Agency offboarding and onboarding checklist for Google Business Profile

Handover record

Copy this block into the business's operating file before the access changes begin.

Onboarding and ownership

Mark each line when it is true. Google allows multiple owners but only one primary owner. Owners can add or remove users and manage the profile. Managers cannot add or remove users or remove the profile. Google Groups cannot be added as owners or managers.¹

• The business owner or authorised representative still has access to the Business Profile as an owner or co-owner.
• The business has recorded which account is the primary owner.
• The new provider's individual Google Account email address is recorded.
• The new provider has not been asked to use a shared password. Each person uses their own Google Account.¹
• The new provider is not being invited through a Google Group. Google Groups cannot be added as owners or managers.¹
• An owner opened Business Profile > More > Business Profile settings > People and access > Add.
• The owner entered the new provider's email address, selected Owner or Manager under Access, and selected Invite.¹
• The new provider accepted the invitation and now appears in People and access.
• The chosen role is recorded as Owner or Manager, with the reason for that level of access.
• Any pending invitation that is no longer needed has been canceled from People and access.¹
• The business has reviewed the full user list and kept only essential owners and managers. Unknown access requests were not approved.²
• If this is a change of business ownership, the new business owner is ready to receive primary ownership.
• If this is a change of business ownership, the current primary owner selected the new user in People and access, selected Edit next to Access, selected Primary owner, and selected Save.³
• The handover schedule accounts for Google's 7-day restriction. A new owner or manager may be unable to remove users, transfer primary ownership, delete or undelete the profile during the first 7 days.¹

The business can choose whether a third party has co-owner access, manager access or no access. Google says the end customer must retain ownership or co-ownership at all times.⁴

Offboarding access

Complete these checks only after the new provider has the access needed to manage the profile.

• The outgoing agency's individual users, shared agency identities and former employees have been listed.
• An owner, not a manager, is performing the removal. Only owners can remove another owner or manager.¹
• The owner opened Business Profile > More > Business Profile settings > People and access.
• The owner selected each outgoing user and selected Remove person.¹
• The outgoing users were checked individually before removal. The removal was not confused with deleting the Business Profile.
• The outgoing agency knows that its replies, posts, comments and other actions remain on the profile after its user is removed.¹
• The outgoing third party removed the profile from its own account after it stopped managing the profile. This is separate from deleting the Business Profile.⁴
• The business retained owner access while the third party managed the profile.²
• If the business gave notice to discontinue third-party service, the agency provided the ability to disassociate the managing Google Account and regain exclusive control within 7 business days.⁴
• The final People and access list contains only the business's approved owners and managers and the new provider's approved account.

If an outgoing provider will not transfer access, an authorised business owner can use Google's ownership-request process. For a storefront or hybrid business, start at business.google.com/add, choose the business, select Request Access, complete the form and submit it. The current owner has 3 days to respond. Google says a claim option may appear after no response, but it is not always available. Service-area businesses without a physical shop or office should contact Google and use the issue description Transfer ownership of listing.⁵

For the click-by-click removal and ownership-recovery paths, see how to get access to a Google Business Profile. For the role setup, see how to add owners and managers.

Profile facts and content

Compare the profile with the business's approved record. Leave a field blank when it does not apply. Google identifies the entity name, location, phone number, category, hours and website as basic Business Profile information. Its owner-and-manager table also lists surfaces such as attributes, services, posts, photos, products, reviews, insights, Q&A and Google Ads account links.⁶¹

• Every change in the table has a named owner and a recorded approval.
• The outgoing provider has told the business what it changed or edited during the handover.
• No provider changed or disabled a profile feature without the business owner's consent.⁴
• The incoming provider has confirmed the current profile facts and open items.

For adding roles without the rest of the handover, see how to add owners and managers to a Google Business Profile.

Records and reporting

Keep the business's records under the business's owner-controlled account. Google says the business retains access to its content under the documented functionality and can export applicable Google Business Profile data. Google Takeout can create an archive for keeping records or transferring data to another service.⁶⁷

• The business's owner-controlled Google Account is identified as the record holder.
• The business signed in to that Google Account and opened Google Takeout.
• The business selected the relevant Google products and data, selected Next step, and created the archive.⁷
• The archive location, request date and account used are recorded.
• The business understands that downloading data does not delete it from Google's servers.
• The archive date is recorded with the limitation that it may not include changes made between the request and archive creation.⁷
• The business has retained the handover record, approved profile facts and relevant reports in its own operating file.
• Business Profile management cost and performance reports are easy for the business to access.⁴
• If a report combines Business Profile data with another platform, the Business Profile data is clearly separated.⁴
• The provider has not compared or shared this business's Business Profile-specific data with other customers.⁴
• If the outgoing provider charged a management fee, the written fee disclosure and customer invoices are retained. Google requires disclosure before management and on customer invoices, and says the Business Profile service itself is provided at no extra cost.⁴
• If the provider primarily serves small or medium businesses, it gave the business Google's Working with a third party disclosure notice and kept the notice easy to find on its website.⁴
• Ordinary agency contracts, invoices and payment methods have been handled in the business's own records. They are not treated as Google Business Profile access.

Conditional Google Ads billing

Complete this section only if the agency handover also includes a linked Google Ads account and the agency is the current paying manager. This is a Google Ads billing procedure, not a Business Profile ownership procedure.

• The linked Google Ads account and current paying manager are recorded.
• The current paying manager has Admin access.⁸
• The new manager account ID, future payer and transfer date are recorded.
• In Google Ads, the current paying manager opened Billing > Billing transfers > Change who pays > External Billing Transfer.⁸
• The current paying manager entered the new manager account ID, selected the future payer and set the transfer date.
• The transfer request was submitted and confirmed.
• The new agency knows it has 7 days to approve or deny the request. If no action occurs within 7 days, Google says the request is automatically canceled and must be started again.⁸
• The current paying manager was not unlinked before the account had another paying manager.
• The Ads account is still serving after the billing change is confirmed.
• The business understands that unlinking an Ads account from its paying manager deactivates the billing setup and stops the Ads account from serving immediately.⁹
• Google Business Profile access was checked separately in People and access. A Google Ads billing transfer does not transfer GBP ownership or user roles.¹⁸

Do not use this section for ordinary agency invoices, contracts or payment methods. Keep those records with the business's own commercial handover.

Final sign-off

The outgoing agency, incoming provider and business owner can use this block to close the handover.

If either provider will reply to reviews, record the business's explicit written or digital approval. Google says verbal approval is not sufficient for a third party replying on the customer's behalf.⁴

Business owner name: ____________________ Signature or approval: ____________________ Date: __________

Outgoing provider name: ____________________ Signature or confirmation: ____________________ Date: __________

Incoming provider name: ____________________ Signature or confirmation: ____________________ Date: __________

What not to do during a handover

• Do not share one Google Account password between the business and providers. Invite each person's own account instead.¹
• Do not give an agency ownership when manager access is enough. Google says owners can add or remove users and transfer ownership, so record the reason for any owner role.¹⁴
• Do not remove the Business Profile's content and managers when you mean to remove one agency user. Google says that removal is permanent, affects all owners and managers, and can remove owner and manager posts, photos, videos and review replies. Remove the person from People and access instead.¹⁰
• Do not unlink a Google Ads account from its paying manager before transferring the billing setup to another paying manager. Google says the Ads account stops serving immediately when that billing setup is deactivated.⁹
• Do not change or disable profile features without the business owner's consent. Record changes and tell the business what changed.⁴
• Do not approve an unknown access request or leave former employees on the profile.²