How to Delete a Google Business Profile and Map Location

You will now have three choices. Let’s take a closer look at each, who should choose them, and how to implement each one.

1. Stop Managing This Profile

This option removes the profile from your account, but it doesn’t delete the profile from Google. It simply means you’re no longer the owner or manager, and you’ll no longer have access to edit the listing or receive updates.

This is a good choice if the business is still active but you no longer need to manage its online presence. For example, maybe you’ve sold the business, handed off digital marketing duties to someone else, or are stepping away from a franchise location you no longer own.

If that sounds like your situation, here’s how to remove yourself from managing the profile:

1. Click on the option “Stop managing this profile.”
2. Use the add button to add a new primary owner to the account.
3. If the new owner is already listed on the account as a manager, click on their name, and then click on the pencil icon beside “Access” and upgrade their access to “Primary owner.”
4. Delete your access to the account by clicking on your name and then selecting “Remove person.”

2. Mark This Business as Closed

This option keeps the profile live on Google but clearly labels the business as permanently closed.

This is the right choice if the business has shut down for good — whether it’s a single-location closure or part of a broader scale-back. It helps maintain transparency, prevents misinformation, and protects your SEO history, reviews, and listing data.

If you’re closing a location and want to keep your online presence accurate, here’s how to mark the business as permanently closed on Google:

1. Click on “Mark this business as closed.”
2. Under the business hours menu, select “Temporarily closed” or “Permanently closed,” depending on your situation.
3. Click “Save.”

3. Remove Profile Contents and Managers

This option deletes the Google Business Profile entirely — including all its content, photos, posts, and manager access. Once removed, your profile won’t show up in Google Search or on Google Maps.

If you’re sure the profile needs to be permanently removed from Google, here’s how to proceed with deleting it.

1. Choose “Remove profile contents and managers.”
2. Download a backup of your information.
3. Click “Continue” and then “Confirm.”

It’s important to note that it may take some time for Google to completely wipe you from their systems. This is normal, so don’t be surprised if your profile is still showing up for the next few weeks.

How to Merge or Delete a Duplicate Listing on Google

Duplicate listings are a common issue for multi-location businesses, especially when locations move, rebrand, or get added to Google multiple times by different team members or third-party tools. But if left unchecked, duplicates can confuse customers, split your reviews, and hurt your local SEO.

The first — and most ideal — way to deal with a duplicate is to merge the original and the duplicate into one listing. This is preferable because it will save all your Google reviews and data from both listings.

However, you can only merge listings if they share the same business information, like business name, phone number, and address. If they do, contact Google support directly, explain the situation, and ask them to merge the listings.

If they do not share duplicate information, and you have ownership of both, edit them to match, and then contact Google.

Finally, if they do not match and you cannot edit their info, request that the duplicate be deleted. Here’s how:

1. Search for the duplicate listing on Google Maps.
2. Click “Suggest an edit.”
3. Select “Place is closed or not here.”
4. Choose “Duplicate of another place” and submit.

Google may take a few days or weeks to review your request.

Common Issues When Deleting a Google Business Profile

Sometimes, deleting or updating a Google Business Profile doesn’t go as smoothly as expected. Here are three common issues business owners run into and what to do about them.

1. Google Won’t Let You Delete the Profile

In many cases, you’ll find that Google doesn’t actually allow full deletion of a business profile, especially if the listing has already been published and indexed.

Even if the location is closed, Google may preserve the profile to maintain historical accuracy and transparency for users.

The best workaround is to mark the location as permanently closed, which signals that the business is no longer operational without fully removing it from Search and Maps. If the profile was created in error or is ineligible (e.g., for a virtual-only business), you can request removal through Google Business Profile support.

2. The Profile was Created by a Former Employee or Third Party

If someone else, like a franchisee, ex-employee, or agency partner, created the GBP listing, you might not have access to manage or remove it. In this case, your best option is to ask Google to make you the owner of this account.

To do this, you’ll need to:

• Visit the listing on Google Maps.
• Click “Own this business?” or “Claim this business.”
• Follow the steps to request access and verify ownership.

If access is denied or you don’t get a response after two weeks, you can escalate the request with Google Business Profile Support.

3. Reviews are Still Visible After Closing or Deleting the Profile

Even after marking a business as permanently closed or removing yourself as the manager, reviews can remain visible on Google.

This is by design — reviews are considered part of the public record and tied to the historical listing. If you believe a review violates Google’s policies (e.g., spam, hate speech, off-topic content), you can report it for removal individually. Otherwise, there is very little you can do about this problem.

How Chatmeter Simplifies Google Business Profile Management

Managing one Google Business Profile is hard enough. Managing dozens — or hundreds — across multiple regions, teams, and franchises? That’s where things get messy.

Chatmeter helps multi-location brands take back control of their local listings with centralized tools designed to scale. Whether you’re cleaning up duplicates, monitoring changes across locations, or rolling out bulk updates, Chatmeter makes it easy to stay accurate, consistent, and visible in local search.

Here’s how Chatmeter streamlines your Google Business Profile management:

• Bulk edits made easy: Update hours, attributes, or categories across all locations with just a few clicks.
• Duplicate detection and cleanup: Spot and resolve duplicate listings before they cause confusion or SEO issues.
• Real-time monitoring: Get alerts when changes are made to any of your profiles, whether by potential customers, employees, or Google.
• Audit-ready reporting: Keep track of updates, performance, and local business listing accuracy with built-in dashboards.
• Scalable optimization: Manage and optimize GBP listings across hundreds of business locations through a single dashboard designed for multi-location efficiency.

Whether you’re rebranding, closing locations, or just trying to maintain consistency across your footprint, Chatmeter gives you the tools to manage your GBPs with confidence.

Schedule a demo with Chatmeter today and see how easy it is to stay on top of your Google Business Profile listings.