Google Business Profile Claimed by Someone Else? How to Get It Back

You go to set up your Google Business Profile and Google tells you: "Someone else may manage this Business Profile."

It happens more than you'd think. A former employee set it up years ago. An old marketing agency created it under their account. The previous owner of the business still has it. Or Google created a listing on its own and someone claimed it.

Here's how to get it back.

Step 1: Make sure it isn't you

Before anything else, check whether you already own it under a different Google account. Lots of owners have a personal Gmail and a business Gmail, or an old account from when they opened. Sign in to each one at business.google.com and look.

Also ask around: whoever built your old website, your last marketing person, a manager who left. It's often faster to have them add you than to go through Google.

Step 2: Request access through Google

If you can't find who has it, Google has a built-in request:

1. Go to business.google.com/add.
2. Search for your business name and address, and pick your listing.
3. When you see "Someone else may manage this Business Profile", click Request access.
4. Fill out the form and submit it.

Google emails the current owner. They have 3 days to respond.

Step 3: What happens next

• They approve it: you get access. Make yourself the primary owner.
• They deny it: you'll be told. At that point you need another route, and documents matter.
• They don't respond within 3 days: you may be able to claim the profile yourself. Open the confirmation email from your request, choose View request, then Verify, and follow the steps. Google says this option isn't always available.

When it doesn't work

If the request is denied or the claim option never shows up, it's not over. Google can review ownership by hand when you can prove the business is yours, with documents like a business registration or license and a utility bill or lease in the business name at that address.

Two things to avoid while you sort it out:

• Don't create a second profile for the same business. Duplicates confuse customers and can get both profiles suspended.
• Don't keep editing the listing through suggested edits to force it. It makes the history messier, not cleaner.

Once you have it back

Remove anyone who shouldn't have access (open the profile menu, then Business Profile settings, then People and access), make sure you're the primary owner, and check every detail: categories, hours, phone, website. Old profiles are often years out of date.

If you'd rather we handle the request, the follow-up and the setup, that's part of our Google Business Profile setup.