Google Business Profile Multiple Locations: A Google My Business Guide

To manage multiple locations in Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business), give every location its own profile and manage them together in Business Profile Manager. Add a few locations one at a time, or import many at once with Google's spreadsheet template. If you have 10 or more locations of the same business, you can ask Google to verify them in bulk.

This guide walks through each step, the rules Google applies to chains, and what franchisors and multi-location platforms need to manage listings and reviews for every location.

Why every location needs its own profile

A Business Profile is how a location shows up on Google Search and Maps. Each location's profile lets you:

• Appear in local results for people searching near that location
• Show the right address, phone number, hours and services
• Collect and reply to reviews for that location
• Share photos, updates and offers specific to that location
• Send customers to the right place, not a store across town

One profile for the whole brand can't do that. Customers search for the location nearest to them, and Google ranks each location on its own.

Google's rules for businesses with multiple locations

Google's guidelines for representing your business set a few rules that matter most for chains:

• One profile per location. Don't create more than one profile for the same location, in one account or across several.
• Consistent names and categories. Use the same business name and categories across locations, unless the real-world name actually differs from place to place.
• Real locations. Each profile should represent a place where the business meets customers in person during its stated hours, or a service area it actually serves. Virtual offices and unstaffed co-working desks don't qualify.

Breaking these rules can lead to suspended profiles, which costs far more time than doing it right the first time.

How to add a few locations

For a small number of locations, add and verify each one individually.

1. Sign in to Business Profile Manager with the Google account that will own the locations. If you don't have a profile yet, start from the Google Business Profile page and select Manage now.
2. Add a business and enter the location's name, category, address or service area, phone number, website and hours.
3. Verify the location. Google offers verification methods such as phone, text, email or video, depending on the business. Each location is verified separately.
4. Complete the profile with photos, attributes and a description before moving on to the next location.

How to add many locations with a spreadsheet

For larger chains, adding locations one by one is slow and error-prone. Business Profile Manager lets you import locations from a spreadsheet.

1. Gather the data. For each location: name, address, phone number, website, primary and additional categories, hours and a short description.
2. Download the template from the import screen in Business Profile Manager.
3. Give each location a store code. Store codes are your own unique IDs for each location. Keep them stable, because Google uses them to match rows to existing profiles. Changing them can create duplicates.
4. Fill in the template. Include every location you manage, not just new ones. For existing locations, download the current data first and edit it.
5. Upload and check the preview. Google shows warnings and a summary of how many locations will change. Download the details file and check it before you confirm.

Uploading a spreadsheet doesn't verify anything. Verification is a separate step.

How to verify 10 or more locations in bulk

Google's bulk verification saves a chain from verifying every location one at a time. According to Google:

• You need at least 10 profiles for the same business. Duplicate, suspended or disabled profiles don't count.
• Service-area businesses aren't eligible, and neither are agencies managing several different businesses in one account.
• Your spreadsheet must include every profile you manage, and your account must have no errors.

To request it, sign in to Business Profile Manager, select Verifications, then Chain, then Start, and complete the form. Google may ask for more information or a video showing the business, and it emails you once verification succeeds. Google doesn't publish a fixed timeline for bulk verification.

Organize locations with business groups

A business group (formerly called a location group) is a shared folder of locations in Business Profile Manager. Groups let you give a regional manager or an outside partner access to a set of locations without handing over the whole account. For bulk verification, verifying the group's main owner verifies the eligible profiles in that group.

Plan groups around how your business actually runs: by region, by brand, or by franchisee. Keep at least two trusted owners on every group so you're never locked out when someone leaves.

How to optimize each location's profile

• Keep the basics exact. Name, address, phone number, hours and website should match your own site and other directories.
• Choose precise categories. The primary category has a big effect on which searches a location shows up for.
• Add local detail. Photos of the actual location, services offered there, accessibility and other attributes.
• Update holiday and special hours for every location before they change.
• Post updates for local events and offers.
• Ask for and reply to reviews. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking. See our guide to Google review management.

Edits can take time to appear, and some edits are reviewed by Google before they go live.

How to manage reviews for multiple locations

Each location has its own reviews and its own star rating on Google. A great rating at one store does nothing for the store down the road, so every location needs its own steady flow of reviews and replies.

• Give every location an owner. Decide who reads and answers reviews for each location, and who covers when they're away.
• Use one reply style guide. Set the tone, sign-off and topics to avoid, so replies sound like one brand across hundreds of locations while still answering each reviewer personally.
• Escalate the serious ones. Complaints about safety, discrimination, legal issues or staff conduct should go to a regional or brand-level contact before anyone replies.
• Compare locations. Track rating, review volume and reply time by location and region. Outliers in either direction tell you where to look.
• Watch for patterns. The same reviewer posting on several of your locations, or a burst of similar reviews, can point to fake reviews. Our guide on reporting Google reviews explains what to do.

When a location moves, closes or rebrands

• Moving: update the address on the existing profile rather than creating a new one, so the location keeps its reviews. Google may ask you to verify again.
• Closing: mark the profile as temporarily or permanently closed instead of abandoning it, so customers aren't sent to an empty storefront.
• Rebranding: update the name, logo and photos on every profile at once, and keep names consistent across the chain.

Beyond Google: keep every listing consistent

Google is the most important listing, but not the only one. Customers also find locations on Apple Maps, Bing, Yelp, Facebook and industry sites such as Zocdoc, Avvo, Cars.com or Tripadvisor. The core of every listing is the same: name, address and phone number, often shortened to NAP.

When those details differ between sites, customers get confused and search engines get mixed signals. Keep one master record per location, push changes from it, and check listings after every move, rebrand or phone change. Our list of review platforms to monitor shows which sites matter by industry.

Common challenges for multi-location businesses

• Stale information. Hours and services change location by location, and one missed update sends customers to a closed door.
• Brand vs. local. Profiles need consistent branding, but also local detail that makes each location useful.
• Review volume. Hundreds of locations produce more reviews than anyone can read and answer in Google's interface.
• Duplicates. Old or user-created duplicate profiles split reviews and confuse customers. Find and remove them.
• Access. Owners and managers change. Without a clear access plan, locations end up orphaned.

For franchisors: who owns the profile?

In a franchise system, the franchisor owns the brand and the franchisee runs the location. Decide in writing who owns each Business Profile, who can edit it, and who replies to reviews. Franchisors often keep primary ownership so the profile, and its reviews, stay with the location when a franchisee sells or leaves, while giving franchisees manager access for day-to-day updates. Whatever you choose, apply the same brand standards for names, categories and review replies across every location.

For franchisors and platforms: reviews per location by API

If you run a franchise system, a marketplace or a SaaS platform that serves many locations, you need each location's reviews and ratings inside your own systems: in a franchisee portal, a location dashboard or your product's UI.

Google's Business Profile API can list reviews for each location and post replies, but it covers Google only, requires an application for API access, and needs authorization for every profile. Most locations also have reviews on other sites.

Shout About Us is the review management API for marketplaces and platforms. The Review Data API pulls reviews and ratings for each location from Google, Yelp, Facebook and 80+ review sites into one format. From there you can add the Review Response API to draft and post replies, and Review Solicitation to send SMS and email review requests per location. Pricing is $0.50 to $3.00 per location per month plus usage, so cost scales with your location count. See pricing.

FAQ

Can one Google account manage multiple business locations?

Yes. Business Profile Manager lets one account own or manage many profiles, organized into business groups. Add other owners and managers so access never depends on one person.

Do I need to verify each location separately?

Usually, yes. Chains with 10 or more profiles for the same business can request bulk verification instead. Service-area businesses aren't eligible for bulk verification.

Can my locations have different names on Google?

Only if the real-world name actually differs by location. Otherwise Google expects consistent names and categories across a chain.

What is a store code in Google Business Profile?

A store code is your own unique ID for each location. Google uses it to match spreadsheet rows to existing profiles, so keep it stable.

How do I see reviews for all my locations in one place?

Business Profile Manager shows reviews per profile. To see reviews for every location from Google and other sites in your own system, use a review API such as the Review Data API.

Pull reviews for every location

If you're building location-level reviews into a franchise portal or platform, start with the Review Data API, and check per-location pricing for your location count.