Becoming a Google Business Profile agency is a powerful way to help businesses grow their local SEO and manage their online presence.
With the importance of using Google reviews and accurate business information at an all-time high, the opportunities for agencies are better than ever.
In this guide, I’ll show you how to set up a GBP agency account, manage client profiles efficiently, and use tools like EmbedSocial to simplify the process.
Ready to elevate your agency services? Let’s get started.
What is a Google Business Profile agency account?
A Google Business Profile agency account is a specialized Google account designed to help agencies manage multiple business profiles from one centralized dashboard.
It allows agencies to organize, monitor, and update clients’ Google Business Profiles, making it easy to handle multiple locations or brands under one umbrella.
This type of account is ideal for agencies looking to streamline profile management and ensure accurate, up-to-date information across all clients. Furthermore, it also includes tools for collaborating with teams and securely managing permissions.
What are the benefits of running a GBP agency?
Running a Google Business Profile (GBP) agency offers a range of advantages that can help your agency grow and serve clients better:
- Centralized management—manage multiple profiles for different clients;
- Improved team collaboration—assign permissions easily and work securely;
- Enhanced local SEO—maintain accurate, consistent information to improve client visibility and customer trust;
- Streamlined client onboarding—easily add new clients to your agency dashboard without unnecessary paperwork;
- Simplified bulk updates—make changes across multiple locations or profiles at once to change their GBP attributes and save time;
- Clients can easily access customer support—you can easily provide all the support your clients need straight from your agency dashboard.
GBP agency accounts help you easily manage Google Business Profiles for clients and provide high-value services for them, regardless of their industry and size.
Disadvantages of the GBP Agency account
Although there are apparent benefits, there are a few things you need to know before switching to a Google business profile agency dashboard, such as:
- Setup hassle – you need a company-specific email and might have to remove any existing listings from your account before you can start using the dashboard, which can be inconvenient.
- No auto email alerts – the dashboard does not send automatic email notifications for updates or reviews on listings. This means you need to manually check the dashboard to stay updated, potentially causing delays in responding to changes.
- Overly complex for few listings – if your agency only manages a small number of listings, the extensive features of the dashboard may seem overly complex and more than what you actually need.
- Learning curve – there is a learning curve associated with the dashboard, especially due to the switch from email invites to ID numbers for managing access. Your team will need time to adjust to this new system.
- Limited service area support – the dashboard is not optimized for managing service area businesses, which can be a drawback if many of your clients operate without a fixed physical location.
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Steps to setup a Google Business Profile agency account
If you want your organization to become a GBP agency, setting up a Google Business Profile agency account is the most common step.
Google implements a slightly different process for setting up a Google Business Profile agency account than its typical procedure to create a Google Business Profile.
These are the steps in the process:
1. Visit Google’s agency signup page
First things first, you must navigate to the right page to start the creation process for a GBP agency account, which is: https://business.google.com/agencysignup:
2. Create or log in with an account that does not manage GBP locations
Next, you’ll be prompted to log with a Google account of your agency that is not associated with any GBP locations:
3. Fill out your GBP agency information
Once you create your account or verify your email, you’ll be prompted to provide details about your new agency, such as name, location, contact info, etc.:
Note: You’ll be prompted to add one more person as an account owner too!
4. Finalize the process and log into your GBP Manager
After filling out the above info, you’ll get a congratulatory message and be prompted to log into your GBP agency dashboard, where you have everything you need:
Once you set up the agency account, you can request access to your clients’ Google business profiles and organize them by group.
How to request access to Google Business Profiles with the agency dashboard?
In the GBP Agency Account, use the “Request Access” button to request access to a business. Alternatively, users can invite your organization to manage a business or business group they own. For a single business, the business owner can invite one of your business groups using the group ID you provide them. For business groups, users can invite your organization using your organization ID.
Here are the steps on how to request access to your client’s Google Business Profiles:
- In the Agency Dashboard, navigate to the ‘Manage invitations’ tab.
- Click the ‘Request access’ button or link, which should be visible if you have the appropriate dashboard version or permissions.
- A form will appear asking you to search for the name of the business profile you wish to manage. Once you find it, select the profile and submit the request.
- An email will be sent to the current listing owner or manager, asking them to approve your request.
- You can check the status of your access requests in the Agency Dashboard under a dedicated section in ‘Manage invitations > Requests sent’
- Once your request is approved, you’ll be notified, and the profile will appear in your ‘Manage invitations > Invitations receieved’ .
Here is the page where the client needs to go after they receive the email request and approve the access to their Google Business Profile:
Please note that If you don’t receive a response within a reasonable time frame (usually a few days to a week), it might be helpful to follow up with the business directly if possible.
Once you do that, you will have to follow a few steps to complete the GBP verification procedure. However, if there’s no listing yet, you have to create a Google Business Profile for all your clients from scratch, which is a simple 5-step process.
What can you do with a GBP agency account?
Once you sign up for a GBP organization account, you get access to robust account management options and tailored Google support, plus additional benefits.
Additionally, you get an account structure designed for your clients to manage their profiles and the option to create various user groups to manage everything.
These are all the features available to you as a GBP agency:
User access control
Grant different levels of access to team members based on their roles or responsibilities. This feature helps maintain security and control over who can make changes to client profiles.
Options for bulk management of Google Business Profiles
Make profile edits or upload high-quality photos to showcase your clients’ products and services for multiple profiles.
Get valuable performance insights for multiple clients
Use Insights to understand how people find and interact with your client’s profile. These SEO metrics help tailor your approach to attract more customers effectively.
Post updates and offers on multiple locations
Create Google posts to connect with your clients’ customers directly through Google Search and Maps. Announce offers, showcase products, and share event details to engage your audience.
Advertise businesses online
Link your client’s Google Accounts to Google Ads to boost local visibility. Insights can be used to optimize ad campaigns, helping reach the right audience effectively.
How to organize your GBP organization account?
If you want to structure your organization and manage users efficiently, you have to know a few terms. Here’s an overview of the management concepts:
- Organization – this is the highest-level profile that represents your agency and oversees all related business profiles;
- User group – a collection of users within your agency, created by organization users. User groups can be assigned permissions to manage specific business groups;
- Business group – a location set managed collectively by the agency or a user group. Only organization users can create business groups.
After logging into your GBP agency dashboard, you have to do this:
First, you should create one or more business groups to manage locations. Imagine a chain of restaurants with multiple locations. You’ll need a business group to manage all of them.
Then, you have to get access to all those locations by having the customer invite your business group or your organization as managers of their locations.
Finally, you have to create one or more user groups within your agency to provide access to specific business groups so they can manage them.
Note: you can migrate existing locations to your organization account.
Need more? Get robust GBP management software for your multi-location or multi-brand business
As you can see, a Google Business Profile agency can help businesses dominate local SEO results. But, if you need more interfaces or more functionalities you can do this with tools integrated directly with the Google Business API.
For instance, EmbedSocial’s GBP Software is a top-notch GBP tool thanks to its direct Google Business Profile API connection. With it, you get plenty of valuable features that you can use to optimize the GBP of every single one of your Google locations.
Don’t believe me? Check out everything you’d be getting:
Streamlined Google review management
You can manage Google reviews for any multi-location business by helping clients pull, moderate, and display reviews.
Variety of customizable Google review widgets
You can access over 80 pre-built Google review widgets, which can be customized in bulk and made mobile responsive to fit the client’s branding exactly.
AI-powered Google reviews tools
Help your clients respond to every review in a certain brand voice and summarize the feedback sentiment. EmbedSocial has the AI-powered review tools to make that happen.
Bulk update of business information
Since consistency is key to winning at local SEO, this tool lets you edit your GBP locations in bulk so that the information is updated everywhere.
Google post scheduler
Regularly posting updates on Google is important for your online image, so take advantage of EmbedSocial’s advanced Google Post scheduler.
Managing Google user access
You can easily add and remove users from any Google Business Profile to avoid unauthorized changes, which can happen after personnel changes.
Detailed GBP analytics
Get the latest Google Business Profile insights you need to learn from your past mistakes and ensure you make the right choices for your GBP locations. These Google analytics include everything from website clicks to the main ways the website is discovered.
Aggregated star snippers in Google Search
Add Google’s aggregated star rating underneath the client’s website results to show the public that they offer excellent service. That way, public Google searches of the business in question will showcase these star ratings underneath the company’s name.
Business listing edit tracker
Prevent unauthorized edits of your Google Business Profile with the Listing Edit Tracker, which monitors your profiles at all times.
Comparision between owning GBP Agency account dashboard and using a GBP software
If you are wondering if as a large agency you need to manage multiple clients with the GBP Agency Dashboard or a professional GBP software like EmbedSocial, compare the differences as below:
| GBP Features | GBP Agency Account | EmbedSocial |
| User Interface | Standard Google interface, but limited in customization. | Rucher interface with more customization options. |
| Access Control | Granular access controls for different team members but only for owner and manager. No access for repsonding or analytics only | Comparable access control, but with more detailed user roles and permissions. |
| Listing Management | Centralized control for managing multiple listings directly. | Centralized management, with additional integration options for managing profiles from various platforms. |
| Bulk Updates | Allows bulk updates for essential information across multiple listings. | Bigger bulk update capabilities, such as updating business hours. |
| Automatic Email Alerts | No ability to receive automatic email notifications for changes or reviews on listings. | Prompt email alerts for new reviews to respond and manage in real time. |
| Search and Filtering | Basic search and filtering options for listings. | Enhanced search and filtering capabilities, designed for ease and efficiency. |
| Analytics and Reporting | Basic performance insights directly from Google. | Advanced analytics with smart reports and detailed review analytics at scale. |
| Review Management | Basic tools for monitoring and responding to reviews. | More advanced review management tools, search capability for browsing all reviews in one place. |
| Post and Offers Updates | Capability to post updates and offers directly. No scheduling options. | Scheudling and posting options, often with better scheduling and targeting features. |
| Automated Responses | Limited to manual responses. | Advanced autoresponder capabilities, including AI responses that can be tailored to specific customer interactions. |
| Multi-reviews Responding | Manual response capability from the dashboard. | Includes more sophisticated way to repsond to reveiws on multiple locations, autoresponder and AI-driven response features. |
| Service Scaling | The platform may not scale as efficiently for agencies requiring high levels of automation and customization. | Ideally suited for agencies that need scalable solutions with extensive automation and detailed analytics. |
| GBP API Integration | Standard API access for integration. | Extensive API integration options, likely supporting a wider range of third-party services and customizations. |
One of the major concern of going with the GBP agency dashboard is the inability to get prompt alerts when your client’s profiles receive a new review. This could lead to slower response times and less proactive management unless you regularly check the dashboard.
Best practices for managing multi-location or multi-brand businesses
Managing multi-location or multi-brand businesses effectively requires following some best practices to ensure consistency and efficiency across all profiles:
- Use a centralized tool—leverage tools like Google Business Profile Agency Dashboard or EmbedSocial to manage all profiles from one place. This approach reduces the time spent switching between different accounts and ensures everything stays consistent.
- Maintain consistent information—ensure that important business details—such as operating hours, addresses, and contact information—are accurate and consistent across every local business listing. Consistency is key to building customer trust and improving local search rankings.
- Leverage bulk updates—use the bulk update feature to make changes across multiple locations simultaneously. This not only saves time but also helps ensure uniformity when managing large numbers of profiles.
- Engage through reviews—actively respond to customer reviews across all profiles. Engaging with both positive and negative feedback fosters trust and helps improve local SEO, showing that the business values its customers.
- Assign appropriate roles—define clear roles and permissions for team members managing the profiles. This will help streamline the management process, minimize errors, and keep the workflow organized across multiple locations.
- Promote offers and events with Posts—use Google Business Profile Posts to highlight promotions, sales, or special events. Many local customers are actively looking for deals, and showcasing them directly on Google Maps and Search can help attract potential customers.
- Respond to reviews regularly—engage with both positive and negative reviews to build customer trust. Responding to reviews that you value customer feedback and can influence potential customers’ decisions when they see your proactive approach.
Conclusion: Managing your Google Business Profile agency is easier than ever!
When you become a Google Business Profile agency, you start opening doors to effectively managing your clients’ online presence while boosting their local SEO.
After all, with a GBP agency account, you gain access to the Google Business Profile agency dashboard, which streamlines the management of multiple profiles.
Then, you start maintaining consistency and engaging with customers through posts and reviews, and managing multi-location clients becomes much more efficient.
Remember, using tools like EmbedSocial simplifies the process for third-party agencies and adds value to the services they offer. And you have to let your future customers know that!
Ready to take your agency to the next level? Start today!
FAQs about Google Business Profile Agencies
What is a GMB agency?
A Google Business Profile agency is a specialized agency that manages Google Business Profiles for multiple clients. It uses a centralized dashboard to handle different business locations, update information, and manage reviews.
What is a Google Agency account?
A Google Agency account is a type of account specifically designed for agencies that manage multiple Google Business Profiles. It helps streamline profile management, improve workflows, and provide permissions for different users.
How to give an agency access to a Google business profile?
To give an agency access, go to the business profile’s settings and add the agency’s unique location ID or email. The agency will receive an invitation and, once accepted, can manage the profile through their agency dashboard.