Several branches on Google Maps: manage every location from one account
Give each branch its own Business Profile, with the same business name and category, and manage them all from one Google account in Business Profile Manager. Put them in a business group to share access with your team, and if you have 10 or more locations of the same business, request bulk verification instead of verifying each one.
Sources checked 8 November 2026. Written by Firstcliq, which sells automatic review replies — so every claim about Google links to Google or to the article it comes from.
Restaurant groups, clinics, gyms, car rental companies — any business with several branches runs into the same questions: one profile or many? Which account owns them? How do I let each manager see their branch without handing over everything? Here's the set-up Google recommends, step by step.
How several branches fit under one account
One business Google account owns one business group. The group's owners and managers can see every branch. Inside the group: a separate Business Profile for each branch, such as Downtown, Marina, Airport and Mall.
The rules for chains and multi-location businesses
- One profile per location. Google says: “Do not create more than one page for each location of your business.”
- Same name everywhere in the same country, unless your real-world branding consistently differs by location.
- Same category for every branch that provides the same service.
- Real addresses. Each branch needs a location customers can visit (or a service area). Virtual offices and P.O. boxes aren't eligible.
- Separate brands stay separate. If two brands share one address, don't combine them into one profile.
Source: Google Business Profile Help — Guidelines for representing your business on Google
Fewer than 10 branches, or 10 and more?
Choose your path
Fewer than 10 branches: add each profile from your account and verify each one with the method Google offers. 10 or more branches of the same business: import them with a spreadsheet, then request bulk verification in Business Profile Manager under Verifications, Chain, Start. Service-area businesses and agencies managing different businesses can't bulk verify.
Source: Google Business Profile Help — Verify multiple businesses (bulk verification)
Path A: add and verify branches one by one
- Sign in with the Google account that will own all the branches — a business account, not a staff member's personal one.
- For each branch, check it isn't already on Google Maps. If it is, claim it; if not, add it (on Google Search, the More menu has Add a new Business Profile).
- Use the same business name and category as your other branches, with that branch's exact address, phone and hours.
- Verify each branch with the method Google offers it. Verification reviews take up to 5 business days.
The full walk-through for a single branch, with every field and verification method, is in how to add your business to Google Maps.
Sources: Google Business Profile Help — Verify multiple businesses (bulk verification) · Google Business Profile Help — Verify your business on Google
Path B: 10+ locations with bulk verification
Bulk verification in four steps
Step 1: import every branch with a spreadsheet in Business Profile Manager. Step 2: check the account has no errors and includes every location you manage. Step 3: Verifications, Chain, Start, then fill in the form and submit. Step 4: Google reviews it and emails you.
Google's requirements for bulk verification
- 10 or more profiles of the same business — duplicates, suspended or disabled profiles don't count.
- The spreadsheet includes every profile you manage; don't leave any out.
- No one else has already verified these profiles (if they have, request access first).
- Service-area businesses and agencies with several different businesses in one account aren't eligible.
- Only the owner or an authorised representative can verify; a video verification with someone at a location may be required.
Source: Google Business Profile Help — Verify multiple businesses (bulk verification)
Create a business group and give your team access
- Sign in to Business Profile Manager. With 2 or more profiles, select Create group, enter a name and select Create.
- To move branches in: select them, then Actions → Transfer businesses, choose the group and select Transfer.
- Add your regional manager or agency to the group: they get every current and future branch in it.
- For someone who should see one branch only, add them to that branch's profile under People and access instead.
- Keep one business group per brand. Each group has its own owners and managers.
- Only owners can delete a group, and only once it's empty. Deleting a group can't be undone.
- Working with an agency? Add it as a Manager — step-by-step guide.
Sources: Google Business Profile Help — About business groups · Google Business Profile Help — Manage your Business Profile owners & managers
If something goes wrong
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| A branch was verified by a former employee or agency | Request ownership of that profile. The current owner has three days to respond. |
| A branch appears twice on Google Maps | Keep the one you manage and don't create more. Duplicates don't count towards bulk verification. |
| Bulk verification was refused | Check you have 10+ eligible profiles of the same business, every location included and no account errors. |
| I can't move a branch into the group | You can only transfer profiles to a group you own or manage. |
| A manager sees branches they shouldn't | They were added to the group. Remove them there and add them to their branch's profile only. |
Sources: Google Business Profile Help — Request ownership of a Business Profile · Google Business Profile Help — Verify multiple businesses (bulk verification) · Google Business Profile Help — About business groups
Reviews for every branch, in one place
With several branches, reviews arrive faster than anyone can answer them one profile at a time. Firstcliq shows every location in one dashboard and replies to each review in your tone and the customer's language, with 1–2★ reviews held for approval and per-branch reports. Agencies can give each client its own portal. See how it works or the plans by number of locations.
Questions
Can I put all my branches in one Google Business Profile?
No. Google wants one profile per location: "Do not create more than one page for each location of your business", and each branch gets its own profile. What you can share is the Google account and the business group that manages them.
Can all my branches use the same business name?
They should. Google says all locations in the same country must have the same name, unless your real-world branding consistently varies, and the same category if they provide the same service.
How many locations do I need for bulk verification?
10 or more profiles of the same business. Duplicates and suspended or disabled profiles don't count, service-area businesses aren't eligible, and agencies managing several different businesses in one account can't use it.
How long does bulk verification take?
Google doesn't give a fixed time. It reviews your account details, contacts you if it needs more information and emails you when verification succeeds or the status changes.
What is a business group?
Google describes it as "like a shared folder for your profiles". Anyone added to the group gets access to every current and future profile in it, which is how you give a regional manager or agency access to all branches at once.
Can I give each branch manager access to only their branch?
Yes. Add them to that branch's profile under People and access instead of to the business group. Group access covers every profile in the group.
One of my branches was verified by a former employee. What do I do?
Request ownership of that profile: Google emails the current owner, who has three days to respond. Bulk verification can't include profiles someone else has already verified.
My branches are service-area businesses. Can I still manage them together?
Yes, from one account and one business group, but they aren't eligible for bulk verification, so each one is verified on its own.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help — Verify multiple businesses (bulk verification)
- Google Business Profile Help — About business groups
- Google Business Profile Help — Guidelines for representing your business on Google
- Google Business Profile Help — Verify your business on Google
- Google Business Profile Help — Manage your Business Profile owners & managers
- Google Business Profile Help — Request ownership of a Business Profile
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.
- How to give your agency access to your Google Business ProfileAdd your agency as a Manager under Business Profile settings → People and access. You stay the owner; the agency can reply to reviews and update the profile, but can't add people, delete the profile or take ownership.
- How to add your business to Google Maps (step by step)Search for your business on Google Maps first: if it's there, claim it; if not, add it at business.google.com/add. Then verify it with the method Google offers you. A Business Profile is free.
- Google review reply examples: 20 templates for positive, neutral and negative reviewsThank the reviewer by name, mention what they said, keep it short, apologise when it's deserved and take problems offline. Below: ready-to-adapt replies for every star rating and tricky case.