Someone else controls my Google Business listing, how do I take it back?

Search your business name on Google Maps before you do anything else. If a listing shows up, even one you don't recognize or that looks bare-bones, that's the one you claim, not build around. Most owners skip this step. They search, don't see an obvious way in, and just create a brand new profile instead. Now Google has two listings tied to the same address and phone number and doesn't know which one's real. Your reviews stay stuck on the old listing, your map ranking gets split between two profiles instead of boosting one, and you end up filing a support ticket months later to clean up a mess you made trying to avoid a smaller one.

If nothing at all comes up when you search, go ahead and create a new profile, that's the one case where starting fresh is actually correct. But if any listing exists at your address, even a bare one with zero reviews, that's the real listing. Claim it.

Open the existing listing and look for "Own this business?" or "Claim this business." Google will tell you it's already claimed. Honestly, it's usually not some big conspiracy, just a former employee, an old web designer, or an agency you don't work with anymore who set it up years back and never handed off the login. Click through to "Request access" and Google notifies whoever's managing it now, giving them a window to respond.

While you wait, the listing keeps running normally, it still shows up in search and Maps, you just don't have the login yet. If they respond and grant access, you're in right away. If the window runs out and nobody answers, Google walks you through verifying it yourself, by phone call, a mailed postcard with a code, or an email tied to the business, whichever option it offers for your listing.

Once you're verified, every review, photo, and bit of ranking history already sitting on that listing stays put. You didn't lose any of it, you just changed who holds the keys. Start a brand new profile instead and none of that carries over, you're back at zero with nothing to show for it.

But reclaiming the listing doesn't automatically fix it. A lot of claimed profiles sit half-filled out: wrong categories, no photos, hours that don't match reality, and Google won't rank a listing like that no matter who's logged in. Our Google Business Profile optimization service is a flat $250 one-time job. We get it fully filled out, categorized right, and set up to actually show up, plus we hand you a guide to keep it that way yourself.