Someone Else Claimed My Business on Google?
"Someone else claimed my business on Google" sounds like a disaster. It's usually fixable. Google has a set route for a real owner to request ownership of a verified profile held by somebody else, and if the current holder doesn't answer within three days, Google may let you claim it yourself. Before any of that, though, the quickest fix is often a polite message to whoever set it up in the first place.
What does it mean when someone else has claimed my business?
It means another Google account is the verified owner of your Business Profile, the free listing that shows your business on Google Search and Maps. You'll usually find out by trying to claim your listing and getting a message that says "Someone else may manage this Business Profile" instead. Whoever holds it can change your hours, phone number and photos, and reply to your reviews.
It isn't always a stranger, and it isn't always a problem yet. Google's own help page makes the point that if you can't see a "Claim this business" or "Own this business" button on your listing, you might already be the owner, just signed in to a different account. So check that first.
Who could be holding your listing?
Before filling in any form, think about who might have set the profile up. The answer decides how quickly this gets sorted. The likely candidates for a small business are:
- You, on an old account. A personal Gmail from years ago, or a work email you no longer use.
- Whoever built your old website. A web person may have set the profile up under their own login as part of the job and never handed it over.
- A former partner or member of staff. Someone who helped out at the start and has since moved on.
- The previous owner, if you bought the business as a going concern.
If you know who it is and you're still on speaking terms, ask them. An owner can add you from the profile's settings, and that avoids waiting on Google at all. This message is written to be copied and sent as it is:
Hi, I think the Google Business Profile for my business is still under your Google account. Could you add me as an owner using this email address, then transfer primary ownership to me? It's under Business Profile settings, then People and access. Once that's done you're welcome to remove yourself. Thanks.
The web designer case is the same question as who holds your domain and your site's content, and our guide to who owns your website is worth a read if one of those might be sitting with someone else too.
How do you request ownership from Google?
You ask through Google's own form, and the current owner gets the chance to say yes or no. Google's help page on how to request ownership of a Business Profile sets out the steps for a shop front or hybrid business:
- Go to business.google.com/add.
- Enter your business name and address, and choose your business from the list.
- When you see "Someone else may manage this Business Profile", select Request access.
- Fill in the form and submit it.
One exception matters to a lot of trades. A service area business, meaning one that works at the customer's location and has no shop or office customers visit, doesn't use that form. Google's page says to contact its support team instead and choose Transfer ownership of listing as the issue. That describes many cleaners, mobile hairdressers, gardeners and plumbers.
| Your situation | Start here |
|---|---|
| You know who holds it and you are on speaking terms | Ask them to add you as an owner, then make you primary owner. No form needed. |
| You have a shop, salon or office customers visit | Use Google's Request access route and wait up to three days for an answer. |
| You work at customers’ homes with no premises of your own | Contact Google support and choose Transfer ownership of listing. |
| It might be you, on an old Google account | Try the Google Account troubleshooter before asking anyone else. |
| Your request was turned down | Appeal the decision, and suggest edits to wrong details in the meantime. |
What happens if they say no, or don't answer?
You still have options either way. After you submit a request, Google emails you a confirmation and emails the current owner, who then has three days to respond. If they approve it, you get an email and can manage the profile straight away.
If they turn it down, Google says you'll get a rejection email but can still suggest edits to the profile's details, and you can appeal the decision. If three days pass with no answer, you may be given the option to claim the profile yourself, by opening the confirmation email, selecting View request and then Verify, and following the steps. Google is careful to say that option isn't always available, so don't count on it.
Claiming means verifying, which is Google checking the business is real and really yours. How that works, including video verification, is covered in our guide to Google Business Profile.
Should you just set up a new profile instead?
No. It's tempting when the old one feels out of reach, but Google allows one Business Profile per business. Its page on duplicate profiles and ownership issues says multiple profiles for the same business are against its policies, and a profile treated as a duplicate won't show on Google Search or Maps. So a second listing risks disappearing rather than replacing the first. The same page points a real owner back to the ownership request instead.
How do you keep the profile in your own hands from now on?
Be the primary owner yourself, and give everyone else their own lower level of access. Google's page on managing owners and managers explains that a profile can have several owners but only one primary owner, and that managers can edit details, post and reply to reviews but can't add or remove people or remove the profile.
- Use an account you'll keep. One tied to your business, not a helper's login.
- Make helpers managers, not owners. A web person or a member of staff can do the job without being able to lock you out.
- Never share a password. Google says each person needs their own Google Account, so nobody has to log in as you.
- Expect a short wait on a new owner. Google makes a new owner or manager wait seven days before they can remove others or transfer primary ownership.
What should you do next?
Check you're not already the owner on an old account, ask whoever set the profile up, and use Google's request route if that goes nowhere. Once it's back, put it under an account you'll keep. There's more on showing up where customers look in our guides to fixing your website and getting found.
When ByRender builds a site, the client owns the domain and the content, which is the same principle as owning your own listing. Setup is from £495 and care from £69 a month, with a private preview before anything is owed. You can see some finished renders or start the form when you're ready.
Frequently asked questions
How long does getting ownership back usually take?
It depends on the route. Google gives the current owner three days to answer a request, and if the claim option then appears, the verification that follows is reviewed in up to five working days, occasionally longer. A support request for a business without premises runs on Google's own timetable, which the help pages don't put a number on.
Is being a manager on the profile good enough?
For day-to-day work, nearly. Google says managers can do almost everything owners can, including editing details and replying to reviews. What they can't do is add or remove people or remove the profile, so a manager is still relying on whoever owns it. For your own business, ask to be an owner.
I set it up years ago and have forgotten which account I used. What now?
Start with Google's Account troubleshooter, which Google's help pages point to for recovering the username or password of the account used to claim and verify a profile. Old personal Gmail addresses are worth checking first. Getting back into your own account is quicker than asking anyone for access.