Your agency manages your Google profile and the details are still wrong
If your agency is paid to manage your Google Business profile and the address or opening hours are still wrong, they are not managing it. They set it up once, ticked it off the list, and have not logged in since. The fix is to take ownership of the profile yourself and decide whether anyone needs to be paid to look after it at all.
What the agency is actually doing
Google Business profile management is one of those line items that sounds technical but is not. It is a free Google account that shows your business on the map and in local search results. Anyone with the login can edit it in about thirty seconds.
When an agency charges you a monthly fee that includes "Google Business management", what they usually do is this: set the profile up at the start, then forget about it. There is no ongoing work to do unless your details change or you want to post updates.
So when your address or opening hours go out of date, nothing flags it on their end. They are not checking. The profile manages itself until something needs to change, at which point nobody changes it.
Why wrong details cost you money
A wrong address sends customers to an empty unit or a residential street. A wrong phone number routes them to a stranger. Wrong opening hours mean someone drives to your shop on a Sunday because Google said you were open.
Most of those people do not call back to complain. They just go to your competitor. You never know it happened.
Whether you run a salon in Manchester or a takeaway in Cardiff, the Google Business profile is often the first thing a new customer sees before they ever reach your website. If it is wrong, you have lost them before they started.
How to check who controls the profile
Go to business.google.com and sign in with the email address you would expect to be linked to your business. If you can see your profile and edit it, you are the owner. Good.
If you cannot see it, or you can see it but cannot edit anything, the agency holds the ownership and has only given you a viewer role - or no role at all. This is the same pattern as agencies registering domains in their own name. The asset is yours in spirit but theirs in practice.
You can request ownership directly through Google. Open the profile in search, click the three dots, and look for "Request access". Google will email the current owner. They have seven days to respond before you can escalate.
How to take back control
Ask the agency, in writing, to transfer primary ownership of the Google Business profile to an email address you control. Be specific: "Please transfer primary ownership of our Google Business profile to [your email] within seven days."
If they delay or say it is included in the retainer so they need to keep control, that is nonsense. Ownership and access are two different things. They can manage a profile they do not own, the same as a cleaner can have a key without owning the house.
The hourly rate for updating an address in Google Business is the same as the hourly rate for not updating it. Once you have ownership, change the password, then go through every field: name, address, phone, opening hours, website, categories, photos. Fix what is wrong.
What good management looks like
For most small businesses, the Google Business profile needs attention three or four times a year. Bank holiday hours. A new photo. Responding to reviews. That is it.
If you are paying an agency over £100 a month and one of the things they are meant to do is keep this profile accurate, and they have not, that is a clean reason to leave. They are charging you for work that is both simple and not being done.
SkipTheAgency's Maintained plan at £65/month covers Google Business profile updates alongside the rest of your site. Same-day response, no ticket queue, and the profile stays in your Google account - not mine.
Frequently asked questions
How do I update my Google Business profile myself?
Go to business.google.com, sign in, find your business, and click Edit profile. You can change the address, phone, hours, website and photos directly. Changes usually go live within a few minutes, though Google occasionally reviews address changes manually.
Can my agency stop me accessing my own Google Business profile?
Not permanently. If they hold primary ownership, you can request access through Google and they have seven days to respond. If they ignore the request, Google can transfer ownership to you. They cannot lock you out indefinitely.
Is it worth paying someone to manage my Google Business profile?
For most small businesses, no. The profile needs updating only when your details change or for occasional posts. If you are paying a retainer that includes it, make sure it actually covers responding to reviews and posting updates - not just sitting on the login.
Why is my Google Business profile showing the wrong address?
Either nobody has updated it since the business moved, or Google has pulled an old address from another directory. Sign in to business.google.com, correct the address, and submit. If the wrong address keeps reappearing, it usually means an old listing exists elsewhere that needs removing.
How long does it take to fix wrong opening hours on Google?
If you have access to the profile, the change is instant - Google usually shows the new hours within five minutes. If you need to request ownership from your agency first, allow up to seven days for Google's transfer process.
What should I do if my agency refuses to hand over the Google profile?
Send a written request stating the email address you want primary ownership transferred to, with a seven-day deadline. If they refuse or ignore it, use Google's "Request access" function on the profile directly. Google will side with the legitimate business owner.
Get a profile that actually gets updated
If your Google Business profile is meant to be managed and it is not, that is reason enough to switch. SkipTheAgency's Maintained plan is £65/month and includes Google Business updates with same-day response - and the profile stays in your name.
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