Google Business Profile Manager at a glance
- What it is
- Google's web dashboard for managing many Business Profiles in bulk, signed in at business.google.com.
- Who uses it
- Businesses with several locations, chains with ten or more, and agencies with an organization account.
- One location
- Edited on Google Search, in the Google Maps app, or through the Gemini web app.
- Cost
- Free. Google offers the Business Profile at no charge and publishes no price for the dashboard, business groups, or bulk verification.
Three things people mean by Google Business Profile manager
Google Business Profile manager means three different things: Google's Business Profile Manager dashboard, the Manager role on a profile, and the person or agency who runs the profile. Knowing which one you need saves a lot of clicking.
The tool: Google's Business Profile Manager dashboard
Business Profile Manager is Google's dashboard at business.google.com. It is built for a business that holds several profiles. Google's Get Started guide tells larger businesses with multiple locations to use it to manage their profiles in bulk. It holds business groups, spreadsheet imports, bulk verification, and the invitations that link an agency to the profiles it manages.
The role: Manager on a Google Business Profile
On every Business Profile, Google grants access as Primary owner, Owner, or Manager. A Manager can edit the profile, reply to reviews, and publish posts. A Manager cannot add or remove users, and cannot remove the profile. Business groups and agency accounts have their own owner, manager, and member roles.
The person or agency who manages the profile
In everyday use, a Google Business Profile manager is whoever runs the profile: the owner, an employee, a freelancer, or an agency. The work itself is Google Business Profile management. It is covered for the owner in its own guide and part by part in the reference guide. This page stays with the dashboard and the roles. Google publishes rules for that relationship. No third party can promise a ranking. Only owners control access. The business has the right to see its own performance data.
Is there a Google Business Profile Manager app?
Google publishes no app called Business Profile Manager. Google's help pages send mobile users to the Google Maps app to edit a profile. The dashboard for many locations is a website you open in a browser. The app called Business Profile Manager on Google Play is published by a third-party developer, not by Google. Treat it as you would any other third-party tool, and never sign in to your Google Account through an app you have not checked.
Google My Business, Google Places and the other names for this tool
Google My Business is the former name of Google Business Profile, and the dashboard inside it has changed names too. Google's own definition says "Google Business Profile was formerly known as Google My Business". On Google's pages today the dashboard for many profiles is Business Profile Manager, and a business group was "previously known as a business account". Searches still arrive under the older names, so this section says which name means what.
The names Google uses today for Business Profile and its dashboard
The names Google uses today are three. Google Business Profile is the product, which Google's product page calls "your free Business Profile". Business Profile Manager is the dashboard: Google's Get Started page tells larger businesses to use "the Business Profile Manager tool to manage your profiles in bulk". In the Google Workspace Admin console the service is listed as Google Business Profile Manager.
Where Google My Business still appears on Google's pages
Google My Business still appears on Google's own pages in three places. The developer documentation names the Google My Business API. The agency registration page heads its overview "Google My Business Agency Dashboard". Google's posts from 2017 and 2020 describe a Google My Business app and website, and the 2020 post says owners could "continue to use the Google My Business website and mobile app". Google's current help pages send mobile users to the Google Maps app instead. Google's definition page named Google Places as a second former name as late as September 2026. By October 2026 it named only Google My Business.
What people type when they look for the Business Profile dashboard
People type the older and shorter names when they look for the dashboard. Our own Search Console shows this page reached from searches for google my business manager, google business manager, googlebusiness manager, google business manage and business profile manager google. The full name is there too. Each means one of the three things at the top of this page: the tool, the role, or the person. The work those searches lead to is covered under the names for Google Business Profile management.
What does Google Business Profile Manager do?
Google Business Profile Manager does five jobs that Google documents: business groups, spreadsheet imports, bulk verification, agency access requests, and user and role management. Google's posts page adds a sixth for any account that holds several profiles, posting one update to all of them at once. Each one is only worth the dashboard when there is more than one profile to manage.
Business groups in Business Profile Manager
Google describes business groups as "a more secure way to manage and share access to your Business Profiles with co-workers." The Create group option appears once you have two or more profiles. Google sets three rules. Keep to one business group per business or brand. Give each group its own import spreadsheet. Move or remove every profile before deleting a group, because deleting a group cannot be undone. A business group cannot act as a manager of other business groups.
Adding and updating Business Profiles from a spreadsheet
Download Google's template, fill one row per location, and import it through Add profile, then Import profiles. Every row needs a business code, a business name, a primary phone number or website, and a primary category. Accepted formats are .xls, .xlsx, .ods, and .csv. Reuse the same store codes on every import so Google does not create duplicates, preview the changes before applying them, and download the change details afterwards. Hotel attributes cannot be updated through the spreadsheet.
Bulk verification of Business Profiles for chains
Chains verify all of their locations in one request instead of one at a time. Google sets five conditions. The spreadsheet has ten or more profiles from the same business. The business is not a service-area business. The spreadsheet lists every profile you manage. No verified account for the business already exists. The account has no errors.
Duplicate, suspended, or disabled profiles do not count toward the ten. The request lives under Verifications, then Chain, then Start. Google verifies two kinds of account this way. In an individual user account, every eligible profile that nobody else has claimed is verified. In a business group, verifying the main owner verifies every eligible profile in the group.
Verification is not permanent. Google says it may de-verify accounts that do not actively manage their profiles. It also revokes bulk verification from an account that abuses it. The way to stay verified is to review the account for errors and keep the profiles updated. Google's bulk overview adds that a business must meet Google's quality guidelines to be eligible to appear on Maps, Search and other Google properties. The reference guide covers the problems that stop a profile appearing.
Agency organization accounts and Business Profile access requests
An agency registers an organization account. Google calls it "the top level profile that's associated with your agency." From Manage invites, the agency asks for access to a client's profile. It then watches the Requests sent tab. It also approves or declines the invitations that arrive. Google's advice is that "third party agencies should use a single organization account to manage all of its profile groups."
Managing users and roles across many Business Profiles
Group settings, then Manage users, is where a business group's owners and managers are added, changed, and removed. Agencies can also create user groups. Google describes them as teams of people who manage specific locations or location groups. One change then sets a person's access across many locations at once. Only organization users can create user groups and business groups. A person can join a user group only if their account holds no locations or business groups. If it holds any, they remove that access before accepting the invitation.
Publishing posts across several Business Profiles
Google's posts help page covers posting across multiple Business Profiles. You select the profiles where you want to share the post, then select Post. A post can be scheduled for a later date and time with the Schedule this post switch. The Repeats menu can publish it weekly, monthly, or on a custom schedule.
Business Profile Manager in the Google Workspace Admin console
On Google Workspace, Business Profile Manager is also a service in the Admin console. It sits under Apps, then Additional Google services. An administrator can turn it on or off for everyone, or for one organizational unit. Google notes that when it is off, "your users are still able to access Business Profile via Google Maps and Google Search, unless those services are also turned off."
Where do you sign in and manage a Google Business Profile?
You sign in to Google Business Profile Manager at business.google.com. Where you manage a Google Business Profile after that depends on how many profiles you hold, and whether you hold them for yourself or for clients. The dashboard is one of several places Google documents for managing profiles for many locations.
Signing in to Business Profile Manager at business.google.com
Sign in to Google Business Profile Manager at business.google.com with the Google Account that owns or manages the profiles. Google's own help pages link to that address with the words "Go to your Business Profile". There is no separate login for the dashboard. Google's edit page says you need to sign in to the Google Account that is linked to the profile, so the login is that account.
The dashboard is a website. Open it in a browser rather than looking for an app to download. Google's guidance is that each user needs their own Google Account. Profiles are then managed without anyone sharing a password. Access is granted to people, not to a single login.
Where to manage a Business Profile, by situation
Where you manage a Business Profile depends on the situation. Google names the place to use for each of the six below, from a single profile through to an agency holding many clients. Three of the six are Business Profile Manager itself.
- One profile
-
- Where to manage it:
- Google Search or the Google Maps app.
- What Google says:
- Search for your business name and city, or the phrase my business, while signed in, then select Edit profile. On a phone, open the Google Maps app and tap Edit profile.
- One profile, conversationally
-
- Where to manage it:
- The Gemini web app.
- What Google says:
- Available only to an owner or manager of exactly one verified profile, aged 18 or over, on a personal Google Account with Keep Activity on. Google says it is available wherever the Gemini web app is supported, and for now not with a work or school Google Account.
- Two or more profiles
-
- Where to manage it:
- Business Profile Manager with a business group.
- What Google says:
- The Create group option appears with two or more profiles. For anyone new to Business Profile who needs to manage multiple businesses, Google recommends creating a group first and using it to add, verify, and manage the profiles.
- Ten or more locations
-
- Where to manage it:
- Business Profile Manager with spreadsheet import and bulk verification.
- What Google says:
- Add, verify, and manage the locations in bulk. Bulk verification needs ten or more profiles from the same business and excludes service-area businesses.
- An agency managing clients
-
- Where to manage it:
- An organization account inside Business Profile Manager.
- What Google says:
- Register at business.google.com/agencysignup with a company email account that does not already own or manage any profiles, and keep every client's profile group under one organization.
- A software platform
-
- Where to manage it:
- The Business Profile APIs.
- What Google says:
- Applicants must have a valid Google Account, a valid business reason, a valid Google Cloud project, and a valid business website.
If you cannot find your Business Profile after signing in
If you cannot find your Business Profile after signing in, start with the account. Google's rule is that "to find your profile, you must sign in to the Google Account associated with it". On Google Search, search for the business name and city, or for my business. On Google Maps, search for the business name and city. In the Google Maps app, tap Business at the bottom right. If you have more than one business, Google says to tap the Down arrow at the top and select the one you want.
If no account you hold shows the profile, the business may not be on Google yet, or may not be claimed. Google's verification page says to add it if it is not on Google, and to claim it if it is unclaimed. Claiming and verifying are covered under verification of a Google Business Profile.
If you cannot sign in to the Google Account that holds the profile
If you cannot sign in to the Google Account that holds the profile, Google's account recovery page is the route. It covers a forgotten password or username and verification codes that do not arrive. Google says wrong guesses do not kick you out of the recovery process, and there is no limit to the number of attempts. An account through work, school or another group may need its administrator instead.
The profile stays with the account that holds it, so recovering the account recovers the profile. If the account is beyond recovery, the profile can be requested from it, as set out under requesting ownership below.
If Google says someone else manages the Business Profile
If Google says someone else manages the profile, a verified profile for the business already exists under another account. Google's wording on the add page is "Someone else may manage this Business Profile", with a Request Access button beside it. The other account may belong to a former agency, a former employee, or to you under another address. Google notifies the current owner and gives them three days to respond. The steps are under requesting ownership below.
A suspended profile is a different case. Google says the account that manages it gets a notification, and the way back is an appeal, which the management guide covers under a suspended Google Business Profile.
The Google Business Profile dashboard on Search and Maps, control by control
The Google Business Profile dashboard for one profile is the set of controls Google shows on Search and Maps once you sign in with the account that holds the profile. Google's edit page says you edit the profile "directly on Search or Maps", and that "certain features to manage your profile may differ between Search and Maps and your device's operating system". The controls below are the ones Google's help pages name, with what each one does.
Edit profile: the business information on a Business Profile
Edit profile opens the business information, and Google's edit page lists what it covers. The business name, which must match the real-world signage. The category, with up to nine more categories after the primary one. The address and pin, or a service area for a business that serves customers in a local area. Hours, including special hours and more hours. Up to two more phone numbers beside the main one. The website and, where Google offers it, one social media link per platform for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, X and YouTube.
The same control holds attributes, photos and videos, a description of up to 750 characters with no links, and an opening date. Google reviews the changes before they go live. A second entry, Collected info, shows what Google gathered by automated call, text or WhatsApp message and lets you delete it. The rule for each field is set out in the reference guide.
Read reviews and Get more reviews on a Business Profile
Read reviews lists every review on the profile with a Reply control beside each one. Google's steps are to select Read reviews, select Reply next to the review, enter the reply and select Reply again. Google checks replies before they post. They "usually take up to 10 minutes to review, but sometimes a review can take up to 30 days". Under Read Reviews, Get more reviews gives a link and a QR code to share with customers. Google suggests putting them on receipts, in thank-you emails, at the end of a chat, and on display in the store.
Posts on a Business Profile: updates, offers and events
Posts are written from the profile. Google's steps are to go to the Business Profile, select Posts, then Add post, and choose the type: an update, an offer or an event. Customers find them in the Updates or Overview tabs on mobile and in the From the owner section on a computer. Google archives posts older than 6 months unless a date range is set. Posting one update to several profiles at once is covered above.
Photos and videos on a Business Profile
Photos opens the media on the profile, and Google's photo page sets the standards. Photos are JPG or PNG, between 10 KB and 5 MB, with a recommended size of 720 by 720 pixels and a minimum of 250 by 250. Videos run up to 30 seconds and 75 MB, at 720p or higher. Google says the image "should represent reality", with no significant alterations or excessive filters. Photos and videos show on Google only after the profile is verified. A business with 10 or more locations can upload photos in bulk through the spreadsheet.
Performance: the Business Profile report and its metrics
Performance opens the report Google keeps for a verified profile. It covers interactions, searches, views, directions, calls, website clicks, messages, bookings and more, and Google says "only metrics that apply to your business appear". The searches metric is updated at the start of each month and can take up to 5 days to show. Views count unique visitors, once a day each. A date range sets the period. What each metric means, and what to do with it, is covered under reading the performance report.
More: Business Profile settings, notifications and Profile Strength
The More menu holds the controls that change the profile rather than its content. Business Profile settings leads to People and access, where owners and managers are added and removed, and to Advanced settings, where the phone number can be hidden with Don't show. Notifications sets which alerts arrive: account updates, features and tips, customer activity, business info alerts, and bookings and requests. Google says some important updates still arrive when notifications are off. Profile Strength, shown for verified profiles, lists what is missing and walks through filling it in.
The same Business Profile controls in the Google Maps app
The Google Maps app carries the same profile for a phone. Google's steps are to open the app, tap Business at the bottom right, tap Edit profile, make the change and tap Save. With more than one business, the Down arrow at the top switches between them. Google notes that certain features may differ between Search and Maps and between operating systems, so a control that is missing in the app is usually there on a computer.
Owner, manager, and primary owner on a Google Business Profile
Google uses the same three role names on a single profile and on a business group, with slightly different powers in each place. Everything below comes from Google's help pages, including Google's own capability list and the limits on a new user. The wider question of who can manage a Google Business Profile is covered alongside the work itself.
What each role can do on a single Business Profile
- Edit business information, photos, and posts, and reply to reviews: the primary owner, owners, and managers.
- Add or remove users: the primary owner and owners, not managers.
- Remove the profile: the primary owner and owners, not managers.
- Leave the profile without first transferring primary ownership: owners and managers, not the primary owner.
- How many a profile can have: one primary owner, several owners, and several managers.
Google's wording: managers "have mostly the same access to the profile as owners. The only exception is they can't add or remove users or remove the profile." Managers were once called site managers. Only owners can remove other owners and managers.
What owners and managers can each do, in Google's own list
Google's owners and managers page carries a list of twenty-two capabilities. Owners are marked for all twenty-two. Managers are marked for all but two: adding and removing users, and removing Business Profiles. That is the same rule stated above in Google's own words. The groups below cover what Google marks for both roles. One row is left out, answering questions, because Google's deprecation schedule lists its API as discontinued on November 3, 2025.
- Business information
- Edit the main business information, such as hours and address, plus the phone number, the services, the attributes, all URLs, and the food delivery link, and accept all Google updates.
- Posts, photos, and products
- Create, manage, and publish posts, and add, delete, and edit cover photos, additional photos, logos, and products.
- Reviews, messages, and bookings
- Respond to reviews, use Messaging, and opt in or out of Bookings.
- Reporting and advertising links
- Download insights and manage Google Ads account links.
- Location settings and labels
- Update location settings, which Google lists as editing the name, category, or website on a location, closing a location, and creating location groups, and add custom labels that make particular groups of locations easy to find. A manager can also work on the profile directly on Google Search and Google Maps.
What each role can do on a business group
- Add, edit, and delete every profile in the group: the primary owner, owners, and managers.
- Transfer a profile to a different group: the primary owner, owners, and managers.
- Add or remove the group's owners and managers: the primary owner and owners, not managers.
- Delete the business group: the primary owner and owners, not managers.
- Leave the group without first transferring primary ownership: owners and managers, not the primary owner.
Agencies get two more layers. An organization account has owners and members, and inside it, user groups have their own owners and members. Google describes user groups as a way to "create teams of people to manage specific locations or location groups."
The seven-day limit on a new Business Profile owner or manager
A new owner or manager of a Google Business Profile cannot use all of its features straight away. Google's wording is that you "have to wait 7 days before you can manage some profile features." During those seven days, Google returns an error for three actions.
- Deleting or undeleting a Business Profile.
- Removing other owners or managers from the profile.
- Transferring primary ownership, which includes an existing owner trying to make someone else the primary owner inside their own first seven days.
Google's owners and managers page adds one more point. Someone who deletes their account inside the first seven days is removed from the profile and has to be added back. The limit matters most when an agency is replaced. An incoming owner cannot remove the outgoing one until the seven days have passed. A manager cannot remove users at any point.
Who should keep primary ownership of the Business Profile?
The business itself should keep primary ownership of its Business Profile. An agency, an employee, or a piece of software can do everything a manager can do. Primary ownership is the one role Google requires to be transferred on purpose rather than dropped. Google's third-party guidance puts it plainly: "Only profile owners can control who has access."
How to get and grant access to a Google Business Profile
Access to a Google Business Profile is granted by an owner. An owner invites a person to become an Owner or a Manager. An agency is either invited as a business group or requests access for its organization. Below are Google's own steps for the six procedures that come up most, from adding a user to transferring primary ownership. After them come the rights Google says a business keeps when someone else manages the profile.
How to add an owner or manager to a Google Business Profile
- Open the Business Profile while signed in as an owner.
- Select More, then Business Profile settings, then People and access.
- At the top left, select Add.
- Enter an email address.
- Under Access, select Owner or Manager.
- Select Invite.
Invited users can accept the invite and become users right away. You get an email when they do. Every current user and every pending invitation is listed on that same People and access page. Users in the account can see the names and email addresses of the owners and managers. A Google Group cannot be added as an owner or a manager.
How to change a role or remove someone from a Business Profile
Changing someone's role on a Business Profile and removing them both start in the same place. Open the profile, select More, then Business Profile settings, then People and access. Only owners can change access roles for other owners and managers.
- To change a role: select the user, then next to Access select Edit, choose the new role, and select Save.
- To remove someone: select the user, then Remove person. Google's note is that if you cannot select the user, you may only have manager-level access.
- To remove yourself: select yourself, then Stop managing, then Confirm. A manager can remove themselves, and a primary owner cannot until primary ownership has been transferred to someone else.
A pending invitation is cancelled from the same page: under PENDING, find the person and select Cancel invitation. When someone is removed Google emails them, and their replies to reviews, posts, and comments stay on the Business Profile.
How to request ownership of a Business Profile someone else owns
If a verified Business Profile for your business is owned by someone else, Google lets you request ownership from the current owner. These are Google's steps for a storefront or hybrid business.
- Go to business.google.com/add.
- Enter the name and address of your business.
- Choose your business from the list.
- Read the message that says "Someone else may manage this Business Profile."
- Select Request Access.
- Fill out the form.
- Select Submit.
Google emails you a confirmation, notifies the current owner, and gives that owner three days to respond. An approved request lets you manage the profile. A denied request still leaves you able to suggest an edit to the profile, and you can appeal. If no response arrives after three days, Google says you may have the option to claim the profile. It adds that the option to claim is not always available.
A service-area business that works at the customer's location and has no shop or office uses a different path. Google asks you to contact it and enter Transfer ownership of listing as the issue. An account that is already bulk verified can request ownership through the bulk upload spreadsheet instead.
How to transfer primary ownership of a Business Profile
Only the primary owner can transfer primary ownership. The profile must already have at least one other owner or manager to transfer it to.
- Open the Business Profile, then select More, then Business Profile settings, then People and access.
- Select the user you want to transfer primary ownership to.
- Next to Access, select Edit.
- Select Primary owner.
- Select Save.
If you are the only user on the profile, add an owner or a manager first. Google's reason for handling a sale or handover this way is simple. Transferring primary ownership to the new owner keeps all of the business information, reviews included. An owner still inside their own first seven days on the profile gets an error when they try, as set out above.
How an agency requests access to a client's Business Profile
- Sign in to Business Profile Manager with the organization account.
- Select Manage invites, then Request access.
- Search by business name and choose the profile.
- Choose which of your business groups the profile should join.
- Select Continue and follow the prompts.
- Track the request under the Requests sent tab.
The client can also invite the agency directly: "The profile owner can invite a business group" or "the business group owner can invite your organization."
How to move Business Profiles into an organization account
- In the personal account, move all the profiles into one group.
- Add the organization as an owner of that group by entering its ten-digit organization ID.
- In the organization account, accept the invitation.
For a single profile, the organization requests access, picks a group for it, and the personal account accepts.
What Google says a business is entitled to from any third party
- "Third parties can't promise nor directly influence your business's ranking on Google Search or Maps through any special means."
- "Third parties can't remove your business from Google or access your profile without your permission. Only profile owners can control who has access and can update permissions at any time."
- "You have the right to know your profile's performance, such as how many users interact with, view, and click on your Business Profile."
- If someone claims to work for Google, ask them to email you from an @google.com address. Google also advises working with one third party at a time so results can be judged fairly.
- Deceptive pricing is on Google's list of warning signs: a third party might charge more than the price agreed, so get an official copy of the agreement, setting out the services and their costs, before you agree to work with one.
What is a Google Business Profile organization account?
A Google Business Profile organization account is the account type Google gives an agency, and Google defines it as "the top level profile that's associated with your agency". Google says "an organization account is how your agency will manage profiles on behalf of the business owners you're working with". It holds user groups for the agency's people and business groups for its clients' profiles. Google's advice is a single organization account per agency.
How an agency registers a Business Profile organization account
Registering an organization account starts with the right Google Account. Google's instruction is that "you'll need to use a Google account that's associated with your company's email and doesn't own or manage any Business Profiles". The steps are Google's.
- Go to business.google.com/agencysignup.
- Enter your agency's website.
- Click Next.
- Follow the instructions to register.
Google lists four benefits. Support focused on agency needs. An account structure built for third parties to manage every profile under one account. User groups for teams within the agency. Invitations managed from the agency dashboard.
Business groups and user groups inside an organization account
Inside an organization account Google defines three things. The organization is the top level profile. A user group is "a group to manage users within your agency". Only organization users can create one, and it can be given permission to manage business groups. A business group is "a set of locations managed by a user group or organization". Only organization users can create one of those too. People join the organization as owners or members. User groups have their own owners and members.
When a business group on a Business Profile account is enough
A business with its own locations does not need an organization account. A business group on its own account holds the locations. Google's Get Started page points larger businesses to Business Profile Manager for bulk work. The organization account is for third parties who manage other people's profiles. Google says such agencies "should use a single organization account to manage all of its profile groups". How to move profiles into one is covered under moving Business Profiles into an organization account.
How to add and verify many Business Profiles in bulk, step by step
Adding and verifying many Business Profiles in bulk runs in seven steps. Google sets them out for a business with ten or more locations, from creating the account to keeping the business information current. The primary category and the attributes a chain enters for each location depend on its trade, which the guides by industry set out. The details below decide whether an import goes through cleanly.
Google's sequence for adding and verifying locations in bulk
- Create a Google Account for the business. Use an email address on the business domain if you have one.
- Create a business group to hold the locations. Google previously called this a business account. One group per business or brand.
- Build the spreadsheet from Google's template. One row per location, with every location you manage on it.
- Upload it in Business Profile Manager. Preview the changes before you apply them.
- Review the locations and fix the errors. Work through the import summary until every row is clean.
- Request bulk verification. Under Verifications, then Chain, then Start. If the Verifications tab is missing, you may not have enough eligible profiles.
- Keep the business information current. Use the same spreadsheet and store codes for every later update.
What decides a clean bulk import of Business Profiles
- Required in every row
- A business code, the business name, a primary phone number or website, and a primary category.
- File formats
- .xls, .xlsx, .ods, or .csv.
- Store codes
- Use the same store codes and location details as before, so Google does not create duplicate businesses.
- Bulk verification threshold
- Ten or more profiles from the same business. Duplicate, suspended, or disabled profiles do not count. Service-area businesses are not eligible.
- Empty columns erase information
- A column heading with nothing under it deletes the existing information for that column. When you are updating only some fields, delete the columns you are not using rather than leaving them blank. The business code column is always required.
- Cannot be done by spreadsheet
- Hotel attributes.
- After each import
- Download the change details, which list the import status, the updated fields, and any errors for every row.
The Google Business Profile APIs behind the dashboard
Software that manages profiles for many locations, GBPcentral included, works through the Google Business Profile APIs rather than the dashboard. Google publishes nine of them.
The nine Google Business Profile APIs and what each covers
- Account Management API
- Business accounts on Google and the users who have access to accounts and locations.
- Business Information API
- The interface for managing business information on a location.
- Business Profile Performance API
- Performance insights about a listing on Google.
- Verifications API
- Verifying locations and checking whether a location has the voice of merchant.
- Notifications API
- Notification settings for specified accounts.
- Place Actions API
- Place action links such as booking, reservations, and food ordering.
- Lodging API
- Lodging data such as property amenities and policies.
- Business Calls API
- Business Calls and insights such as the number of missed calls to a location.
- Google My Business v4.9 API
- Everything else, including posts, reviews, and media.
Who Google grants Business Profile API access to
Google asks four things of anyone who applies for API access: a valid Google Account, a valid business reason, a valid Google Cloud project, and a valid business website. Agencies and platforms sign up through Google's partner page. An agency gets an organization account and a dashboard built for agency use. A platform gets to build Business Profile features into its own product.
How Business Profile Manager maps to the API's account types
Google's APIs use four account types. They manage users and locations. A personal account is the one every Google Account has. An organization account "represents your agency." A location group is "used to manage a group of individual locations." It is also used to "perform bulk tasks to multiple locations." The dashboard calls it a business group. A user group gets access to several location groups in the agency's account.
Which Business Profile APIs Google has retired
Google's deprecation schedule lists the My Business Q&A API as discontinued on November 3, 2025. Any tool that still promises question and answer management through the API is selling something Google no longer provides.
The same schedule records three earlier retirements. The My Business Business Calls API was deprecated on May 30, 2023. Two location association methods in the Business Information API went the same day. Two attribute methods in the Google My Business v4.9 API followed on June 17, 2024. They covered insurance networks and health providers.
Google separates the two words on that page. Support ending means a version keeps working. It may get no new features or fixes. Discontinuation means it returns errors and is shut down. Google also asks developers to move to the new Business Profile Performance API to keep getting performance data.
Managing a Google Business Profile with the Gemini web app
Google's Gemini web app can manage one verified Google Business Profile in conversation. Google's help page for it says that once the profile is connected, Gemini can update the profile, engage with customers, analyze customer feedback, and give access to business insights. Everything in this section comes from that page.
What Gemini can do with a connected Business Profile
Gemini can do four things with a connected Business Profile, in Google's words.
- Update the Business Profile, "such as your business hours, contact info, and action links".
- "Engage with customers by drafting replies to reviews and creating posts."
- Analyze and summarize customer feedback from reviews, "including synthesizing feedback themes".
- Access business insights, "including performance metrics and search keywords".
What Google requires before Gemini connects to a Business Profile
Google requires four things before it connects a Business Profile to Gemini.
- Be an owner or manager of only one verified Business Profile on Google.
- Be 18 or over.
- Be signed in to the Gemini web app with a personal Google Account associated with the profile. For now it is not available with a work or school Google Account.
- Have Keep Activity on. Gemini cannot connect when it is off.
Google adds three limits. The feature is available wherever the Gemini web app is supported. It is not available to owners or managers with access to more than one verified profile. It is only available in the Gemini web app at gemini.google.com.
How to connect a Business Profile to Gemini and create a business notebook
Connecting the profile takes four steps on Google's page.
- Go to gemini.google.com.
- Sign in with the same account you use for the Business Profile.
- Ask Gemini about your Business Profile. If it does not use the app, add @Google Business Profile to the prompt.
- Connect Google Business Profile when Gemini offers, and follow the on-screen instructions.
The link can be undone at any time in the Connected Apps settings. An eligible owner or manager can also create a business notebook. Select Connect, then enter or confirm the business website. The notebook appears under Notebooks in the sidebar, with the business's name. It holds suggested actions, such as adding missing hours or a description, adding an exterior photo, and checking performance.
How to get help from Google with Business Profile Manager
Help from Google with Business Profile Manager comes through the routes Google publishes: the Google Business Profile Help Center, the Business Profile Help Community, and Google's YouTube channel. Google's Workspace help page states that "the Google Workspace team doesn't provide support for Google Business Profile accounts" and sends administrators to the same routes.
The Google Business Profile Help Center
The Google Business Profile Help Center is at support.google.com/business. It opens with "Describe your issue to find information that might help you". Its topics run from adding and verifying a business through editing, photos, products, bulk management and agency options. Each help page ends with a Contact us route for the cases the page does not settle. Google's Workspace page lists what the Help Center covers for an administrator.
- Verifying a business on Google.
- Fixing suspended or disabled profiles.
- Recovering a Google Account username or password.
- Managing Business Profile owners and managers.
- Requesting ownership of a Business Profile.
- Editing a Business Profile.
The Google Business Profile Help Community
The Business Profile Help Community is Google's public forum for the product. Its notice says "do not share any private or confidential personal or business-related information in this public forum". Questions go in through Post a question. The forum runs a product expert program. Google's Workspace page points to the forum, and to Google's YouTube channel, for anything the Help Center does not settle.
The Google forms for suspensions, ownership disputes and third parties
Three problems have their own forms rather than a support thread. A suspended or disabled profile is appealed through Google's appeals tool. The management guide covers it under a suspended Google Business Profile. A profile held by someone else is recovered with Request Access, covered under requesting ownership above. A third party that breaks Google's policies is reported through the third-party violation complaint form. Google's tips page and its policy page both link to it.
Four limits of Google Business Profile Manager
Google Business Profile Manager has four limits worth knowing before you rely on it. The performance report measures activity rather than rank. Google's roles stop at owner and manager. Management through the Gemini web app covers only one profile. Bulk verification is only for chains with a storefront. None of these is a flaw in the dashboard. They are the edges of what Google has built, and they decide when a business needs something alongside it.
Business Profile performance data measures activity, not rank
Google's performance report covers interactions, searches, views, directions, calls, website clicks, messages, bookings, booking clicks, products, menus, and offers. None of those is a position on the map. To know where a profile ranks for a search from a given street, you need a rank tracker that scans the results from points around the location.
Google Business Profile roles stop at owner and manager
Google publishes three roles for a Business Profile and no finer permission levels. A manager can change the primary category just as easily as reply to a review. If one person should only answer reviews, or only see reports, that distinction has to live in the software your team uses.
Gemini management stops at one Business Profile
Google's conversational management through the Gemini web app is limited to one profile. You must be an owner or manager of only one verified Business Profile. Google says the feature is available wherever the Gemini web app is supported. For now it is not available with a work or school Google Account. What it can do, and how to connect it, is set out under managing a profile with the Gemini web app.
Business Profile bulk verification is only for chains with a storefront
Bulk verification needs ten or more locations of the same business. Service-area businesses are left out. Google's bulk verification page also says an agency with more than one business in one account cannot bulk verify. So a service-area business with twelve territories, such as a plumbing company or a roofing company, verifies each profile on its own. So does an agency with twelve unrelated clients.
How GBPcentral works alongside Google Business Profile Manager
GBPcentral does not replace Google's dashboard, and ownership, verification, and roles stay with Google. It connects to the same account through the official APIs and adds the work that a team with many locations does every day.
- Connects with your Google account
- Sign in with Google once. GBPcentral reads the accounts, business groups, and locations you already own or manage through the Account Management and Business Information APIs. You need Owner or Manager access on Google's side first.
- One calendar for every location
- Draft, schedule, and auto-publish posts across every profile, with recurring series and a calendar that shows every queued post.
- Geo-grid rank tracking
- Scans the local pack across a grid around each location on a daily or weekly schedule, the ranking view the performance report does not give you.
- Review inbox
- Every review from every location in one inbox, synced from Google, with alerts and sentiment tracked over time.
- Health score and daily actions
- A daily health score for each profile and a prioritized to-do list built from rank, review, health, and analytics data.
- Four team roles, groups, and white label
- Owner, Admin, Member, and Viewer roles for the people who do the work, account groups for the locations, and on the Agency plan, your own logo, palette, and domain on what clients see.
Every core feature is included on every plan; plans differ by volume and capacity. GBPcentral starts at $49 per month, and new customers get a 14-day free trial on Starter. See the plans and pricing, or run a free GBP audit on any profile first, no account needed.
Frequently asked questions about Google Business Profile Manager
Straight answers about Google Business Profile Manager: the dashboard, the roles, access, bulk verification, and where GBPcentral fits.
What is Google Business Profile Manager?
Google Business Profile Manager is the web dashboard at business.google.com. Google provides it for managing several Business Profiles at once. Google's Get Started guide tells larger businesses with multiple locations to use it to manage their profiles in bulk. A single profile is edited directly on Google Search or in the Google Maps app. Inside the dashboard you can create business groups and add or update locations from a spreadsheet. You can request bulk verification for chains with ten or more locations. You can also handle the access requests that connect agencies to the profiles they manage. The same phrase is also used for the Manager role on a profile and for the person or agency who does the work.
Is Google Business Profile Manager the same as Google My Business?
Google Business Profile is the current name of the product. Google's own definition says it was formerly known as Google My Business. Google's developer documentation still uses the earlier name for the Google My Business API. Business Profile Manager is the dashboard inside the product for managing many profiles. In Google's current help pages, a single profile is edited on Google Search or in the Google Maps app. Business Profile Manager is the tool for businesses and agencies that manage several profiles.
Where do I sign in to Google Business Profile Manager?
Go to business.google.com in a web browser. Sign in with the Google Account that owns or manages the profiles. The dashboard is a website, so open it in a browser rather than looking for an app to download. If you manage one location you do not need the dashboard. Search for your business name and city, or the phrase my business, on Google Search while signed in, then select Edit profile. On a phone, open the Google Maps app and select Edit profile. In an organization that uses Google Workspace, an administrator can switch the Google Business Profile Manager service on or off. When it is off, people can still reach their profile through Google Maps and Google Search.
Do I need Business Profile Manager if I have only one location?
No. Google's help pages show a single profile being edited directly on Google Search and in the Google Maps app. Search for your business name and city, or the phrase my business, on Google Search, then select Edit profile. On a phone, open the Google Maps app and select Edit profile. Business Profile Manager is what Google recommends for larger businesses with multiple locations. A single-location owner can also connect the profile to the Gemini web app. Google restricts that to people who are an owner or manager of only one verified Business Profile.
What is a business group in Business Profile Manager?
A business group is a set of Business Profiles managed together under one account inside Business Profile Manager. Google describes business groups as a more secure way to manage and share access to your profiles with co-workers. The option to create one appears once you have two or more profiles. Google's guidance is to limit business groups to one account per business or brand. Each group needs its own spreadsheet when you import locations. Business groups were previously called business accounts. In the Business Profile APIs they appear as location group accounts.
How many locations do I need for bulk verification?
Ten. Google's bulk verification needs a spreadsheet with ten or more profiles from the same business. The business must not be a service-area business. The spreadsheet must list every profile you manage. No verified account may already exist for the business, and the account must have no errors. Duplicate, suspended, or disabled profiles do not count toward the ten. You submit the request in Business Profile Manager under Verifications, then Chain, then Start.
What is the difference between an owner and a manager on a Google Business Profile?
An owner has full control of the profile. An owner can add or remove users, manage the profile information, and even delete the profile. A manager has mostly the same access as an owner, with one exception. Managers cannot add or remove users, and cannot remove the profile. Every profile has exactly one primary owner. The primary owner must transfer primary ownership to someone else before leaving the profile. Google notes that managers were once called site managers.
How do I add or remove a manager on my Google Business Profile?
Open the Business Profile while signed in as an owner, then select More, then Business Profile settings, then People and access. To add someone, select Add at the top left. Enter an email address, choose Owner or Manager under Access, and select Invite. Invited users can accept and become users right away. To remove someone, open the same People and access page and select Remove person. Only owners can remove other owners and managers. A manager can remove themselves. When someone is removed they get an email. Their replies to reviews, posts, and comments stay on the profile.
How does an agency get access to a client's Business Profile?
Google's route for agencies is an organization account. It is created at business.google.com/agencysignup with a Google Account tied to the agency's own email, one that does not already own or manage any profiles. Google recommends a single organization account for all of an agency's profile groups. From Business Profile Manager the agency selects Manage invites, then Request access. It searches for the client's business, chooses which business group the profile should join, and continues through the prompts. The request then appears under the Requests sent tab until it is answered. The other route is for the business to add the agency's account as a manager directly. In every case the business itself should stay the primary owner.
How do I get access to a Google Business Profile that someone else manages?
If a verified Business Profile for your business is owned by someone else, go to business.google.com/add. Enter your business name and address and choose your business from the list. Select Request Access when Google says someone else may manage the profile. Google emails you a confirmation and gives the current owner three days to respond. An approved request lets you manage the profile. A denied one still leaves you able to suggest an edit and to appeal. If no response arrives after three days, Google says you may have the option to claim the profile, though that option is not always available. A service-area business with no shop or office contacts Google instead and enters Transfer ownership of listing as the issue.
Does Google Business Profile Manager cost anything?
No. Google describes the Business Profile as free. It publishes no price for Business Profile Manager, business groups, spreadsheet import, bulk verification, or an agency organization account. Google also states that there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. What costs money is the work: the time to keep every location accurate and active, and any software or agency you pay to do it. GBP management software such as GBPcentral starts at $49 per month. New customers get a 14-day free trial on the Starter plan.
Does GBPcentral replace Google Business Profile Manager?
No, and it is not meant to. GBPcentral connects to the same Google Account through Google's official Business Profile APIs. It reads the profiles and business groups that account already has access to. Then it adds what it is built for: one calendar for posts across every location, a shared review inbox, geo-grid rank tracking, a daily health score, team roles, and your own branding on the Agency plan. Ownership, verification, roles, and bulk verification stay with Google. You need to be an owner or manager of a profile on Google's side before GBPcentral can manage it.
Can Gemini manage my Google Business Profile?
Yes, within limits Google sets. Google's help page says that once you connect your Business Profile to the Gemini web app, Gemini can update details such as business hours, contact information, and action links. It can draft replies to reviews, create posts, summarize customer feedback from reviews, and show performance metrics and search keywords. To use it you must be an owner or manager of only one verified Business Profile. You must be 18 or over, sign in with a personal Google Account associated with the profile, and keep the Keep Activity setting on. Google says it is available wherever the Gemini web app is supported, and for now not with a work or school Google Account. Businesses with more than one profile still use Business Profile Manager or third-party software.
What is a Google Business Profile organization account?
A Google Business Profile organization account is the account type Google gives an agency. Google calls it the top level profile that is associated with your agency. It is how an agency manages profiles on behalf of the business owners it works with. Inside it, user groups hold the agency's people and business groups hold the clients' profiles. Google's advice is that an agency should use a single organization account for all of its profile groups. You register at business.google.com/agencysignup with a Google Account tied to the agency's company email, one that does not already own or manage any Business Profiles.
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Google's documentation references used in this guide
- Get started with Google Business Profile
- Bulk location management overview
- Create and manage business groups
- Create a bulk upload spreadsheet for Business Profiles
- Import and update Business Profiles in bulk
- Verify Business Profiles in bulk
- Manage your Business Profile owners and managers
- Request ownership of a Business Profile
- Transfer primary ownership of a Business Profile
- Manage business group owners and managers
- Overview for agencies
- Register your agency for Business Profiles
- Manage agency invites
- Manage agency business groups
- Manage agency user groups
- Move a profile to an organization account
- Tips for working with third parties to manage your Business Profile
- Find your business on Google
- Edit your Business Profile
- Create and manage posts on your Business Profile
- Understand your Business Profile performance and insights
- Tips to improve your local ranking on Google
- Manage your Business Profile on Google with the Gemini web app
- Verify your business on Google
- Manage customer reviews
- Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews
- Manage your Business Profile photos and videos
- Manage your notifications
- Manage your Profile Strength
- How to recover your Google Account or Gmail
- Google Business Profile Help Center
- Google Business Profile Help Community
- Get help with Google Business Profile (Google Workspace)
- Update your Business Profile on Google Maps and Search (Google blog, 2020)
- Say hello to the new Google My Business app (Google blog, 2017)
- Business Profile: Definition (Google Ads Help)
- Turn Google Business Profile Manager on or off for users (Google Workspace)
- Google Business Profile APIs reference overview
- Business Profile APIs overview and eligibility
- Business Profile account types
- Business Profile APIs deprecation schedule
- Sign up to be a Business Profile third party agency or platform