How to Keep Your Google Business Profile When Leaving an Agency

01 • who can do what

Who owns my Google Business Profile?

A profile can have several users. Google's help pages describe a primary owner, owners and managers. The primary owner has the most control, including the power to remove other users. You want to be the primary owner of your own business.

Agencies often set up or claim profiles for clients. Thryv's terms, for example, say that depending on the package, Thryv or its providers may create, claim, verify, edit and manage your profile during your subscription. That is normal while you work together. It matters when you leave.

02 • check today

How do I check who manages my profile?

1. 1Sign in to the Google account you use for your business.
2. 2Search for your business name on Google or open Google Business Profile.
3. 3If you can manage it, open the menu and find the people and access settings.
4. 4Note each user and their role. Look for anyone listed as primary owner.
5. 5If you cannot manage it at all, go to the section on requesting ownership below.

03 • the clean way

How do I get primary ownership from my agency?

1. 1Email the agency and ask them to add your Google account as an owner of the profile.
2. 2Accept the invitation from your Google account.
3. 3Ask them to transfer primary ownership to you.
4. 4Once you are primary owner, decide whether to keep them as a manager until you leave, or remove them.
5. 5Check the profile's phone number and website link. Replace any tracking number the agency owns with your own number.

04 • if they do not answer

What if my agency will not give me access?

Google has a process for this. From Google Business Profile, you can request ownership of a profile someone else manages. Google contacts the current owner and asks them to respond. Google's help page explains what happens if they do not, and what proof you may need. Follow Google's request ownership guide for the current steps.

Use the same name, address and phone number as your real business, and be ready to verify. Keep a record of your request and any emails.

05 • avoid these

What mistakes can lose me my Google Business Profile?

• Creating a second profile for the same business. Duplicates confuse customers and can split your reviews. Recover the original instead.
• Cancelling the agency before you are primary owner. Your leverage drops the day you give notice.
• Using a personal Gmail you might lose. Use a Google account the business controls, and add a second owner you trust.
• Leaving the agency's tracking number on the profile. When the service ends, that number can stop reaching you.
• Changing your business name or address at the same time. Big edits can trigger a new verification. Change one thing at a time.

None of these are disasters on their own. Together, they are how businesses lose the reviews they spent years earning.

06 • the other accounts

What other accounts should I take back before leaving?

Scorpion's FAQ, for example, says it transfers ownership of accounts like Google Analytics (GA4), Local Services Ads and social media back to you when you leave. Ask your provider for the same list in writing. For the domain, see how to get it back.