Google Business Profile management: scope, access and monthly reporting
A Google Business Profile management agreement should identify who owns the profile, which changes the provider will make and what the business will receive each month. Start by checking the current listing and account access, then put the recurring work and reporting in writing.
Keep ownership and access clear
The business should retain ownership of its profile. A provider managing an existing profile should normally receive manager access through its own Google Account. Each person should use a separate account, with access matched to their responsibilities.
Record the profile URL, primary owner, managers and the business contact responsible for approvals. Check these details before any transfer between providers. If access is missing, establish the current ownership position and use the appropriate recovery process.
Agree who will approve changes to the business name, address, category and opening hours. Keep a dated change log and a way to reach the approver when an urgent correction is needed.
Inspect the profile before pricing the work
Check the actual listing, including its name, contact details, website, categories, hours and displayed service information. Record missing access, duplicate listings, verification issues and unresolved edits. A quotation should identify which of these items fall within the work.
Give the provider current photographs and accurate service information. Name the person who will supply changes in opening hours, availability or contact arrangements. The provider needs a dependable route to confirm business facts.
A business with several locations should have an inventory for each eligible profile. Record which details apply to all locations and which require local approval. Use the same reporting structure across the inventory so an unresolved issue remains visible.
| Question | Evidence to request |
|---|---|
| Business facts | Approved name, contact details, operating hours and services. |
| Account condition | Ownership, access, verification and unresolved changes. |
| Content supply | Photographs, service updates and the person approving them. |
| Customer responses | Responsibility for reviews, questions and escalation. |
| Performance baseline | Available metrics, reporting dates and existing enquiry records. |
Put recurring tasks into a working schedule
Specify the included checks and their frequency. The schedule could cover business information, approved updates, photographs, review responses and performance reporting. State who prepares each item, who approves it and how completion will be recorded.
Agree a response process for a complaint, an inaccurate public detail or a sudden operating change. Give the provider a contact for urgent facts. Customer disputes involving private information need an appropriate private route and a record of who is handling them.
Ask how suggested updates will be checked with the business. Keep the previous value, proposed value and approval where a change materially affects what customers see. This makes the record useful during a later review.
Read the performance report accurately
Available Business Profile metrics depend on the business and its features. Call counts record clicks on the call button. Website clicks record clicks on the website link. The performance report includes activity from organic results and Google Ads.
Pair those records with the business enquiry log. Note whether a call connected, what the caller needed and what happened next where the business has that information. A button click needs this follow-through before it supports a claim about enquiries or sales.
Keep the profile report, website analytics and sales records separately identifiable. A combined review should state the source of each number, its date range and the matching rules. For multiple locations, include a location-level view.
Agree the fee and exit arrangements
Google Business Profile is provided at no extra cost. An outside provider charges for its management work. The quotation and invoices should make the management fee clear and state any separately charged services.
Write down the notice process, working-file handover and removal of provider access. Keep a list of approved content, unresolved support matters and recent changes. Confirm the business has access to its performance records throughout the engagement.
A useful handover contains the profile inventory, current owners and managers, posting materials, reporting files and open issues. Give the incoming administrator enough context to continue the work without repeating the initial investigation.
Prepare a management brief
Before requesting a quotation, gather the profile link, business website, location count, current account access and the issues customers have reported. Include the person responsible for enquiries and the reporting information already available.
State the result you want to improve, such as accurate opening hours across locations, a reliable review-response process or clearer records of enquiries from the listing. Agree how that result will be checked.
DSDillon reviews the profile, business information and reporting arrangements when scoping Google Business Profile management. Bring the existing records so the work starts with a clear inventory.
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