Sometimes businesses lose access to their Google My Business listing and need to regain ownership. The listing may have been claimed by a previous employee or agency, or you may not remember the email address you used to claim it. Either way, you want to regain control of your GMB listing.

Google has a process to help you regain ownership of your Google My Business listing. Here are the steps you can take to claim ownership of your Google My Business listing.

Use a Google Account linked to an email address in your business domain.

The best way to regain access to your GMB list is to use a Google account with an email address from your own business domain throughout the process. This will help legitimise your claim later in the process.

Add this email as an administrator to both Google Analytics and Google Search Console.

If you are a bit tech savvy, be sure to add the same email address as your Google Analytics and Google Search Console administrator. While not mandatory, this also helps to prove that you are the rightful owner of the GMB listing you wish to claim.

Find your business

Enter the name of your business in the search field and select it from the results.

You will see a message that the list has been claimed.

The message will show you a hint of the list owner's email address and a button where you can request access.

Fill in and send the "access request" form.

Complete all fields in the form and request access at "property" level.

The current owner will receive an email about your application.

They will have 3 to 7 days to respond to the request. You will also receive a confirmation email. Click on the link in the confirmation email to check the status of your application.

If the application is rejected or the deadline has expired...

Google will then allow you to verify your affiliation with the company. This is why it is so important to use an email from your business domain and to add your email as a Google Analytics and Google Search Console administrator.

What to do after you have applied for ownership

After requesting the property, the owner of the current profile has 3 days to respond. To check the status of your request, log in to Business Profile or click on the link in your confirmation email.

If your application is approved: you will be notified by email and you will be able to manage your business profile.

If your application is denied: you will be notified by email and you can still suggest an amendment to your profile. In addition, you may be able to appeal the denied application.

If you do not receive a response: If you do not receive a response after 3 days, you may have the option to claim the profile yourself. To claim a business profile:

Open the original confirmation email you received about your property application.

Find their application and follow the on-screen instructions to verify. Alternatively, log in to Business Profile and look for a "Claim" or "Verify" button on your dashboard.

Tip: The option to claim a profile is not always available.

Understand the limitations of new owners and managers.

The new owner or administrator of a business profile must wait seven days before being able to administer all functions. During this 7-day period, they receive an error if:

Delete or recover a profile.

Remove other owners or administrators from a profile.

Transfer primary ownership to themselves or to a third party user.

If the new owner or administrator deletes their account within the first 7 days, it is removed from the profile. If they change their mind, they must be added again.

Tip: If an existing owner or administrator tries to transfer the main ownership of the profile to a new owner or administrator still in their first 7 days, they receive an error.

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