Google Business Profile for Several Outlets: Setup and Management

One profile per outlet: the basic rules

Google's guidelines for representing your business set the ground rules for multi-location businesses:

• Create a profile for each actual, real-world location customers can visit, and don't create more than one profile for the same location, in one account or several.
• Each location should have permanent fixed signage with the business name.
• Virtual offices are not eligible. A co-working space only qualifies if the office has clear signage, receives customers during business hours and is staffed by your own team.
• Give each location a phone number that connects to that outlet, or a website that represents that outlet.
• Service businesses with separate service areas and separate staff at each base may have one profile per base.

If you are setting up your first profile, our Google Business Profile setup guide covers verification and categories. This guide is about running several.

Naming outlets without getting suspended

This is where multi-outlet businesses most often break Google's rules. Google says all locations within the same country must use the same name, unless the business's real-world branding consistently differs between locations, and that names must not include location information or store codes.

Customers still tell outlets apart because Google shows each profile's address and map pin. Put the area name in the outlet page title on your website instead. Google also asks that locations providing the same service use the same primary category.

Business groups: shared access without shared passwords

Google's business groups help page describes a business group as a shared folder for your profiles, and says businesses sharing a username and password should move to a group instead. Owners and managers of the group can create, edit and delete profiles in it, and anyone added to the group gets access to all current and future profiles in it.

1. 1

   Sign in to Business Profile Manager

   Use a Google account owned by the business, such as a shared admin address on your domain, not a staff member's personal Gmail.

2. 2

   Create a group

   With two or more profiles, select Create group at the top right and give it a name.

3. 3

   Transfer the outlet profiles in

   Select the profiles, then Actions, Transfer businesses, and choose the group.

4. 4

   Add owners and managers

   Add at least two owners from the business so access survives a staff departure. Add outlet managers or your agency as managers.

5. 5

   Give single-outlet access where needed

   Google says you can also add owners and managers to single profiles within a group, for example a manager who should only edit one outlet.

Google suggests limiting it to one business group per brand. Separate groups keep teams apart but each needs its own spreadsheet import, and you can't see all profiles in one dashboard. Our guide to franchise and multi-outlet IT setup covers shared accounts beyond Google.

Bulk verification for 10 or more locations

Each new profile normally needs its own verification, which can include a video recording or live call at the location. Google's bulk verification page offers a shortcut for larger chains.

To apply, sign in to Business Profile Manager, then select Verifications, Chain, Start, and fill in the form. Uploading a spreadsheet does not send a verification request by itself. Google says it may de-verify accounts that don't actively manage their profiles. For chains under 10 outlets, verify each profile individually.

Give each outlet its own page on your website

Linking every profile to your homepage wastes the profile's website button. A page per outlet gives customers the right details and gives Google a clear match between the profile and your site.

Add LocalBusiness structured data to each outlet page with that outlet's name, address and hours, following Google's local business structured data guide. Keep name, address and phone consistent everywhere they appear: the profile, the outlet page, Facebook and directory listings. Our local SEO guide explains how this affects Google Maps ranking.

Keeping several profiles up to date

Most outdated multi-outlet profiles go wrong on hours. A monthly routine prevents most issues.

• Set special hours for public holidays at every outlet ahead of time, including Chinese New Year and other closures.
• Mark an outlet as temporarily closed during renovation rather than leaving normal hours.
• When an outlet closes for good, mark it permanently closed instead of deleting it, so customers see it has shut.
• Assign one person to reply to reviews per outlet, or a central person for all.
• Remove managers who leave the company on their last day.
• For many outlets, use the bulk spreadsheet import to update hours in one go.

Do it yourself or get help?

Creating a business group and moving profiles into it takes under an hour. The bigger job is usually the website side: a proper page for each outlet with consistent details and structured data.

Our Business Website (S$1,490) includes up to 6 pages, which can cover outlet pages for a small chain, with mobile-first design, a contact form and WhatsApp button, your Google Business Profile link and map, and on-page SEO with a sitemap. IT Sorted is a Singapore-based team of developers with over 10 years of experience; you pay upfront online and brief us in writing.