How to Add a Manager to Google My Business

Adding a manager to your Google Business Profile is a simple move that unlocks a new level of efficiency for your local marketing efforts. Whether you're handing off social updates to a team member or giving an agency access to manage your online presence, delegating these tasks correctly is fundamental. This article provides a complete guide on how to add a manager, explains the different user roles, and shares best practices for keeping your profile secure.

Why Bother Adding a Manager to Your Google Business Profile?

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is often the first impression a potential customer has of your business. It's more than just a listing, it’s a dynamic profile where you can post updates, answer questions, respond to reviews, and showcase your services. But managing it takes time - time you might not have as a busy business owner. That’s where delegating access comes in.

Instead of sharing your personal Google account password (a major security risk), you can grant specific permissions to others. This simple action accomplishes several important goals:

• Improves Security: You never have to share your primary login details. If you part ways with a team member or agency, you can remove their access in seconds without needing to change your own passwords.
• Increases Efficiency: You can delegate day-to-day tasks to your team. Let your social media coordinator handle posts and updates, your customer service lead respond to reviews, and your office manager keep your business hours current. Everyone can contribute without stepping on each other's toes or needing to go through you for every minor change.
• Maintains Your Focus: By empowering your team to manage the profile, you free up your own schedule to focus on bigger-picture strategy, running the business, and everything else on your plate.
• Enables Professional Collaboration: If you work with a marketing agency or a freelance social media manager, granting them "Manager" access is the standard, professional way to let them do their job. They get the tools they need without having administrative control over your entire business asset.

Think about it in practical terms. A restaurant owner can have a manager update the daily specials via Google Posts. A retail store can have a staff member respond to customer questions about inventory. A service-based business can let an assistant manage appointment request messages. It’s all about working smarter, not harder.

Understanding Google Business Profile User Roles: Primary Owner, Owner, and Manager

Before you start adding team members, it’s important to understand the different levels of access you can assign. Google offers a few distinct roles, each with its own set of permissions. Assigning the right role is the best way to keep your profile secure while giving people the access they need to do their work.

Primary Owner

This is the head honcho. There can only be one Primary Owner for any given Business Profile. This role has the highest level of control and cannot be removed by anyone else unless they willingly transfer primary ownership to another user.

• Total Control: Can do everything - edit all business information, add and remove other users, and even delete the Business Profile.
• Ownership: Is the ultimate owner of the profile.
• Best for: The business owner or a designated, highly-trusted C-level executive.

You can see who the Primary Owner is by going to your settings. Protect this account above all others.

Owner

An Owner has nearly all the same powers as the Primary Owner. They can edit everything, manage users, and respond to customers. The main difference is that a Primary Owner can remove an Owner.

• Almost Total Control: They can add or remove Managers and other Owners. They also have full editing capabilities.
• Strategist Role: It’s a good practice to have at least one other trusted person, like a business partner, assigned as an Owner. This acts as a backup in case the Primary Owner ever loses access to their account.
• Best for: A co-owner, business partner, or the main marketing director who needs administrative control.

Manager

This is the role you'll be using most often for day-to-day delegation. A Manager has access to most of the features needed to manage the profile, but with key limitations that protect the business from accidental or malicious damage.

• Sufficient & Safe Access: A Manager can do most daily tasks: respond to reviews, create Google Posts, upload photos and videos, edit most business information (like hours or services), and access insights/analytics.
• Important Limitations: Managers cannot add or remove other users, edit a few core business details (like the business name or category in some cases), or delete the Business Profile. This is the perfect role for team members, agencies, or contractors.
• Best for: Social media managers, marketing agencies, trusted employees, virtual assistants, or anyone responsible for the day-to-day upkeep of the profile.

Your Step-by-Step Guide to Adding a Manager on Google Business Profile

Google has streamlined the process for managing user permissions. You no longer have to navigate to a separate dashboard, you can do it right from the Google search results page. Just follow these steps.

Step 1: Find Your Business on Google

First, make sure you are signed into the Google account that is the owner or primary owner of the Business Profile you want to manage. Open a new tab and go to google.com. In the search bar, type your exact business name or simply search for "my business."

Step 2: Access Your Management Panel

If you're logged into the correct account, you'll see a management panel appear at the top of the search results, visible only to you. It will show your business name along with several circular icons like "Edit profile," "Read reviews," and "Messages."

Step 3: Open the Business Profile Settings

To the right of the main editor icons, find and click on the three vertical dots (the "more" menu). This will open up a dropdown list of additional options.

Step 4: Navigate to "People and Access"

From the dropdown menu, click on "Business Profile settings." A new pop-up window will appear. In this window, click on the first option: "People and access."

Step 5: Invite Your New Manager

You'll now see a list of everyone who currently has access to your profile. At the top left, you'll see a blue icon of a person with a "+" sign next to it. Click this "Add" button to invite a new user.

Step 6: Enter Their Email Address and Assign the Role

A new dialog box will pop up. In the field provided, enter the email address of the person you want to add. It’s always best to use an email address that is already associated with a Google account.

Below the email field, you will see the permission settings. This is where you assign the role. Select "Manager" to provide them with the standard day-to-day management access.

Step 7: Send the Invitation

Once you've entered the email and selected the "Manager" role, click the blue "Invite" button. That's it! Your part is done for now. An invitation email has been sent to the new user.

What Happens After You Send the Invitation?

Once you hit "Invite," the person you added will receive an email from Google notifying them that they've been invited to help manage your Business Profile. They must click the "Accept" button in that email to gain access.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Invitations Expire: The invitation link is only valid for a short period (typically one week). If the recipient doesn't accept in time, you’ll have to send the invitation again.
• Pending Status: Until they accept, their name will appear in the "People and access" list with a "Pending" status next to it. You can cancel pending invitations from this screen as well.
• What if They Don't Get the Email?: Ask them to check their junk or spam folder. Also, double-check that you entered their email address correctly without any typos.

Best Practices for Managing Your Profile's Users

Now that you know how to add people, it's just as important to manage those permissions responsibly. Here are some best practices to follow:

1. Never Share Your Personal Login: This is the golden rule. Always add users through this official process. Sharing passwords exposes your entire Google account - including your Gmail, Google Drive, and more.
2. Apply the Principle of Least Privilege: Only give people the level of access they absolutely need. Your freelance content creator likely only needs Manager access. Not everyone needs to be an Owner.
3. Have a Designated Backup Owner: Assigning a trusted business partner or co-founder as a second "Owner" can be a lifesaver. If you're ever locked out of your primary account, they can still access and manage the profile - and even help restore your access.
4. Conduct Regular Audits: Once every quarter, take a minute to review your "People and access" list. Have any employees left the company? Did you stop working with a particular agency? Remove anyone who no longer needs access to keep your profile secure. Timely removal of old users is an overlooked but critical security practice.

By following these simple steps and guidelines, you can effectively and securely delegate the management of your Google Business Profile. This empowers your team to keep your online presence active and engaging, letting you concentrate on growing your business.

Final Thoughts

Granting manager access to your Google Business Profile is a foundational step in scaling your local marketing and saving yourself time. By using the proper roles and following security best practices, you can confidently empower team members and agencies to contribute to your online presence without ever giving away the keys to the castle.

Balancing all your marketing tasks, from Google Business Profile updates to creating Reels and responding to social media DMs, can be a lot to juggle. As we built and refined our own social media workflows, we realized that juggling countless open tabs was holding us back. That’s why we created a tool to bring it all together. With Postbase, we can manage visual planning, scheduling, engagement, and analytics across all our platforms from one central hub, turning what used to be a chaotic process into something simple and organized.