
How access works
Flow diagram: the owner opens People and access, invites the agency's email with Manager access, and the agency accepts the invitation. Ownership never changes hands.
Who this guide is for
- Business owners whose agency has asked for access. Follow the steps below; it takes about two minutes.
- Agencies onboarding a client. Send them the link to this page, or the message below, and the email address you want them to invite.
Copy-paste message for agencies to send a client
Hi [name], to start managing your Google reviews and profile we need Manager access to your Google Business Profile. You stay the owner and can remove us at any time. It takes two minutes: sign in to Google with the account that owns your profile, open your profile, then More (⋮) → Business Profile settings → People and access → Add. Enter [agency email], choose Manager and select Invite. Step-by-step guide with pictures: firstcliq.io/guides/give-agency-access-google-business-profile
Before you start
- Sign in with the Google account that is an owner of the profile. Managers can't add or remove people.
- Have your agency's email address ready. It must be a Google Account; Google Groups can't be added as owners or managers.
- The profile must be verified to be edited. If it isn't, tell your agency — verification comes first.
Sources: Google Business Profile Help — Manage your Business Profile owners & managers · Google Business Profile Help — Find your Business Profile to edit it
Option A: on a computer
- Go to business.google.com and open your profile — or search “my business” on Google while signed in.
- Select More (the ⋮ menu), then Business Profile settings.
- Select People and access.
- At the top left, select Add.
- Enter your agency's email address.
- Under Access, choose Manager.
- Select Invite. That's it.
Where to click on a computer
Four illustrated screens: 1, the business profile with the More menu (three dots) highlighted; 2, the menu with Business Profile settings highlighted; 3, the People and access list with the Add button highlighted; 4, the invite form with the agency email typed, Access set to Manager and the Invite button highlighted.
Option B: in the Google Maps app
- Open the Google Maps app, signed in with the owner account.
- Tap Business at the bottom right to open your profile.
- Open the ⋮ menu, then Business Profile settings → People and access.
- Tap Add, enter the email, choose Manager and tap Invite.
Menu positions in the app can move between versions. If you can't find them, use Option A on a computer — it's the path Google documents step by step.
Where to tap in the Google Maps app
Three illustrated phone screens: the Google Maps app with the Business tab highlighted; the profile with the three-dot menu open on Business Profile settings; and People and access with the Add button highlighted.
Sources: Google Business Profile Help — Manage your Business Profile owners & managers · Google Business Profile Help — Find your Business Profile to edit it
What your agency can and can't do as a Manager
Google calls managers “mostly the same access as owners”, with two big exceptions: they can't add or remove users, and they can't remove the profile. Worth knowing: a Manager can edit your name, category and website and can mark a location closed — so give access to an agency you trust, and check your profile now and then.
What each role can do
Table comparing Owner and Manager. Both can reply to reviews, post, edit hours and details, edit name, category and website, mark the business closed and download insights. Only owners can add or remove users and remove the profile; only the primary owner can transfer primary ownership.
A profile can have several owners but only one primary owner, and only the primary owner can hand that role to someone else — who must already be an owner or manager. For their first seven days, new owners and managers can't remove other users, delete the profile or transfer primary ownership.
Sources: Google Business Profile Help — Manage your Business Profile owners & managers · Google Business Profile Help — Transfer primary ownership
Several locations and business groups
- Separate profiles: add the agency on each profile, following the same steps.
- Business group: Google describes a business group as “like a shared folder” for profiles. Adding someone to the group as a manager gives them access to every current and future profile in it. To limit access, add them to individual profiles instead.
- Each business group has its own owners and managers, and a business group can't be a manager of another group.
Source: Google Business Profile Help — About business groups
After you send the invitation
- Your agency accepts it. They become a user right away and you get an email when they do.
- Check it worked: they now appear in People and access. An invitation not yet accepted waits under Pending, where you can select Cancel invitation and send it again.
- Change their role any time: select them, then Edit next to Access.
- Remove them any time: select them, then Remove person. They get an email; replies and posts they made stay on your profile.
Source: Google Business Profile Help — Manage your Business Profile owners & managers
If something doesn't work
Something not working? Follow the arrows
Decision tree. If you see People and access, add the agency as Manager. If you don't, you're on the wrong account or only a Manager: sign in with the owner account, or if you don't know it, request access at business.google.com/add, where the owner has three days to reply. If the agency didn't get the invite, check spelling and spam; pending invites can be cancelled and sent again.
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| I don't see People and access | You're signed in with an account that isn't an owner. Switch to the Google account that owns the profile. |
| I can't select a person in the list | You probably only have Manager access. Only owners can change or remove other users. |
| I don't know which account owns it | Ask whoever set up the listing. If you can't, request access at business.google.com/add — the owner has three days to respond. |
| My agency didn't get the email | Check the address, ask them to look in spam, then cancel the pending invitation and send it again. |
| My agency gets an error doing something | New managers can't do a few things in their first seven days (such as removing users). Wait, then try again. |
| I can't find my business at all | The profile may not be claimed or verified yet. Your agency can guide you through it. |
Sources: Google Business Profile Help — Manage your Business Profile owners & managers · Google Business Profile Help — Request ownership of a Business Profile
Why Firstcliq needs Manager access
Firstcliq connects to your profile through Google's official Business Profile API — the same access a Manager has, and no more. With it, your agency (or you) can read new reviews, post replies in your tone and your customer's language, publish Google posts and see performance. A person stays in charge: every reply can be seen and edited, and 1–2★ reviews wait for approval. You stay the owner throughout. Agencies can also give each client their own portal at firstcliq.io/c/your-client — see Firstcliq for agencies and how it works.
Google's policy for agencies backs this set-up: the business keeps ownership, the agency is the manager, agencies mustn't share passwords, the Business Profile itself is free, and clients must be able to leave an agency quickly. Related reading: automatic replies to Google reviews and how local SEO works.
Source: Google Business Profile Help — Third-party policies
Questions
Should I make my agency an Owner or a Manager?
A Manager. Google's own policy for agencies says the business should keep ownership and the agency should be the manager, and that an agency should ask an existing client to invite it as a manager, not an owner. A Manager can do the day-to-day work but can't add or remove people or remove the profile.
Can my agency remove me or take over my Google Business Profile?
Not as a Manager. Google says managers can't add or remove users or remove the profile, and only owners can change other people's roles. Primary ownership can only be transferred by the primary owner.
Do I need to give my agency my Google password?
No, and you shouldn't. Each person needs their own Google Account, and you invite your agency's email. Google's third-party policy tells agencies not to share passwords.
How long does it take for my agency to get access?
As soon as they accept. Google says invited users can accept the invitation and become users right away, and you get an email when they do. New owners and managers can't do a few sensitive things — such as removing other users or transferring primary ownership — for their first seven days.
Can I give access from my phone?
Yes. In the Google Maps app, tap Business at the bottom right to open your profile, then follow the same path: the menu, Business Profile settings, People and access, Add. Menu positions in the app can change between versions; if you can't find them, use a computer.
I have several branches. Do I need to invite my agency for each one?
If each location is a separate profile, yes, add the agency on each. If your locations are in a business group, adding someone to the group gives them access to every current and future profile in it.
How do I remove my agency later?
Open People and access, select the agency, then Remove person. Access ends and they get an email; replies and posts they made stay on your profile. Google also requires agencies to let you leave their service quickly.
What if I don't know which Google account owns my profile?
Ask whoever set it up — a former employee, web designer or previous agency. If you can't reach them, request access at business.google.com/add: Google emails the current owner, who has three days to respond.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help — Manage your Business Profile owners & managers
- Google Business Profile Help — Find your Business Profile to edit it
- Google Business Profile Help — Transfer primary ownership
- Google Business Profile Help — Request ownership of a Business Profile
- Google Business Profile Help — About business groups
- Google Business Profile Help — Third-party policies
More guides
- Does Google allow AI replies to reviews?Yes — Google's guidance does not prohibit them, and Google has been testing its own AI reply button. What it checks is what a reply says.
- How to reply to a negative Google reviewReply promptly, address the reviewer and their specific complaint, own what went wrong without taking blame for what didn't, and never share private details.
- Does replying to Google reviews help your ranking?Google does not list replies as a ranking factor. It says review count and ratings help prominence — and that replies help you stand out.
- How to spot and report fake Google reviewsReport it to Google from your Business Profile or the Reviews Management Tool, reply calmly in the meantime, and never buy reviews of your own.
- How Google star ratings are calculatedGoogle says your score is the average of all published ratings. The more reviews you have, the less any single review moves it.
- What is local SEO, and how is it different?Local SEO is getting found by nearby customers on Google Maps and local results. Google ranks those on relevance, distance and prominence.
- How automatic Google review replies save you timeAutomate the routine replies, keep a person on the 1–2★ ones, and add a delay so replies read like a manager who saw the review.
- Buying Google reviews: what happens when Google catches itDon't. Google removes paid reviews, can block new reviews on your profile and warn customers that fake reviews were removed, and in the US and UK buying them breaks the law.
- Buying negative reviews for competitors: is it illegal?Don't. Fake reviews on a competitor break Google's policy, can be traced back to you through the platform, and can mean defamation, unfair-competition or criminal liability depending on the country.
- How local SEO works: the complete step-by-step guideGoogle ranks local results on relevance, distance and prominence, then the searcher picks one by what your profile shows. This guide covers each lever in order — profile, consistency, reviews, website, posts, tracking — with a 90-day checklist.