If you find a verified Google Business Page for your business and you do not have access to the Google Business Listing or you may have lost the login details or someone else within the company had previously verified the business listing and you cannot locate the account login details, then you need to request ownership of the current verified Google business page.
Do Not: Attempt to create another business listing, this will results in a duplicate page that will more then likely get suspended.
You Must: Make the ownership request before you can appeal or contact business support.
Request Ownership of a Google Business Page
Steps to claiming or requesting ownership of an already verified Google business listing:
- Go To: business.google.com/create
- Start: Typing in the Businesses Name
- Search for business name
- Select the correct business
- You’ll see a message saying someone else owns this business
- Click: Request Access
- Submit
The Process
Go To: business.google.com/create
If you are not logged into your Google Account, you will need to log into continue. Top Tip: Make sure you are logged into the account in which you want the Google Business Listing to be attached to. I would highly recommend that you use the account that also has the websites Google Analytics & Google Search Console. By using the same account you will have a better chance of this being transferred without to much rigmarole because Google can detect that you are the websites owner.
Business Name: start typing in the business name, the business should appear within the drop down. Make sure you select the correct one if there are multiple businesses that are listed with this name.
Note: This only works for a storefront location, if the listing is a service area business (SAB) you will need to use a slightly different process detailed below.
Select correct business – DO NOT select create business with this name.
This listing has already been verified by pl…@gmail.com.
If you still want to add this listing to your account, you can request access from the current owner.
Request Access
Someone else manages this business on Google:
- Share your info with current owner to continue >> tick box
- What level of access would you like?
- What’s your relationship to the business
- Contact name
- Phone number
- Submit
Note: You can add a manager in account dashboard.
Owner receives request almost instantaneously, the current owner has the option to:
- Add as manager
- Grant ownership
- Reject request
Current listed owner receives an email – they can Grant or Reject Request.
If the owner rejects the request, you will receive an email informing you.
If the owner ignores the request and you do not receive a response after 7 days, you should contact Google Business Support.
Note: You will see in the response there is an Appeal Now link – this is added because I used the connected Google Analytics and Google Search Console Accounts – which means that Google is aware that this account may be the actual owner.
Follow the Appeal Now link.
Equally if the current owner does not reply after 7 days – then it will be automatically transferred to the new account because of the Google account connection already.
How Google My Business Looks at The Appeal Process
1. Google looks at the owner and see if they have been active recently – if not, they notify the user that they have unverified their page and ask them to contact Google business support if this incorrect. Over 80% of these actually come back as mailer-demons and Google immediately know the user is no longer active and can’t transfer ownership, in which case Google unverify them and let them know. In this case, there is an issue – unverifying a page means losing the views, posts and content that has been built by the current owner.
2. Google reaches out to the owner and they do respond and say “yes that’d be great, lets transfer ownership.” Google help them through that process and also keep the views and social content provided by the previous owner (since they are giving that data to the new owner in the transfer).
3. If Google reaches out to the owner and they don’t respond in 7 days, business support will attempt to reach out a few times through different methods (email again, phone, website portal contact paths, etc) and give them another 7 days. If there is no response Google will unverify the current owner and then ask the claimant to pin verify the page again – so that we can verify they are legit. Keep in mind the process takes awhile because Google wants to be sure the right owner is managing the page and to give the current owner a chance to reply.
How to Contact Google Business Support: Google keeps changing where and how to contact Google business support, so we include both current methods of contacting them.
Request Ownership of a Service Area (SAB) Business Page
Steps to claiming or requesting ownership of a service area Google business listing:
- Go To: business.google.com/create
- Enter the business details – use the same details
- Click: Continue
- Select to Verify – normally postcard verification
- Once postcard arrives – log back into account enter PIN number
- Message: Ownership Conflict – request access
- Fill in the request access form
- Current listed owner receives request
- Follow process
The difference with a service area business page is that you need to verify ownership again, which then triggers the “already owned” messaging. You can then continue with the request as a storefront business would.
Top Tip: It is usually much easier to contact business support with an SAB listing, again this will go really smoothly if the account you claim / request ownership from is connected to the websites Google Analytics and Search Console account as this already shows website ownership to them.