Locked out of your Google Business Profile? What to do when claiming or verifying goes wrong

Blogs by Rachel

In a previous post we looked at why every small business needs a Google Business Profile. Setting one up from scratch is usually straightforward. The headaches start when a profile already exists and you can't get control of it, or when Google won't accept your verification.

We hear about these problems all the time on our training sessions. Someone who set up the profile years ago has left the business. A move to new premises triggers a request for a verification video. Weeks go by, and the temptation is to give up and start a brand-new profile.

In this post I'll cover what to do in each situation, how to push Google when you're stuck, and how far to go before starting again is the better option.

When the person who owns your profile has left

This is one of the most common problems we see. A former employee, an old marketing agency or a previous owner set up the profile using their own Google account. They've since moved on, and nobody else has access.

Start with the easy route. If you can still reach them, ask them to add a business-owned Google account as an owner, then transfer primary ownership to it. It takes them a couple of minutes. Note that Google restricts what a newly added owner can do for the first seven days.

Also check whether the profile is linked to an old company email address that you still control. If so, recovering that Google account may be quicker than anything else.

If they don't respond, request ownership through Google:

1. Go to business.google.com/add and search for your business name and address.
2. Select your business. You'll see a message saying someone else may manage the profile.
3. Choose Request access, complete the form and submit it.

Google emails the current owner, who then has three days to respond. (Older guides often say seven days, but Google's own help page now says three.)

If they don't respond, you may be given the option to claim the profile yourself. Look for a View request, then Verify, link in your confirmation email, or a Claim or Verify button in your Business Profile. Google is clear that this option isn't always available, so silence alone doesn't guarantee you'll get the profile.

If your business doesn't have premises customers visit, such as a mobile service or a tradesperson, the Request access button may not appear. Instead, contact Google Business Profile support and choose "Transfer ownership of listing" as the issue.

If the request is denied, you can appeal from the rejection email.

How to push Google to escalate

If the three days pass and no claim option appears, or your request is denied, it's time to contact Google Business Profile support directly. There's no guaranteed timescale, but a well-prepared case gets much further.

Gather your evidence before you contact them. Have these ready, but only send what Google asks for:

• Business registration, such as your Companies House record, or a licence
• A utility bill or lease showing the business name and address
• An email address on your company's own domain, rather than a Gmail address
• Photos of permanent signage, branded vehicles or equipment
• Recent invoices or other current trading records

Make it easy for them to say yes:

• Have the profile's link ready, so there's no confusion about which listing you mean
• Explain the situation in a few plain sentences, for example: "The profile was set up by a former employee who left in 2023 and isn't responding to our ownership request."
• Keep a note of every case number and reply in the same thread, rather than opening new cases
• Make sure everything you send matches: the business name, address and phone number on your evidence, website and profile should be identical

If the profile is part of a wider dispute, such as a disagreement with a former business partner or over a business sale, Google may not resolve it. You may need to settle that separately first.

The dreaded verification video

Not long ago, most businesses verified with a postcard sent to their address. Today, Google lists video as its recommended method, and fewer businesses are offered a postcard at all.

In our experience, video is especially likely to come up when you change the address of an existing profile rather than setting one up from scratch. Google says changes to your business information "may require re-verification", and a new address is one of the biggest changes you can make. Changing your business name or category can trigger it too.

Google's rules

According to Google's help page, your video must be:

• Recorded live on your phone through the Business Profile app or page. You can't record it beforehand and upload it later.
• One continuous recording, with no edits or breaks, and at least 30 seconds long.
• Free of sensitive details, such as bank or ID numbers, and other people's faces.

It needs to show three things:

1. Where you are: street signs, the building number or neighbouring businesses.
2. That the business exists: your shop front or permanent signage with your business name, matching your profile exactly. If you don't have premises customers visit, show your tools, equipment or branded clothing instead.
3. That you manage it: staff-only areas such as a till, kitchen or stockroom, or for a mobile business, doing the work or showing a matching invoice or utility bill.

Google says reviews take up to five working days. If the video is rejected, Google tells you why and you can record another.

Are there any workarounds?

There's no legitimate way to skip verification, and I'd steer well clear of anyone offering one. But you can make it much easier:

• Plan the route before you press record. Start in the street, show the building number and sign, walk in, then show behind-the-scenes areas. A three to four minute walk-through is plenty.
• Fix mismatches first. If your sign, website and profile show slightly different names or addresses, sort that out before you film.
• If it's rejected, fix the missing piece. Don't just re-record the same video. Read Google's reasons and add whatever was missing.
• Look for other options. Some businesses are offered a live video call with a Google representative, or phone or email verification. Check the "Get verified" options in your profile.
• After two failed attempts, contact support and ask for a manual review rather than trying again straight away.

One warning: shared offices, co-working spaces and virtual addresses are very rarely accepted. If that's your situation, you'll usually need to list your business as a service-area business with your address hidden.

Why not just start a new profile?

When you've been going round in circles for weeks, creating a fresh profile can feel like the obvious answer. Sometimes it is, but be clear about what you're giving up:

• You lose your reviews. Years of hard-earned reviews stay on the old profile. You start again from zero, which can make an established business look brand new.
• Customers get confused. Two entries for the same business appear on Google and Maps. If the old one shows the wrong address, phone number or opening hours, people will turn up at the wrong place or ring a number nobody answers.
• You compete with yourself. Google tends to filter out duplicates in local results, and it may show the weaker or out-of-date listing rather than your new one.
• You can't fix the old one. Without access, you can't update its details, respond to its reviews or close it down properly.
• It may not even work. Google may flag the new profile as a duplicate, and you could end up back where you started.

Can you merge the profiles later?

Sometimes. Google support can merge two profiles, and when it does, reviews from the duplicate usually move across to the one you keep. But it's far from automatic, and the conditions matter.

Merging is most likely to succeed when:

• Both profiles represent the same business at the same address
• You own both profiles under the same Google account
• The profile you want to keep is verified

That last point is the catch. To merge, you usually need control of the old profile, which is exactly what you couldn't get in the first place.

Merging is much harder when the addresses differ, for example if you've moved. Support may refuse. Instead, the old profile can sometimes be marked as "moved", or if the business never traded there, removed using "Suggest an edit" on Google Maps. Either way, check what will happen to the reviews first, and ask support to transfer them if possible.

To request a merge:

1. Copy the links to both profiles.
2. Make sure the profile you want to keep is claimed and verified.
3. Get ownership of the duplicate, under the same Google account.
4. Contact Google Business Profile support. Say which profile should stay and ask them to merge the other into it.

Merges are hard to undo, so be sure which profile you want to keep.

So how far should you go before starting again?

Our advice is to fight for the existing profile for as long as it's realistic, especially if it has reviews. As a rough guide:

1. Try the previous owner first. A friendly message or phone call is often the fastest fix of all.
2. Submit a Request access. Wait the three days and check for a claim option.
3. Escalate to Google support with your evidence ready. Give it a few weeks and keep chasing in the same case.
4. If verification is the problem, prepare properly, record a complete video, and ask for a manual review after two failed attempts.

It's probably worth persisting if: the old profile has a good number of reviews, it ranks well, or it's still showing customers the wrong details.

Starting again may make sense if: the old profile has few or no reviews, its details are already correct (so it isn't misleading anyone), you've genuinely exhausted the routes above, or the business has changed so much that it's effectively a new business.

If you do start again, keep trying to get the old profile closed, marked as moved or merged, so customers aren't left with two conflicting entries.

How to stop this happening again

Once you're back in control, a few minutes now will save you a lot of pain later:

• Use a business-owned Google account as the primary owner, ideally on your company's own email domain, not an individual's personal Gmail.
• Add at least two owners, so the business never depends on one person.
• Give staff and agencies "manager" access, not ownership. They can still do their job, and you keep control.
• Remove people when they leave, as part of your normal leaving process.
• Plan ahead before you move premises. Get your new signage up before you change the address on your profile, so you're ready if Google asks for a video.

Need a hand?

Google Business Profile problems can be frustrating, but most can be solved with patience and the right approach. If you'd like help getting more customers from Google, join one of our free monthly webinars, including our free one hour SEO webinar.

Alternatively take a look at all our upcoming training events, or get in touch about one-to-one support.