You own everything. Here’s how leaving works.
Being locked in by an agency is one of the most common fears owners have, and Google’s own rules side with you. Here’s exactly what stays yours and how leaving works, before you sign anything.
7
business days
The time it takes to get full control of your Google profile back after you tell us you’re leaving. That’s Google’s rule for anyone managing a profile, and it’s ours too.
Who owns what if you leave
| What | Who owns it | If you leave |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | You. You stay the owner, and we’re added as a manager | We hand back full control and remove our access within 7 business days of your notice |
| Domain name | You. It’s registered in your name | Nothing changes. It was always yours |
| Google Analytics and Search Console | You. They’re in your own accounts | We remove our access |
| Ad accounts | You. Campaigns run in your accounts, on your card | We remove our access |
| Reviews | They stay on your profile | Nothing changes |
| Brand, content and photos made for you | Set out in writing before we start | As agreed in writing |
| Website design and hosting | Depends on the platform, so we put it in writing before any work | As agreed in writing, including what you can take with you |
| Maps reports and monthly reports | Yours to keep | You keep every report we’ve sent |
Before we start, and while we work
Fees in writing
We tell you what you’ll pay, in writing, and that Google Business Profile itself is free from Google. Our fee is for our work, and it says so on every invoice.
Written consent
We get your written consent before we manage your profile. Google doesn’t accept verbal consent, and neither do we.
Your rights, in Google’s words
We’ll email you a link to Google’s guidance on working with a third party, so you know your rights.
No passwords
We don’t ask for your password, and you decide who has access. You approve review replies before they go out, and you can see our reports at any time.
Through an agency
If you work with us through an agency, these rules still apply. The agency holds your consent, you stay the owner, and we work as a manager.
Getting your accounts back
Still unsure? Ask us directly and a person will reply within one business day.
Ask a questionMy agency owns my Google Business Profile. What do I do?
Ask them in writing to make you the primary owner or hand back control. Google’s third-party policy requires agencies to give clients exclusive control within 7 business days of their request. If they don’t respond, use Google’s ownership request process; we can walk you through it.
How do I transfer ownership of a Google Business Profile?
The current primary owner adds you as an owner, then transfers primary ownership to you in the profile’s People and access settings. If the current owner won’t respond, Google offers an ownership request from your own account, and support can step in for some cases.
My web designer owns my domain. What can I do?
Ask them to move the domain into an account in your name and send you the transfer code. A domain registered to your business is the safest setup. When we build a site, the domain is registered in your name from day one.
What happens to my website if I leave?
It depends on the platform, so we put it in writing before any work starts: what you own, what you can take with you and how the handover works. Your domain, content and accounts stay yours either way.
Your next customer is searching now
See where you rank on Google Maps today, street by street, before you decide anything. Free, with no card and no sales call.
- Your Google Maps rank at 49 points around you
- A check of your Google Business Profile and AI answers
- The 3 fixes we’d make first, in plain English