How to Add an Admin to Google My Business

Adding another person to manage your Google Business Profile is a simple but powerful way to delegate tasks, get expert help, and secure your account. This guide will walk you through exactly how to add an admin, what the different roles mean, and the best practices for managing user access. We'll cover everything from sending the initial invitation to removing a user when you no longer need their help.

Why Add Another User to Your Google Business Profile?

As a business owner, you’re already juggling a dozen different responsibilities. Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is a critical touchpoint for customers, but managing it - responding to reviews, posting updates, and answering questions - takes time. Giving someone else access isn't just about handing off work, it’s a strategic move that comes with several key benefits.

• Better Delegation and Efficiency: You can’t do it all. Allowing an employee, a partner, or a virtual assistant to post updates or reply to reviews means your profile stays active and responsive, even when you're busy running the other parts of your business. This frees you up to work on your business, not just in it.
• Access to Professional Expertise: If you've hired a marketing agency, a social media manager, or an SEO specialist, they’ll need access to manage your profile effectively. Instead of sharing your personal login credentials (which you should never do), you can grant them direct, professional access. This allows them to optimize your listing, run local campaigns, and track performance for you.
• Enhanced Security: Sharing your personal Google account password is a massive security risk. It gives someone access to your Gmail, Google Drive, and everything else connected to your account. By adding users directly through the GBP dashboard, you give them access only to your business profile, keeping your personal data completely separate and secure.
• Collaboration on Content: Maybe you have a team member who is great at taking photos or an office manager who can best answer customer questions. Adding multiple users lets your team collaborate on keeping the profile fresh and engaging. One person can handle photo uploads while another focuses on responding to customer feedback, creating a richer, more active profile.

Ultimately, managing users correctly allows your Google Business Profile to scale with your business. It transforms it from a solo task on your to-do list into a collaborative marketing asset.

Understanding Google Business Profile User Roles

Before you invite anyone, it’s important to understand the different levels of access you can grant. Google has simplified this over the years, leaving two main roles you can assign: Owner and Manager. Assigning the right role is all about giving someone the permissions they need without giving away the keys to the kingdom.

Here’s a breakdown of what each role can and can’t do.

Primary Owner

This is the big one. There can only be one Primary Owner for any business profile. This role is typically held by the business owner or the person who first created the profile.

• What they can do: Everything. They have complete control over the profile, including the ability to add and remove any other user, edit all business information, and even delete the profile. Most importantly, a Primary Owner is the only role that can transfer primary ownership to another user.
• When to use it: This role should be exclusively yours unless you are selling your business or officially handing over complete control.

Owner

You can add multiple Owners to a profile. They have nearly the same capabilities as the Primary Owner, with a few small but significant differences.

• What they can do: Add or remove other users (Managers and other Owners), edit all business details, respond to reviews, create posts, and access all insights. Essentially, they can perform almost any administrative action.
• What they can't do: An Owner cannot remove the Primary Owner or delete the business profile themselves. To do that, they would first have to be promoted to Primary Owner by the current one.
• When to use it: This role is ideal for a trusted business partner, a co-founder, or a high-level manager who needs full administrative control but shouldn't have the final power to delete the entire profile or lock you out.

Manager

The Manager role is the go-to choice for day-to-day administrative tasks. It provides enough access to keep the profile active without offering the power to make major, irreversible changes.

• What they can do: A Manager can do most of the daily operational tasks. This includes creating posts, adding photos and videos, responding to reviews, updating Q&As, and updating some business information like hours and services.
• What they can't do: A Manager cannot edit the business's core information (like the name, address, or category), add or remove other users, or delete the profile. Their capabilities are focused solely on content and engagement.
• When to use it: This is the perfect role for most delegation. Assign it to employees responsible for marketing, a social media agency managing your content, or an SEO specialist working on local optimizations. It gives them the keys they need without letting them change the locks.

For almost all situations outside of co-ownership, the Manager role is the safest and most appropriate choice.

A Step-by-Step Guide: How to Add an Admin to Google My Business

Ready to add someone? The process is straightforward and is now managed directly from Google Search. Just follow these steps.

Step 1: Access Your Business Profile Dashboard

Make sure you are logged into the Google account that is the owner of your Business Profile. Then, simply go to google.com and search for "my business" or the exact name of your business. As long as you're logged in with owner permissions, a management panel will appear directly in the search results.

Step 2: Navigate to Business Profile Settings

In the management panel, look for the three vertical dots (the "more" menu) icon, typically located toward the top right of the section. Click on it. A dropdown menu will appear. Select "Business Profile settings."

Step 3: Go to "People and access"

After clicking on settings, a new window will pop up. In the menu on the left, find and click on "People and access." This is the central hub for managing all users connected to your profile. You'll see a list of anyone who currently has access and their role.

Step 4: Invite a New User

At the top left of the "People and access" screen, you'll see a person icon with a plus sign next to it. Click this "Add a user" icon to start the invitation process.

Step 5: Enter Their Email and Assign a Role

A dialog box will ask for two things:

1. Email address: Enter the email address of the person you want to invite. It’s extremely important that this is the email address associated with their Google account. A non-Google email won't work. Double-check the spelling before you proceed.
2. Access level: Below the email field, you will see a choice to assign a role. Select either "Owner" or "Manager." Refer to the section above to make sure you're granting the appropriate level of permission. For most marketing or administrative help, choose "Manager."

Step 6: Send the Invitation

Once you’ve entered the email and selected the role, click the "Invite" button. The invitation is now on its way. The user's email will appear in your "People and access" list with a "Pending" status until they accept.

And What About the Person You Invited?

The process isn't complete until the new user accepts the invitation. After you send it, they will receive an email from Google with the subject line, "[Your Business Name] has invited you to manage their profile."

All they need to do is open that email and click the blue "Accept" button inside. They will be prompted to log into their Google account if they aren't already. Once accepted, their status in your dashboard will change from "Pending" to their assigned role, and they will have immediate access to start managing your profile.

How to Remove or Change a User's Access

Circumstances change. An employee might leave, or a contract with a marketing agency might end. It’s good practice to remove user access as soon as it's no longer needed. The process is just as simple as adding someone.

1. Navigate back to "People and access" using the same first three steps as above (search for your business, click the three dots, select "Business Profile settings," then "People and access").
2. Find the person in the list whose access you want to remove or change.
3. Click on their name or email address.
4. You'll see options to either change their role or remove them entirely. Click "Remove user" to revoke their access.

The removal is immediate. There is no confirmation required on their end, and they will be instantly logged out and unable to make further changes to your profile.

Final Thoughts

Effectively managing who has access to your Google Business Profile is a foundational step in scaling your marketing efforts and protecting your online presence. By understanding the roles and using the built-in user management system, you can easily collaborate with your team and outside partners without compromising a drop of security.

Just as you delegate tasks to keep your Google Business Profile updated, orchestrating a broader social media presence across multiple platforms requires seamless team collaboration. At Postbase, we built our platform to simplify this exact challenge. With features like a unified inbox for all comments and DMs and visual content calendars that your whole team can share, we make it easy for everyone to contribute without creating chaos - making sure your brand’s voice stays consistent everywhere.