You just hired a web agency to manage your Google Business Profile. Or maybe you brought on an employee to handle marketing. Either way, you need to give them access to your profile, and handing over your personal Google login is not the way to do it.
Google gives you a built-in way to invite other people to manage your profile without sharing your password. You stay in control, they get the access they need, and nothing gets compromised.
Here's exactly how to do it, which role to assign, and a few things most guides leave out.
Before You Start: Three Things to Have Ready
Before you touch any settings, make sure three things are in place.
First, you need to be signed into the Google account that owns the Business Profile. If you're not sure which account that is, search for your business name on Google while logged in. If you see the management panel appear below the search bar, you're in the right account.
Second, your access level matters. Only Owners and Primary Owners can add new users. If you're listed as a Manager, you won't see the option to invite anyone. You'll need to ask the current Owner to either add the person directly or upgrade your access first.
Third, the person you're inviting needs a Google account. This can be a personal Gmail address or a Google Workspace email. If they don't have one, they'll need to create one before you can send the invite.
How to Add a User to Your Google Business Profile (Step by Step)
The entire process takes about two minutes. Here's the walkthrough.
Step 1: Search for your business. Open Google Search and type in your exact business name. If you're signed into the correct Google account, your Business Profile management panel will appear directly in the search results.
Step 2: Open your Business Profile settings. Click the three vertical dots next to your profile, then select "Business Profile settings" from the dropdown menu.
Step 3: Go to People and access. Inside the settings panel, click "People and access." This shows you all current users on the profile and any pending invitations.
Step 4: Click the Add button. Look for the blue Add button in the upper area of the People and Access panel. It's a person icon with a plus sign.
Step 5: Enter the email address. Type in the email address of the person you want to add. Remember, it has to be connected to a Google account.
Step 6: Choose their role. Under "Access," select either Owner or Manager. If you're not sure which one to pick, read the comparison below. This choice matters more than most people realize.
Step 7: Send the invite. Click "Invite." The person will get an email from Google and will need to accept it before they gain any access to your profile.
That's it. Once they accept, they can start managing the profile based on the role you assigned.
Owner vs. Manager: Which Role Should You Assign?
This is where most business owners make a decision without fully understanding what they're choosing. Here's a clear breakdown of what each role can and cannot do.
What both Owners and Managers can do:
- Edit business information (hours, address, phone number, description)
- Respond to reviews
- Add photos and posts
- View insights and analytics
What only Owners can do:
- Add or remove other users
- Transfer ownership of the profile
- Remove the profile entirely
The practical takeaway: if you're giving access to an employee or a marketing agency, Manager is almost always the right choice. It gives them full access to do the day-to-day work (updating information, responding to reviews , publishing posts) without giving them the ability to lock you out or delete the profile.
Only assign Owner access if you genuinely need that person to manage users on your behalf. And even then, keep yourself as the Primary Owner. A profile can have multiple Owners, but there's only one Primary Owner, and that should always be the business owner.
Common Mistakes When Adding Users (and How to Avoid Them)
The process itself is straightforward, but there are a few mistakes that trip people up.
Sharing your login instead of adding a user. This is the most common one and the most avoidable. When you share your Google password, you're giving someone access to your email, your Drive, your contacts, and everything else tied to that account. Adding them as a user on your GBP keeps things clean and separate.
Giving Owner access when Manager would do. Unless the person needs to add or remove other users, Manager access is sufficient. You can always upgrade their role later if the situation changes. Starting with Manager is the safer default.
Not checking the invite status. After you send the invite, the person needs to accept it. If they don't see the email, have them check their spam folder. You can also cancel and resend a pending invitation from the People and access page at any time.
Adding the wrong email address. The email must be linked to a Google account. If you add a non-Google email, the invite won't go through. Double-check with the person before sending.
What to Know After You Add Someone
A few details that don't show up in most how-to guides but are worth knowing.
New users need to wait about 7 days before they can manage certain profile features. Google does this as a security measure, so don't panic if your new Manager can't do everything on day one.
You can see all current users, their roles, and any pending invitations from the People and access page at any time. If you ever need to revoke access, you can remove someone from the same screen.
Each person should always use their own Google account rather than a shared login. This keeps an audit trail of who made which changes, and it means revoking one person's access doesn't disrupt anyone else.
Why This Matters for Your Google Business Profile Strategy
Adding a user might seem like a small administrative task, but it's actually a strategic one. A well-managed Google Business Profile is one of the most powerful tools an Ottawa small business has for showing up in local search results and in Google Maps .
The problem is that most business owners don't have time to manage it consistently. Posts need to go out weekly. Reviews need responses. Photos need updating. Business information needs to stay accurate. When that work falls behind, your profile signals to Google that the business may be inactive, and your local rankings can drop.
That's why adding the right person to your profile, whether it's an employee or a local web agency, is often the first step toward getting your GBP working the way it should.
How Ghost Harbor Handles GBP Access
At Ghost Harbor Web Solutions, we manage Google Business Profiles for small businesses across Ottawa and the surrounding area. When a client brings us on for GBP management, the first thing we do is walk them through adding us as a Manager on their profile.
We never ask for your Google password. We never need Owner access. Manager access gives us everything we need to optimize your profile, publish posts, respond to reviews, update your business information, and track your performance, while you stay in full control as the Owner.
It's a small step, but it sets the foundation for everything else. A properly managed GBP can drive real, measurable results. One of our Ottawa clients went from having no Google Business Profile at all to 150 new website visitors, a 5-job pipeline, and over $10,000 in quoted revenue in their first month.
If you're curious about what consistent GBP management could do for your business, that's a conversation worth having.
Ready to Get More From Your Google Business Profile?
If managing your GBP is one of those things that keeps sliding to the bottom of the list, you're not alone. Most Ottawa business owners know it matters but don't have the hours to do it properly.
We'd be happy to take a look at your current profile and give you an honest assessment of where things stand. No pressure, no pitch, just a straight conversation about what's working and what isn't.
*Ryan Whyte is the owner and lead developer at Ghost Harbor Web Solutions, a web design and local SEO agency based in Kanata, Ontario. Ghost Harbor specializes in hand-coded websites and AI-ready SEO strategies for small businesses across Ottawa and the surrounding area.*
