What do you do if your Google My Business location is already claimed

Ran into the frustrating situation where your Google My Business location is already claimed? Don't worry, it's a common problem, and we're here to help you get it sorted out!

Don’t panic

Usually, this kind of thing happens for innocent reasons. For example, a former employee or a marketing agency might have created a Google My Business listing for you at some point so they would still “own” your profile. Taking ownership of your business’s profile usually involves figuring out who set up your Business Profile and having them transfer it to you. Google will help you along the way.

Google will try to get access for you automatically

Google will automatically send an email to whomever “owns” the listing, asking them to grant you access or to transfer ownership directly to you. Google will also email you to let you know what’s going on. From your Google account console, you should see a notification that your listing has been marked as duplicate, along with a message like this:

“It looks like you've attempted to add a business that has already been verified on Google. The current owner can add you as a manager or transfer ownership to you. You may also be able to do this yourself if you have access to the Google account that manages the business. Go through the options below to get help.”

After that, the current listing owner will have 7 days to respond. You can check the status by signing in to Google My Business or by clicking the link in your confirmation email.

When the current “owner” approves your request, Google will let you know by email, and you’ll be able to start using and managing your listing right away.

Reach out to the “Owner” Yourself

If you know who set up the listing, you can reach out to them directly and ask them to grant you access. This can speed up the process since it’s usually just an oversight.

What if the “owner” denies the request?

If the current “owner” denies your request, you'll get an email from Google. You can suggest edits to the listing or even flag it for removal by following the Edit business information in Google Maps . Also, you might be able to appeal the denied request.

If you don’t get a response after 3-7 days, you might have the option to claim the listing yourself. Sign in to Google My Business, and look for a Claim or Verify button on your dashboard. If you don’t see an option to claim the profile, that means the listing can’t be transferred.

For more information on what to do if your business listing has been flagged as duplicate because it has already been claimed, go to Google's article on Removing Duplicate Locations.

Please note that since Google My Business is owned and managed by Google, Bluehost doesn’t manage the process. That means our support agents don’t have a way to expedite or control this process for you. Everything will have to be managed through Google.

See Google's article What to do After You Have Requested Ownership for more information on what comes next.

Summary

Dealing with a claimed Google My Business location can be a headache, but with a little patience and the right approach, you can reclaim your listing and get back to managing your online presence. Remember to keep your business information updated and accurate to avoid future issues and ensure customers can easily find you on Google.