When it comes to SEO for local businesses, optimizing your off-site presence is just as important as optimizing your on-site SEO. One of the most essential off-site platforms to consider is Google My Business (GMB). This is Google’s directory of local businesses and their services in any given area. GMB listings help users to find and easily connect with your business by viewing your hours, service details, addresses, reviews, and more. 

Having your Google My Business listing optimized is essential for letting users know where you are, when you are open, and the latest news from your business. Optimizing your listing can also ensure that your business shows up when locals are searching for your core keywords, which is especially important when there are multiple businesses in your area that offer the same services. 

If you are working with an agency to increase your visibility in local search results, they likely want access to your GMB account. You might be wondering, “How do I add an agency to Google My Business?” Follow these 4 simple steps to add a new manager to your account. 

Step 1: Log in to Google My Business

Login to your account at business.google.com. If you have more than one business listing, find and click on the listing you want to manage.

Step 2: Visit Your Directory of Users

In the left-hand column, click on “Users.” This is where you can add and remove user access to your Google My Business. You can also view the full details about who has access to your listing.

Step 3: Add New User

In the “manage users” page, click on the blue “Add Users” button in the upper right-hand corner.

Step 4: Send User Invitation

To send the access invitation, start by adding the email address of your new user. Then, choose a management role—we suggest “Manager,” but you can read more on this below. Finally, click the “invite” button to send access to your agency contact. 

Once they accept your Google My Business invitation, your agency will be ready to help you optimize your GMB listing.

Which Management Role Is Best For Google My Business Agency Access?

When adding an agency to GMB you have the choice to choose between 3 levels of management access:

GOOGLE MY BUSINESS OWNER

In most situations, it is best that Google My Business Owners are the same as the owners of the business. GMB Owners can perform two unique functions not found in any other account access: 1) They are the only users who can add and remove members from the listing, and 2) They are the only users who can delete the GMB listing entirely. 

There are some benefits of adding an agency member as an owner, as they then have the ability to grant Manager-level access to other members of their team. We would always suggest limiting the number of owners on the account and only granting owner-level access to third parties you trust entirely.

GOOGLE MY BUSINESS MANAGER

Manager-level access is often ideal for an SEO agency. As a Manager, the user can update location settings, add photos, respond to reviews, and so much more! The only consideration here is that this access level cannot add more users—so you will have to add each agency contact working on your account individually. 

GOOGLE MY BUSINESS SITE MANAGER

The lowest level of Google My Business access, Site Managers can edit hours, edit attributes, respond to reviews, and add GMB posts. This is an adequate level of access for someone doing minor upkeep; however, this limits an SEO agency from optimizing service offers, managing your listing in Google Maps, and accepting Google updates. For the purposes of an SEO agency, this level of access is often too restrictive. 

Keeping Up With Google My Business

Google My Business is constantly adding new features to help improve the GMB experience for both businesses and users. Keeping up with SEO updates often help you reach potential customers and communicate accurate information about your business.

Working with an agency can help ensure you are making the most of these features to show up in local results. If you need help managing your Google My Business listing, contact us to see how we can help.